MGM Plus Secures Rights to 'A Spy Among Friends' Drama Series

MGM Plus
(Image credit: MGM Plus)

The MGM Plus premium service – currently known as Epix – has acquired the rights to the scripted crime series A Spy Among Friends.

The six-episode series stars Damien Lewis and Guy Pearce and follows the exploits of two British spies, according to the service. 

Based on the New York Times best-selling novel written by Ben Macintyre, the series follows friends Nicholas Elliott and Kim Philby -- the latter became the most notorious British defector and Soviet double agent in history. Also starring in A Spy Among Friends are Anna Maxwell Martin, Stephen Kunken and Adrien Edmondson. 

The series, produced by ITV Studios and Sony Pictures Television, will debut on MGM Plus in 2023. Lewis serves as executive producer along with Alexander Cary, Patrick Spence, Nick Murphy, Bob Bookman, Alan Gasmer, and Peter Jaysen. 

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MGM Plus head Michael Wright said in a statement: "Alex Cary has brilliantly adapted Ben Macintyre's historical novel about friendship, loyalty, and betrayal. He, along with Nick Murphy, Damian Lewis, and the remarkable cast led by Lewis and Guy Pearce, have brought to life this riveting tale of two British spies whose deep personal bond and long friendship is challenged by duplicity and deception. This series is emblematic of our new MGM+ brand and the rich, cinematic, and character-driven stories we aim to tell." ■

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.