Netflix’s New 6-Part Thriller Hit Explains Does One Thing Better Than Most Spy Shows

While The Asset ’s success is encouraging for anyone who enjoys a good spy thriller, one aspect of the Netflix hit’s critical acclaim is worth noting for future shows in the genre. The spy thriller has a long history on television. From The Equalizer and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to the light-hearted parody series Get Smart , spy shows were a '60s TV staple.

The same decade saw the arrival of The Prisoner , a self-contained miniseries so iconic that Christopher Nolan tried to remake it as a movie on more than one occasion. Later decades saw the arrival of Spy and MacGyver , as well as later hits like 24 .

These spy shows varied in terms of tone and style, with some aiming for high camp while others were gritty and grounded. Even now, spy shows still bounce between rel