Ponies

Our leads remain the show's focus and biggest selling point—and their chemistry helps make this spy thriller a cut above Peacock's recent stabs at the genre.

The platonic chemistry between Clarke and Richardson is the glue that binds the whole enterprise together.

Their [Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson's] chemistry, and the absurdity of their situation, propels the story over any early “wait, what?” bumps and confusing tonal shifts into an increasingly propulsive and cohesive spy drama, with plenty of “trust no one” twists and turns, and the kind of period detail that would make “Mad Men” proud.

Ponies is zippy, fluffy, and a little vacuous, but when it mines the tension between two women learning to make themselves invisible to succeed at work and simultaneously feeling seen and understood within their growing friendship, the show reaches an elemental truth that has nothing to do with American or Soviet aggression.

It’s a wildly entertaining rollercoaster that will have you rooting for the complex characters, questioning who you can trust, and reexamining your own biases in a way that doesn’t feel derivative.

Peacock delivers a sharp, genuinely fun spy series that feels intimate even at its most dangerous and one that lingers well after the credits roll.

While it lacks the gimmicks and the flash or the pure sex appeal of recent breakout shows, it is rich with warmth, good storytelling and magnetic actors.

A well-made and entertaining period espionage show that, despite the numerous broad strokes it fires, hits its target with solid, entertaining precision.