Blue Beetle looks like it could be the best DC movie in years

The first trailer for Blue Beetle is here – and, while it looks a tad corny in places, it could be the best DC movie in years.

Blue Beetle's official teaser, which you can view below, offers a first look at one of the many new movies yet to release in theaters this year. And, based on the humor, snippets of horror, and Iron Man-styled supersuit witnessed in its two-minute long trailer, it might be the kind of potentially successful, underdog-like movie Warner Bros. Pictures needs.

Take a look at the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film's trailer below:

As mentioned, Blue Beetle looks a little trite in places. On the surface, it seems like another superhero movie stuffed with generic themes about finding your place in the world, protecting your family at all costs, and keeping a high-value piece of technology out of the wrong hands. It also has a similar vibe and tonality to Shazam! Fury of the Gods which, as we know, hasn't pulled up trees at the box office.

But it also appears that there'll be plenty to like about Blue Beetle. It's the first superhero film that puts Latino actors front and center (Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña, whose family hails from Mexico, Cuba, and Ecuador, is its lead star). It pokes fun at Marvel and DC heroes like Iron Man (that 'flying above the Earth' sequence has definite shades of 2008's Iron Man) and Batman. The first suiting-up scene is, in some respects, quite unnerving. And, just like Shazam! and its sequel, Blue Beetle introduces a hero who doesn't hide his identity from his family and friends. Thank goodness for that.

Of course, it's unclear how, or even if, Blue Beetle will fit into James Gunn and Peter Safran's new-look DC Cinematic Universe (DCU). I suspect it'll be labeled as another DC Elseworlds movie alongside The Batman and Joker (and their forthcoming sequels), which are two of the best superhero movies around. Hopefully, Gunn and Safran – the latter of whom is an executive producer on Blue Beetle – will reveal more about how it fits into the DCU when they announce more projects in their DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters lineup.

As well as dropping Blue Beetle's first teaser, Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios revealed an official plot synopsis for the movie.

"Recent college grad Jaime Reyes (Maridueña) returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. 

"When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero Blue Beetle."

Joining Maridueña on the film's roster are Bruna Marquezine (Breaking Through), Belissa Escobedo (Hocus Pocus 2), George Lopez (Reno 911!), Adrianna Barraza (Rambo: Last Blood), Elpidia Carrillo (Cabinet of Curiosities), Damián Alcázar (Narcos: Mexico), Raoul Trujillo (Sicario 2), and Harvey Guillén (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish). Susan Sarandon (Thelma & Louise, Cloud Atlas) is also on board as the movie's main villain. 

Angel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings) is on directing duties, while Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (Miss Bala) has penned the script. Blue Beetle, which was originally intended to be an HBO Max exclusive movie, will launch in theaters worldwide on August 18.

Holding out for a (super)hero to win the box office

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the latest DCEU film to flop at the box office. (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Warner and DC probably didn't view Blue Beetle as the box office savior they need right now. Given how their superhero films have fared recently, though, the duo require a big theatrical win.

Since 2018's Aquaman, which raked in over $1.1 billion globally, DC movies have struggled to make inroads at the box office. Shazam!, which flew into theaters in 2019, made a modest $367.8 million – and, from a moneymaking perspective, it's all been downhill since then.

Birds of Prey ($205.3 million), Wonder Woman 1984 ($169.6 million), The Suicide Squad ($169 million), Black Adam ($393 million), and Shazam! 2 ($104.1 million) all underperformed, and were subsequently labeled as box office bombs. Of that quintet, Birds of Prey and Black Adam are the only movies to recoup their production costs. Considering their tiny box office takings, and the amount it likely cost to market both films, though, every DCEU film since Shazam! has failed to make a profit.

Of course, Matt Reeves' The Batman is the outlier here. The Robert Pattinson-starring flick made a whopping $770.9 million, ensuring it easily made back its reported $200 million production costs and then some. However, with Gunn and Safran now labeling The Batman as a DC Elseworlds production – i.e. a universe that exists outside of the DCU – it doesn't actually sit alongside Black Adam and company as a traditional DCU movie. As such, it can't be considered a DC movie success.

That's where Blue Beetle comes in. As a former HBO Max exclusive, its budget is sure to be relatively small compared to its DCEU siblings. Even if Blue Beetle performs as well as Shazam! did, it should make a healthy profit. That might be enough for it to be considered successful in the eyes of Warner and DC executives, as well as industry analysts and general filmgoers.

Blue Beetle, then, has the capacity to be the best-performing DCEU movie for years (again, discounting The Batman), and one critics and movie fans might end up enjoying more than expected. If it does, it could end up being the box office hero Warner and DC have yearned for.

For more DCEU-based coverage, find out how to watch the DC movies in order. Additionally, see which DCEU movies made it onto our best HBO Max movies list.

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Microsoft’s ChatGPT-powered Bing AI gets smarter with more local knowledge

Microsoft’s Bing AI just got some more improvements, including one that should make the chatbot considerably more helpful when it comes to providing tailored recommendations based on your local area.

In a blog post introducing the latest changes, Microsoft acknowledged that it had received feedback telling the company that the ChatGPT-powered Bing needed to do better with local-related queries.

In other words, specific requests such as asking for the whereabouts of a store in your neighborhood, for example.

Microsoft informs us that it has bolstered Bing’s chops in this regard, so it’ll deliver “better answers if you’re trying to find a park, a store, or a doctor’s office near you.”

Other tweaks Microsoft recently applied to its Bing chatbot include increasing the limit of the max turns you can take (queries) in a single conversation from 15 to 20. Based on the allowance of 10 daily sessions, that gives you a limit of 200 turns per day in total.

Image and video search capabilities are also integrated in the chatbot now. These will pop up as answer cards, allowing the user to click ‘see more’ to dive into further detail with a Bing image search.

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Analysis: Pushing forward and besting Bard

Obviously beefing up the performance of the Bing AI to do better with local queries is an important move to make. It’s no good having an all-singing and dancing AI (you have asked the chatbot to sing to you already, right?) if it falls down embarrassingly when it comes to making basic recommendations about locations and services near you.

Mind you, the enhanced performance for these kind of queries sounds like it’s in the early stages of getting a good coat of polish. As Microsoft puts it: “Expect us to make further improvements in local grounding based on your feedback.”

Like everything with Microsoft’s ChatGPT-powered AI, then, it’s very much a work in progress. Still, the amount of progress being made is impressively sure and steady, which has got to be a worry for Google.

Google’s rival AI, Bard, has been notably slow off the starting blocks. Indeed, it feels like Google forced Bard onto the starting blocks before it had even laced its trainers, because the firm felt like the new Bing couldn’t be left unanswered, seeing as the ChatGPT-powered AI is already boosting traffic to Microsoft’s search engine.

We’re told that Bard will become more capable, and will receive improvements to its reasoning skills later this week, and it’s clear enough that Google recognizes it needs to move faster with its rival AI. At the same time, it can’t afford any missteps as seen with Bard’s launch (and to be fair, with the Bing AI’s launch too, although Microsoft seems to have recovered pretty well from the mishaps Bing encountered early on).

Our main worry about Microsoft is that the success of the Bing chatbot – so far – could go to the company’s head. There’s already worrying talk of jamming adverts into Bing AI, which we very much hope won’t happen. That’s probably a forlorn hope, and if it turns out that way, this could be an area that Bard could turn to its advantage. That said, it’s not like Google won’t be surveying every avenue of monetization down the line, too – it’d be pretty naïve to think otherwise.

Both companies would do well to remember that these AIs must be perceived as helpful friends, though, and not ones with a hidden agenda. Or, more to the point we suppose, a poorly hidden agenda which becomes painfully transparent…

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Google Drive has suddenly decided to introduce a file cap - but you might never hit it

It’s official - cloud storage provider Google Drive has decided to add an official cap on the amount of files that can be stored on a single account.

Per Ars Technica, the limit, set at five million files, started cropping up for some Google Drive users in February 2023, despite Google offering no warning that the cap was being introduced, and offering a notification that wasn't all that clear at explaining what the problem was: "The limit for the number of items, whether trashed or not, created by this account has been exceeded."

Said notification has evolved since then, and now reportedly reads: "Error 403: This account has exceeded the creation limit of 5 million items. To create more items, move items to the trash and delete them forever."

Google Drive file cap

As of last week, the notification for one Reddit user read "Please delete 2 million files to continue using your Google Drive account."

The new policy (which remains undocumented across all pricing pages) means Google Drive customers are being prevented from accessing the full extent of the storage they’ve paid for. However, it’s worth noting that 5 million files, in real terms, is a pretty big allowance.

For Google Drive’s 2TB offering - the highest personal plan available - the average file size across an account would have to be 400 kilobytes (KB). There are certainly instances where that may be the case - the storage of large amounts of record data, for example. But in the vast majority of cases, users shouldn’t run up against the limit.

Read more

> Google Drive is finally making it easier to find your lost files

> Google Cloud storage may not be as secure as we'd all hope it is

> We’ve also listed the best cloud backup providers right now

Business users are even less likely to face issues with the limit. A spokesperson for Google told Ars Technica that the limit applied to "how many items one user can create in any Drive," rather than a blanket cap.

Details were thin on the ground, but they also noted that the new limit is "a safeguard to prevent misuse of our system in a way that might impact the stability and safety of the system." 

• Here’s our list of the best collaboration tools right now

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Microsoft could cut one of Windows 11’s most useful features to save your PC

An early version of what is likely to end up being a major Windows 11 update has been rolling out to people signed up to test it out, and it looks like Microsoft is making a rather large change to one of the most useful features: Alt + Tab.

As Neowin reports, it looks like Microsoft will limit the amount of recent windows that you can scroll through when pressing the Alt + Tab keys on the keyboard.

A twitter user known as Xeno has been digging into the latest version, and noticed that in the ‘Multitasking’ settings of Windows 11, the limit of tabs you can quickly switch to (with each ‘tab’ representing an open application) has been reduced from an unlimited maximum to 20.

"All tabs" has been replaced with "20 most recent tabs" in Builds 25330, 23424 and 22624.1537 https://t.co/bM7BoQrubxMarch 31, 2023

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While I’m not a big fan of Microsoft removing features and functionality from Windows 11, in this case, it might be a good move.

RAMifications

Alt + Tab is one of the oldest features of Windows, and one of its most useful. By holding down the Alt key, and then tapping the Tab key, you can quickly switch between open programs. This can be a lot faster than trying to find the open app on your desktop or taskbar, especially when using devices with smaller screens, such as laptops.

Alt + Tab lets you switch between full screen apps as well, such as games, rather than having to close them down, and it has been a life-saver for many people when an app or game becomes unresponsive, as you can Alt + Tab out of it and close it, rather than having to restart your entire PC and potentially lose any unsaved work.

Limiting the usefulness of this feature would certainly be worrying, but as Xeno points out in another tweet, 20 is still a big number of open apps. If you have huge amounts of apps all running in the background, your PC will start performing slowly – and trying to find the app or window you need quickly can also become a nightmare.

Because Alt + Tab allows you to instantly switch to apps and start using them, Windows 11 needs to keep them running in your PC’s memory (RAM), so having 20 or more will be a severe drain on resources, slowing down your computer and even potentially making it crash.

It seems to reduce the likelihood of these crashes, Microsoft has implemented the limit, and in this case, it’s probably the right thing to do. I’m terrible for closing apps once I’ve used them, but even I have never had more than 20 open at once to wade through. For extreme power users who often have lots of apps going at once, and have the best RAM to handle it, Windows 11 will at least let you quickly Alt + Tab between the 20 most recently-used apps. Bad news for the 21st app, but it’s likely you weren’t using it much anyway.

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The Apple Watch could see huge changes with watchOS 10

If you want an upgraded Apple Watch experience you might not have to buy a new Apple Watch to get it, as it sounds like the next major operating system update – likely to be dubbed watchOS 10 – will include substantial changes for existing models like the Apple Watch 8.

That’s according to Mark Gurman, in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg (via 9to5Mac). Specifically, Gurman says “I believe the new watchOS should be a fairly extensive upgrade – with notable changes to the user interface – unlike iOS 17.”

Gurman doesn’t get more specific than that, but we might not have to wait long to find out more about this “extensive upgrade”, as watchOS 10 will almost certainly be announced at Apple’s WWDC 2023 conference on June 5.

We’ll probably also see the first developer beta launch there, followed not too long after by public betas, though the finished software probably won’t be available until around September, when it's expected to be released alongside the Apple Watch 9.

Big software updates and small hardware ones

However, the Apple Watch 9 itself might not prove that tempting, with Gurman adding that “it’s important for watchOS to have a big year given that the Apple Watch hardware updates will be anything but major.”

This claim echoes the few Apple Watch 9 rumors we’ve heard so far, which suggest it will be a lot like the Apple Watch 8. Other leaks suggest we might not see an Apple Watch Ultra 2 or the Apple Watch SE 3 until 2024, so that could be a huge year for Apple Watch hardware, with the Apple Watch 10 (or Apple Watch X as it might be called) also rumored to be getting big upgrades.

But this year? It seems Apple’s focus will very much be on software updates rather than hardware ones. So if you already have an Apple Watch 8 or an older model, you might find that you get most of this year's upgrades by downloading them to your current Watch, rather than having to splash out on a new device.

Of course, we’d take Gurman’s claims with a pinch of salt, but he has a pretty good track record, so there’s a strong chance he’s right. In which case, our guide to the best Apple Watches might not see much change this year, but the wearable you already have might soon feel new and exciting again.

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Secret Invasion could be the reassuring win that Marvel needs right now

Secret Invasion's official trailer has landed online – and I'm confident that the new show will be the reassuring win that Marvel needs right now.

The Marvel Phase 5 series, which debuts on Disney Plus on June 21 (and confirms our report about Marvel accidentally leaking Secret Invasion's release date ahead of schedule), will be the first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) show released this year. With its launch date just under three months away, then, it's about time we were treated to some new footage.

Pleasingly, Secret Invasion's latest teaser is packed full of new clips to pore over. Whisper it quietly, but it seems like it's going to be one of the best Disney Plus shows around, too. Check out the official trailer below:

A brief plot synopsis was released alongside the trailer, which reads: "In Marvel Studios’ new series Secret Invasion, set in the present day MCU, Nick Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill, and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together, they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity."

Tonally, Secret Invasion is giving me (and plenty of other MCU fans) similar vibes to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Given the duo's espionage and conspiracy thriller sensibilities, it's an easy comparison to make. But, considering that The Winter Soldier is one of the more well-received Marvel films in the studio's 15-year history – read our best Marvel movies ranked guide while you're here – it might seem a stretch to suggest Secret Invasion will be as good, if not better, than Cap's second solo outing.

For me, though, Secret Invasion has the potential to be as tense, action-packed, and narratively distorting as The Winter Soldier. 

It's got all the necessary ingredients. First, a secret society of Skrulls that's looking to supersede humanity by masquerading as the very race they want to overthrow. Secondly, a seemingly out-of-his-depth Nick Fury who is going to be second-guessing every decision he makes in this six-part series. Next, plenty of political paranoia as, thanks to the Skrulls' shapeshifting abilities, the show's human heroes won't know who they can trust and/or if those in positions of power are actually human or not. And, with explosions aplenty – both physical and those of the suspense-filled conversation variety – there are bound to be major ramifications for the MCU, based on what plays out from a story perspective.

Nick Fury will need Talos' help in Secret Invasion (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Until Captain America: The Winter Soldier was released in 2014, Marvel had safely stuck to its genre lane, with its movies entrenched in the superhero and action categories. The Winter Soldier proved that Marvel could (and should) broaden its scope and ground some of the best superhero movies in different genres. Captain America 2 showed audiences would lap this kind of content up – and if Secret Invasion is as gritty, foreboding, and twisting as its trailers make out, we're in for a real treat.

That said, even if Secret Invasion wows us – and I'm planting my flag in the sand right now to say it will – will it have enough to usurp Loki season 1, WandaVision, and Moon Knight (the latter being my favorite MCU Disney Plus series so far) in people's minds? 

It's hard to judge based on a two-minute trailer, but it certainly has the potential to do so; and if Secret Invasion is a success, it could be the big relief-inducing win Marvel needs right now.

Make no mistake, the Disney subsidiary is going through the wringer at the moment. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania failed to get Phase 5 off to the best possible start, with the Ant-Man threequel failing to deliver both critically and commercially (read our Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania review for more on what we thought). With Marvel's entire Phase 4 lineup labeled as a mixed bag, Quantumania has only heightened suggestions that the MCU isn't what it was.

Keeping a close eye on Marvel's performance like... (Image credit: Disney Plus/Marvel Studios)

That's not all that Marvel has had to contend with in recent months. The studio has reportedly had to revise its output of movies and TV shows, with Marvel potentially only releasing two Disney Plus shows, plus three movies, in 2023. That's a rumored plan it'll carry forward into the next few years, too. Add in the apparent firing of longstanding Marvel executive Victoria Alonso over breach of contract allegations, plus the arrest of Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors over domestic abuse allegations, and Marvel is having to fight off multiple crises at once for the first time in its history.

Secret Invasion, as well as Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (which arrives on May 5), has the potential to alleviate some of the negative press aimed in Marvel's direction in the coming months. The studio needs one (or more) of its projects to win back support from its feverish fanbase, prove that it's still capable of dominating the box office, and capture audiences' attention on the small screen. Marvel will hope, then, that Secret Invasion *ahem* invades as many TV screens as possible later this year.

Secret Invasion stars Samuel L Jackson, Ben Mendolsohn, Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Charlene Woodard, Killian Scott, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, and Don Cheadle. The TV series launches on Disney Plus on Wednesday, June 21.

For more MCU-based coverage, find out how to watch the Marvel movies in order. Additionally, read our guides on Loki season 2 and The Marvels.

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Thrilled by The Night Agent? Watch these 7 spy shows while we wait for season 2

Netflix has done it again. The world's best streaming service has delivered another top-tier TV show – The Night Agent – that's taken the globe by storm.

Based on Matthew Quirk's book of the same name, the politically-charged spy thriller has rocketed to the top of Netflix's TV chart since its March 23 release, with The Night Agent's 168.7 million hours viewed making it the second most-streamed Netflix series of 2023 so far. In short: The Night Agent is Netflix's new TV show darling. Unsurprisingly, The Night Agent season 2 is on the way, too. And yes, you can expect it to make its way onto our best Netflix shows list soon.

If you've completed the 10-episode series, you're sure to be on the lookout for similar genre fare to fill the void in your streaming calendar. Luckily for you, TechRadar's entertainment experts are on hand to help. Below, you'll find seven espionage-based action shows to watch on Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV Plus, and more. You can thank us later for putting in the hard yards.

Here, then, are seven similar TV shows to Netflix's The Night Agent.

Treason

Where to watch: Netflix

This espionage thriller miniseries, which stars Marvel actors Charlie Cox (Daredevil: Born Again) and Olga Kurylenko (Black Widow), is a criminally underrated Netflix series that'll leave you guessing until its final episode.

Treason tells the tale of MI6 Deputy Chief Adam Lawrence (Cox), who's installed as the agency's new leader when the previous MI6 head, Sir Martin Angelis (Ciaran Hinds), is near-fatally poisoned by Russian spy Kara Yusova (Kurylenko). Soon secrets about Lawrence's past – including his ties to Yusova – come to light, forcing Lawrence to go on the run with his family. Cue a tension-fuelled game of cat and mouse as shocking revelations and betrayals aplenty put the lives of Lawrence, his wife Maddy (Oona Chaplin), his children, and Yusova in grave danger.

Matt Charman's latest TV offering takes itself a bit too seriously, and its ending is a tad anti-climactic. Even so, delightful performances from Treason's cast, its frenetic and suspense-filled plot, and absorbing twists and turns deliver enough style and substance to make it worth watching. Before you check it out, read our exclusive chat with Charman and Cox about how Netflix's Treason asks: what if 007 put his family before country?

Available to stream on Netflix worldwide.

Archer

Where to watch: Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and Hulu

Looking for a bit more comedy from your spy thriller series? Try Archer, the hit adult animated spy-sitcom that's one of the most consistently brilliant shows around.

The series follows Sterling Archer (Jon H. Benjamin), a narcissistic and womanizing secret agent who works for the dysfunctional International Secret Intelligence Service. Joining Archer in the espionage game are his snarky mom and former head of the agency Malory (Jessica Archer), openly gay bomb specialist Ray Gillette (Adam Reed), and professional field agent Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler), among others.

With its brilliant parodying of the spy genre, anachronistic Cold War-like setting, delightfully distinctive characters, and amusingly crude sensibilities, it's little wonder Archer is viewed as one of the top animated series of recent years. With 13 seasons comprising 8 to 13 episodes apiece – all of which run around the 20-minute mark – you can binge Archer in a single weekend. Don't blame us if that's what you end up doing, mind you.

All 13 seasons are available to stream on Disney Plus and Hulu in the US and on Netflix in the UK. The first 10 seasons are streamable on Prime Video on British shores too. Lastly, the first 12 seasons can be watched on Netflix in Australia.

Homeland

Where to watch: Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus

Few espionage-based shows were as popular as Homeland was in the 2010s – and with good reason. The political thriller starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis was a titan of the spy genre upon initial release, with captivating leads, a thrilling, topsy-turvy narrative that immediately hooked viewers, and a thematic exploration of the War on Terror. It really was a series that tapped into the political landscape and the public consciousness like no other.

So, what's it about? Carrie Mathison (Danes), a bipolar CIA operations officer, is reassigned to the CIA's Counterterrorism Center after she conducts an unauthorized mission in Iraq. In her new post, Mathison's world collides with that of Nicholas Brody (Lewis), a US Marine Sergeant who, eight years after going missing, is rescued from an al-Qaeda compound and hailed as a war hero on his return to the US. It's not long, though, before Mathison starts to believe Brody poses a serious threat to the US – an assumption that sets Homeland's eight-season-long story in motion. Stick it on your watch list ASAP.

Available on Hulu and Disney Plus in the US, Netflix in the UK, and Disney Plus and 9Now in Australia.

The Night Manager

Where to watch: Prime Video

Is there an author who's had a greater influence on the spy genre than John le Carré? James Bond creator Ian Fleming, yes, but there aren't many others who can claim to have had as big an impact on this storytelling class as the British-Irish novelist.

Given the popularity of le Carré's extensive works, it's unsurprising that many of his books have been adapted on the big and small screens. One of the more recent live-action TV adaptations of his back catalog is The Night Manager, a six-part series based on le Carré's book of the same name, which garnered critical acclaim upon release (initially on BBC One in the UK and AMC in the US).

The Night Manager tells the story of Jonathan Pine (Loki actor Tom Hiddleston), an ex-British soldier and the titular night manager who's pulled back into the world he left behind. Tasked by Foreign Office task force leader Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) to infiltrate the inner circle of illegal arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie), Pine soon finds himself in over his head in an international political chess match where nobody is who they seem.

A tightly paced, thrill-a-minute miniseries complete with towering performances from Hiddleston, Laurie, Colman, Tom Hollander (Major Lance Corcoran), and Elizabeth Debicki (Jemima Marshall)? Yes, please. One that'll make it onto our best Prime Video shows list soon.

The Night Manager can be seen on Prime Video worldwide.

Slow Horses

Where to watch: Apple TV Plus

Apple's streaming service has been steadily pushing to make itself relevant with numerous high-quality TV offerings. And, with a veritable bounty of prestige shows (read our best Apple TV Plus shows to find out more) being met with critical acclaim, it's succeeding.

One of its best-performing and fan-favorite TV series is Slow Horses, a London-based spy thriller packed with witty and sarcastic humor, riveting characters, and espionage-based action. Iconic actor Gary Oldman is easily the best part of the show, but there's plenty more to enjoy from this somewhat underrated spy series.

For the uninitiated: Slow Horses stars Oldman as Jackson Lamb, the slovenly and rude head of Slough House – aka the purgatory-style MI5 division where rejected personnel (known as Slow Horses, hence the show's title) are sent. Much to the chagrin of MI5's Director Deputy General Diana Taverner (Kirstin Scott Thomas), though, Lamb and the rest of the supposedly bumbling Slow Horses team regularly (and inadvertently) become involved in putting a stop to plots that threaten the UK.

Slow Horses seasons 1 and 2 are viewable on Apple TV Plus globally.

Rabbit Hole

Where to watch: Paramount Plus

Like The Night Agent, Rabbit Hole is a relative newcomer to the spy thriller genre. A Paramount Plus exclusive – one that could make it onto our best Paramount Plus shows – it stars 24 alumnus Keifer Sutherland as John Weir, a corporate spy who's framed for murder by a mysterious group of individuals. Somewhat expectedly, Weir goes on the run as he attempts to clear his name.

Rabbit Hole's first two episodes only debuted on Paramount's streaming service on March 26, so it's hard to say if it'll run out of steam before season 1's finale arrives. Critics have suggested that could be the case, with Rabbit Hole already turning itself inside out with its elaborately intricate story. Others, though, believe Sutherland's welcome return to the espionage world will give the series enough traction and keep audiences enthralled throughout its initial 10-episode run. This is one to check out if you're an avid Sutherland fan, a diehard 24 lover, or even just a regular viewer looking for something new to watch.

Rabbit Hole is available on Paramount Plus in the UK, Australia, and the US.

Andor

Where to watch: Disney Plus

In our Andor review, we called it the best Star Wars show to debut on Disney Plus, and there's a very good reason for that. Yes, The Mandalorian is up there, but Andor is unlike anything else we've seen from Lucasfilm's legendary sci-fi franchise – not least because it's an espionage thriller set in the confines of the Star Wars universe.

The Tony Gilroy-created series is set five years before Star Wars: Rogue One. It charts the rise of the Rebel Alliance through the eyes of thief-turned-spy Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), who finds purpose in aiding the burgeoning Rebellion's fight against the Galactic Empire. Events in the show's first season took place in the first of the aforementioned five years. The in-development second season is set to occur between years two and five, in a 12-episode installment that'll lead directly into Rogue One's Shakespearean tragedy-inspired plot.

Given its placement in the Star Wars universe, Andor will wow all kinds of Star Wars fans. However, the series' span of multiple genres – sci-fi, action-adventure, spy thriller, and political drama – makes it a compelling and highly entertaining watch for any viewer. Star Wars and thriller fans alike will revel in its absorbing story, morally complex characters, and grand set pieces.

Andor season 1 is streamable on Disney Plus worldwide.

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