After a relatively slow start, the long-awaited second season of The Night Manager exploded into action with bombshell revelations and even a return from the dead to ensure that viewers were kept on the edge of their seats until the end of all six episodes.

A third series of the John le Carré-inspired thriller has been confirmed, but there will likely be a significant wait before spy television fans find out what happens next.

Our critics have put their heads together to recommend ten great TV shows that they believe you will love if you have enjoyed The Night Manager.

Don’t forget to leave your own recommendations of shows to watch next in the comments below…

The Little Drummer Girl (2018, iPlayer)

If you are seeking more le Carré thrills, try this adaptation of the author’s 1983 espionage novel. Florence Pugh stars as a radical young British actress who is recruited by the Israeli spymaster Martin Kurtz (Michael Shannon) as bait to catch a Palestinian terrorist who is bombing Jewish targets in Europe. It may not have created the same buzz as The Night Manager, but this is a classy drama, expertly directed by Park Chan-Wook.

Black Doves (2024, Netflix)

In Joe Barton’s black comedy, Keira Knightley stars as Helen Webb, a political wife who is actually a lethal spy, with the secrets she learns from her defence secretary husband ending up in the hands of the highest bidder. She joins forces with Ben Whishaw’s Sam Young to avenge the murder of her lover. It’s a series that blends le Carré’s spycraft with gore and an injection of dark humour.

• Read more TV reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews

A Spy Among Friends (2022, ITVX)

For true secrecy and deceit, look no further than this six-episode series with Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce as Nicholas Elliott and Kim Philby, best friends who joined MI6 in the same year and rose through the ranks. However, Philby was harbouring a secret — he was a communist who had been recruited as a spy by the Soviet Union.

The Agency (2024, Tubi)

Based on the 2015 French series Le bureau des légendes, this espionage thriller is set within a government department that handles deep-cover agents. Michael Fassbender stars as a covert CIA agent with the codename Martian who returns home after an abrupt end to his six-year mission in Ethiopia. Things turn weird when the lover he was forced to abandon is also now in London. It’s a suspenseful watch, with an impressive cast that includes Richard Gere, Jodie Turner-Smith and Jeffrey Wright.

Tehran (2020-, Apple TV)

An ambitious espionage thriller that tells the story of a talented young computer hacker working for Israeli army intelligence who is sent to Tehran to destabilise an Iranian nuclear reactor. Extra oomph is added in the second series with Glenn Close and in the third series with Hugh Laurie, who we all now know returned to The Night Manager. It’s been a busy time for fans of Laurie.

The Essex Serpent (2022, Apple TV)

Looking for another Tom Hiddleston adaptation? This drama features the actor trading in espionage for a vicarage. Based on Sarah Perry’s 2016 novel, the story follows Cora Seaborne (Claire Danes) as a widowed amateur natural historian. She travels to rural Essex to investigate reports of a “sea dragon”, a quest that is complicated by Hiddleston’s vicar, Will Ransome, who tries to reassure the community that her findings are mistaken.

The Night Agent (2023, Netflix)

A smash hit for Netflix, this conspiracy thriller majors on action and follows the fortunes of a low-level FBI agent, Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso), who finds himself embroiled in a dangerous and unpredictable web of lies around a mole at the very highest levels of the United States government. In an attempt to foil the nefarious forces at work he runs towards danger at the same time as attempting to protect others in the line of fire. While it’s very American in feel compared with the BBC show, it will certainly scratch some of those Night Manager itches left after the finale.

Slow Horses (2022-, Apple TV)

The British spy series based on the novels by Mick Herron has quickly become a high-water mark against which all spooks’ TV shows are judged. Led by an outstanding performance from Gary Oldman as the wonderfully slovenly Jackson Lamb, it follows the exploits of the MI5 misfits of Slough House as they become increasingly embroiled in conspiracies that lead to the very top. There’s plenty to remind you of The Night Manager’s mysterious deadly twists and turns.

• Five more shows to watch after Slow Horses

The Day of the Jackal (2024, Sky/Now)

In this bold, sinister and expensive TV take on the Frederick Forsyth novel The Day of the Jackal, Eddie Redmayne is the Jackal. He’s the silent man of mystery with a tech tycoon, or more specifically, a “visionary investor”, in his sights. But he is being hunted by a tenacious MI6 agent, played by Lashana Lynch. Sure, it’s slightly long at ten episodes, but it’s a seductively beautiful show.

Rabbit Hole (2023, ITVX)

This espionage thriller stars Kiefer Sutherland as John Weir, a master of deception framed for murder by shadowy forces that seemingly operate online. The private espionage agent is soon caught up in a twisty game of cat and mouse. Charles Dance also stars as the apparent leader of a mysterious resistance unit. To say any more would spoil the fun. Those looking for the surprising turns of The Night Manager will enjoy this eight-parter.

Smiley’s People (1982, iPlayer)

Based on the final instalment of le Carré’s Karla Trilogy, following Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Honourable Schoolboy, this excellent six-part BBC series stars Alec Guinness, Michael Byrne, Anthony Bate and Bernard Hepton. It follows the exploits of George Smiley (Guinness), who is called out of retirement after a former asset is found dead, then drawn back into a battle of wits with his nemesis, Karla.

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