New AMC Spy Show: Seriously Smart Stuff

If you’re on the prowl for a new action-packed, fast-paced spy series, this is not the one for you. However, if you’re curious about what sort of person, with what sort of past and psychology, goes into the spy line of work anyhow, AMC’s Rubicon might just be up your alley.

A word of caution: The pace is what it is, measured and intentionally so. Indeed, Rubicon’s pace, focus and intellectual appeal have been compared to those of Mad Men, which many believe is the best show on TV at the moment, while others can’t sit through an episode without getting drowsy. Rubicon’s focus is on complexity, vagueness and smart people trying to figure out what’s what in their world of espionage, where ‘not every conspiracy is a theory.’

Will Travers (James Badge Dale) works for a New York spy agency. When his boss (and father-in-law) dies in an accident, Travers is promoted and suddenly manages three people who were once his same-level colleagues. Each have their personality quirks, their skeletons, and a big part of the show revolves around their interaction with each other, and the interplay of private life and professional spy life.

Although Travers is up a notch on the security clearance ladder, sometimes he gets the feeling he’s being kept in the dark. Something about the behavior of his secretary, and that of his new boss…

Tapping into the paranoia and intrigue that conspiracies elicit, Rubicon premieres on Sunday, August 1. To preview the full first episode, click here.