The world of spies, lies, and dangerous double lives is returning this summer as Season 2 of The Agency premieres on Sunday, June 21, with all 10 episodes dropping simultaneously on Paramount+ with Showtime.
Based on the acclaimed French espionage drama Le Bureau des Légendes, the series follows a covert CIA operative named Martian (Michael Fassbender), an agent forced to abandon his undercover identity and return to London Station after years living behind enemy lines. But when the woman he once loved suddenly reenters his life, his mission and carefully constructed reality begin to collide.
The series dives deep into the dangerous psychology of long-term espionage, following intelligence officers who spend years building fake identities, manipulating targets, and living entire fabricated lives in pursuit of classified information, only to vanish and do it all over again.
What is The Agency about?
In this series, we follow Brandon Colby, codename “Martian” (a.k.a. Paul Lewis), who has been on a mission in Ethiopia for six years, where he fell in love with a woman named Dr. Samia Fatima “Sami” Zahir (Jodie Turner-Smith). When he returns to the U.K., he breaks protocol and decides to contact Sami again, unsure if Sami herself is an agent as well.
Meanwhile, there is another, more widespread threat dealing with a CIA non-official deep cover agent in Belarus named Coyote, the codename for Piotr Rybak (Alex Reznik). After his cover is blown, he is captured and held for ransom by a Russian mercenary group known as Valhalla. He is being targeted for extraction by the CIA in Operation Felix.
How does Season 1 end?
The finale centers on Operation Felix, a CIA ambush designed to rescue Coyote. During the mission, the CIA successfully eliminates military commander General Volchok (Juris Zagars).
It is also revealed that Martian’s former field partner, Jim Richardson (Hugh Bonneville), has been pulling the strings behind the scenes all along. He betrays Martian and is revealed to be the person who orchestrated Martian’s motorbike crash. While recovering in the hospital, Martian is interrogated by Richardson. Martian is expected to survive, but Sami’s fate remains uncertain.
Sami has been arrested by Sudanese intelligence, where she is taken to be chained, tortured, and abused. To save her life, Martian is forced to make a devil’s bargain with Richardson and become his informant, making him a double agent to spy against the U.S.
What about the other players?
- Danny Morata, codename “Gremlin” (Saura Lightfoot-Leon): A new field agent who delivers exposition to the viewer on how “The Agency” works. She survives her rigorous questioning by Iranian intelligence and blends in as a researcher in Tehran, setting the stage for her field work in Season 2.
- Henry Ogletree (Jeffrey Wright): Martian’s boss and the CIA London Deputy Station Chief. The season ends with believing that Martian is a hero.
- Naomi Ford (Katherine Waterston): A handler for both Danny and Martian. Naomi and the CIA handle the successful extraction of Coyote in Belarus, and her protege, Danny, successfully enters Tehran. Naomi’s strict training works while managing the fallout of Martian. Martian keeps his personal life hidden from her, which distances him from one of the few people he should be able to trust. She is unaware of the blackmail scheme.
- James Bradley, codename “Bosko” (Richard Gere): The CIA London Station Chief. He successfully leads his team through Operation Felix
- Nick, codename “Grandpa” (Andrew Brooke): Grandpa and the London CIA team are completely focused on Operation Felix. They successfully rescue a missing spy named Coyote, but the mission is pure, explosive chaos. Grandpa is left dealing with the massive political fallout of that mess. Grandpa is left totally in the dark. He thinks the London office has won the day because they’ve saved Coyote.
The Agency, Season 2, June 25, Paramount+ With Showtime
