The 1960s were an incredible time forspy TV showsand were the inception point for several popular series. As many ofthe best spy showsfrom this era have been revived or rebooted on the big screen, it’s worth revisiting the source material and seeing just how many astounding stories of covert espionage or undercover government work there are to discover. From trailblazing television shows that have left a lasting impact on the genre to cult favorites that have stood the test of time, many 1960s series are worth modern viewers' attention.
While many ofthe best spy moviesfrom the 1960s are well-known to modern viewers, the same cannot be said about TV shows from this time. This does a real disservice to just how engaging and entertaining the best spy shows from this period were, andfans of espionage series would be doing themselves a favor if they took the time to root out these older series. While they may not be as iconic asSean Connery’s 1960s stint as James Bond, all of these spy series are worth revisiting.
As its name suggested, the ITV British spy seriesTop Secretwas one of the best-kept secrets of 1960s spy television. Starring William Franklyn as suave secret agent Peter Dallas,Top Secrettook viewers on a thrilling journey of espionage and deceit as the British agent began his work in South America. Throughout 26 60-minute, black-and-white installments, Agent Dallas investigated issues of interest to British intelligence in Argentina.
Each episode ofTop Secretalso featured Patrick Cargill as wealthy businessman Miguel Garetta and Alan Rothwell as Dallas’s nephew Mike. With a cast of engaging characters, strong writing, and an intriguing spy-based premise,Top Secretwas a hit with British viewers during its time. WhileTop Secretis not the easiest series to track down and revisit, those seeking it out will be rewarded with a hidden piece of British spy television history.
9The Champions (1968-1969)
1 Season / 30 Episodes
The Championsfeatured the United Nations agents Craig Stirling, Sharron Macready, and Richard Barrett working for a Geneva law enforcement organization called ‘Nemesis.’ As a British espionage thriller,The Championsmixed sci-fi concepts with occult detective fiction to produce an adventure series bursting with creativity. With an exciting pilot that started with the team escaping by air from a Chinese spying mission,The Championsbegan in the fictional land of Shangri-La and only became more intriguing as the series progressed.
From its cast of eccentric oddball characters to investigations of fascist regimes around the world,The Championswas a unique spy series created by Dennis Spooner, who had worked on other classics likeThe AvengersandDanger Man. While budgetary constraints meant repeated sets and stock footage had to be utilized,the strong writing and creative premises ofThe Championsmore than made up for its financial limitations. With all 30 episodes available on DVD, there’s no excuse not to catch up withThe Champions.
The British spy seriesCallanstarred Edward Woodward as David Callan, a secret service agent dealing with internal threats in the United Kingdom. With permission to use the most ruthless methods required,Callanshowcased its hero routinely torturing suspects as a means of interrogationand not thinking twice when it came to killing those deemed to be a threat to Britain. While this description may make Callan seem like a shocking assassin, this was nothing compared to the sadistic nature of his upper-class colleagues and snobby superiors.
Callanwas an excellent piece of 1960s spy media that even spawned a 1974 feature-length movie and a 1981 television film, showcasing the continued interest in his character. With four seasons and 44 episodes, ten episodes ofCallanare sadly missing from the ITV archives. While this meant a full revisit of the entirety ofCallanwas an impossibility, the remaining episodes are available and make for thrilling viewing.
7I Spy (1965-1968)
3 Seasons / 82 Episodes
While the inclusion ofnow-convicted sexual predator Bill Cosbyin the main cast ofI Spymeant this series has aged poorly in retrospect, this does not take away its status as a classic of 1960s spy-based television. Following the US intelligence agents Kelly Robinson (Robert Culp) and Alexander “Scotty” Scott (Bill Cosby), traveling undercover as international tennis players,I Spyused its unique premise to tell stories that saw its stars traversing the globe. As the duo chased villains and rival spies, they also found themselves embroiled in romantic encounters with beautiful women.
I Spywas groundbreaking for its time as it was among the first American television series to feature a Black actor in a leading role. Striking the perfect balance between action and comedy,I Spyvalued realism over the advanced gadgetry of film series likeJames Bond. While Cosby’s later behind-the-scenes behavior has soiled his once-acclaimed reputation, this should not take away from the incredible appeal ofI Spyand its importance within the history of espionage-based television during the 1960s.
6Get Smart (1965-1970)
5 Seasons / 138 Episodes
The popularity of theJames Bondfranchise in the 1960s meant that spy stories quickly became ripe for parodying. This was exactly what Mel Brooks and Buck Henry sought to do withGet Smart, the secret agent comedy series that poked fun at the more ridiculous aspects of espionage movies and television series. By blending Brooks’ iconic comedic sensibilities with stories about bumbling secret agents working for the counterintelligence agency CONTROL,Get Smartmanaged to run for five successful seasons with an astounding 138 episodes.
With hilarious technology and gadgetry such as telephones hidden in ties, combs, watches, and clocks,Get Smarthad laugh-out-loud recurring gags such as Agent Max Smart’s shoe phone that required him to take off his shoes ever time it rang. With plenty of amazing guest stars, including Carol Burnett and Vincent Price,Get Smartwas a defining series in the fast-developing spy comedy genre. While the 2008 Steve Carell movie adaptation ofGet Smartcouldn’t quite live up to its legacy, that reboot attempt showcased the series’ continued appeal.
Danger Manwas a British spy series that was also known asSecret Agentin the United States. Showcasing the adventures of secret agent John Drake, unlike other heroes of the genre like James Bond, Drake didn’t carry a gun, rarely used gadgets, almost never got the girl, and avoided using lethal force. Starring Patrick McGoohan as the globetrotting spy working for NATO and later the fictional intelligence agency for M9,Danger Manwas an interesting alternative toBond.
Much like his more famous counterpart, James Bond, Drake introduced himself with the phrase “Drake…John Drake,”and the series leaned into many spy genre tropes and cliches. However,Danger Manalso strove for realism as it dramatized the very real threat of Cold War tensionsduring the 1960s. WhileDanger Manhad been canceled after its first season, the series was revived after a two-year hiatus in 1964 and is well worth revisiting today.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Cast
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a spy fiction television series that originally aired from 1964 to 1968. The show follows the adventures of Napoleon Solo, an American spy, and Illya Kuryakin, a Russian spy, who work together for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.).
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.was based around the secret international counterespionage andlaw-enforcement agency called United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, or U.N.C.L.E for short. Following the exploits of Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum), this NBC series helped kickstart the spy craze of the 1960s and had many imitator and copycat shows.
With plenty of gadgetry and unique weaponry, many episodes centered around the spies' fight against T.H.R.U.S.H., the Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity.The Man from U.N.C.L.E.was a trailblazing series for espionage media that was so popular it even led to spin-offs likeThe Girl from U.N.C.L.E.This series legacy has lasted right up to modern times, asThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.was reimagined by Guy Ritchie for his 2015 film starring Henry Cavill.
While modern viewers will likely think of Tony Stark and an assortment of Marvel heroes when they hear the titleThe Avengers, back in the 1960s, this name would also conjure images of one of the most acclaimed spy series ever made.The Avengerswas a British espionage series that found great popularity worldwide and focused on the British intelligence agent John Steed (Patrick Macnee.) As a quirky series with suave spy protagonist,The Avengersembodied all that was great about spy shows during the 1960s.
From Steed’s rotating assortment of female partners to the macabre Hitchcockian atmosphere of many episodes,The Avengerswas packed with humor and style. Macnee’s performance was an impressive showcase of onscreen charisma as he proved himself one of the most immensely watchable leading men television has ever seen. With strong production values and great performances,The Avengersholds up incredibly well today.
The Prisoner (1967)
The Prisoner might justbe the most unique TV series of the 1960s, whose incredible blend of sci-fi surrealism and Kafkaesque confusion made it a cult favorite. The series was created by and starredDanger Man’sPatrick McGoohan, who played the mysterious Number Six, an intelligence agent abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village after resigning from his spy work. With just 17 episodes, this unusual thriller was a trailblazing piece of television that pushed audiences outside their comfort zone in ways television from the era rarely did.
The legacy ofThe Prisonerwas so great that more than 30 years after it went off the air, McGoohan reprised his role as Number Six onThe Simpsonsepisode “The Computer Wore Menace Shoes.” This episode saw Homer brought to the mysterious island and featured many references toThe Prisoner. WhileThe Prisonerwas worth revisiting for its engaging narratives, its role as an important document of 1960s counterculture also made it an essential piece of television history.
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series created by Bruce Geller, focusing on the missions of the secretive Impossible Missions Force. Initially led by Dan Briggs in the first season, the leadership transitions to Jim Phelps. The series is renowned for its self-destructing mission recordings and iconic theme music.
Mission: Impossiblegained an impressive second life as a massive feature film franchise starring Tom Cruise, but viewers often overlooked the appeal of the original 1960s spy series. This popular espionage thriller series followed a small team known as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) as they took down hostile Iron Curtain governments, third-world dictators, corrupt industrialists, and crime lords. Featuring Lalo Schifrin’s iconic theme song and self-destructing messages,theMission: ImpossibleTV series laid the groundwork for much of what made the films so successful.
Instead of Cruise’s Ethan Hunt,Mission: Impossiblefollowed agents like Dan Briggs (Steven Hill) and Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) as they engaged in secretive work on behalf of the United States government. With plenty of mystery, great characters, and engaging action sequences, lovers of the future film series would be doing themselves a disservice if they did not go back and check out the original. As perhaps the greatest spy series of the 1960s,Mission: Impossiblewas a must-watchspy TV show.
