After its success on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, the British spy thriller series The Undeclared War is coming to American audiences. Starring Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg, and Hannah Khalique-Brown, The Undeclared War combines current global events with a touch of near-future sci-fi to tell a gripping story full of twists, intrigue, and a chilling look at what the future may have in store for us - or perhaps what the present already does.
The series is centered on the real-world organization Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ, a government organization in the United Kingdom dedicated to intelligence and cybersecurity. Its ripped-from-the-headlines narrative about a cybersecurity attack on the UK’s electoral system also pulls in references to GCHQ’s United States equivalent the NSA, as well as Russia’s FSB, the main successor to the infamous KGB. It also carries a subplot about weaponized psyops such as has been used before against the United States in its national elections and addresses questions of how to respond to such attacks without causing further harm. If that sounds like your cup of tea, here's how you can watch The Undeclared War.
What Is the Plot of The Undeclared War?
The plot of The Undeclared War centers on Saara, a work-study student who discovers the cyber attack at GCHQ and is subsequently tapped to unravel the malicious code implanted into the organization’s servers. While she races to decipher the code, a psyop campaign begins on UK social media, resulting in outbreaks of rioting. With her bosses trapped in a fog of uncertainty and doubt regarding how much the evidence of their eyes and ears can be trusted, Saara reaches out to another source for advice: John Yeabsley, who was involved with the intelligence agency during the Cold War and even now has a unique perspective on Russia’s capabilities in the world of espionage.
Meanwhile, Saara’s classmate Vadim Trusov returns to Russia after having studied in the UK in response to an order from his government. Once there he is tapped to join a social media psyop campaign whose goal is to erode trust in the UK government and destabilize the country. As he’s drawn deeper into the propaganda machine, Vadim and his friend Marina grow increasingly uncomfortable with their employer’s goals, until at last they are forced to make a dangerous choice.
As trust in the UK electoral process unravels and GCHQ’s security proves to be less unbreachable than it previously appeared, Saara and Vadim stand at a precipice that could collapse at any moment - but together they hold the key that might save the country.
Watch the Trailer for The Undeclared War
The trailer takes us into GCHQ just as it suffers a partial blackout that turns out to be part of a cyber attack. A work experience student named Saara Parvin discovers the evidence of the attack, and the culprit is quickly identified: Russia. The discussion begins over how to respond, and the GCHQ agents quickly fall into two camps, those advocating for some kind of military response and those who favor a more subtle approach. Ultimately, as civil unrest starts to break out, the Prime Minister declares a state of emergency.
The move seems to only heighten tensions: as GCHQ tries to suss out Putin’s motives and next moves, we see shots of police and civilians coming to blows. “Did we organize that counterdemonstration?” asks Marina, a Russian agent working at a Russia-backed news organization in London, and is shocked when she is told, “We organized both of them.” The violence, it seems, is all part of Putin’s plan, as expounded upon by retired analyst John Yeabsley. “Truth is, they’ve been one step ahead of us,” he says. “Anticipated how we would react to every stage.” As the violence escalates, we see the series tagline: “The next battle line is online.”
When and Where Is The Undeclared War Streaming?
The Undeclared War is set to release in the US on Peacock on August 18, 2022. The series first premiered on Channel 4 on June 30 for UK audiences.
Who's In the Cast of The Undeclared War?
Starring as Saara Parvin is Hannah Khalique-Brown, a relative newcomer to showbusiness whose previous credits are last year’s short-form psychological thriller Muse and a small role in the long-running TV series Doctors. She’s appearing alongside Simon Pegg as Danny Patrick, Head of Operations at GCHQ and Saara’s longsuffering boss. Simon is perhaps best known for his more comedic roles, as in his breakout hit Shaun of the Dead and more recently his brief but memorable voice acting work in Archer Season 11; The Undeclared War might be his most serious role to date. They’re joined by Mark Rylance, whose role as a world-weary former intelligence officer is very much in keeping with his previous characters: he’s portrayed biological warfare expert David Kelly in The Government Inspector and doomed Tudor-era chief minister Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall.
Rounding out the cast, we have German Segal (The Red Ghost) playing Vadim and Tinatin Dalakishvili (Abigail) playing Marina, Maisie Richardson-Sellers (Legends of Tomorrow) as NSA agent Kathy Freeman, and Adrian Lester (Hustle) as Prime Minister Andrew Makinde.
Who Is Making The Undeclared War?
The Undeclared War is the brainchild of Peter Kosminsky, who is acting as both executive producer and co-writer for the show. He’s a BAFTA-winning writer whose previous projects include Wolf Hall and The Government Inspector, both with Mark Rylance. Kosminsky’s fellow writers are Declan Lawn (Rogue Agent), Adam Patterson (The Salisbury Poisonings), and Amelia Spencer (The Bond).
More Series Like The Undeclared War That You Can Watch Now
Based on a novel of the same name, The Night Manager is an underrated gem in the espionage genre. Starring Tom Hiddleston in the titular role, the story follows Jonathan Pine, a former British officer turned night manager of a luxurious Cairo hotel whose comfortable life is upended when British intelligence taps him to infiltrate the inner circle of a dangerous weapons dealer called Richard Roper, played by Hugh Laurie.
The two men have a personal connection at play, as four years prior, Pine fell in love with Roper’s lover-slash-abuse-victim Sophie and tried to aid her in escaping Roper, only for his failure to lead to Sophie’s murder at Roper’s hands. The resulting spy game between the two men is as terrifying as it is compelling, as Pine falls deeper and deeper into the violent world of organized crime. The Night Manager is available on Prime Video.
Watch on Prime VideoLondon Spy is a compelling, haunting series with something of a divisive reputation. It follows Ben Whishaw as Danny, a young working-class hedonist who falls in love with Alex (Edward Holcroft), who is as reserved as Danny is romantic but still falls for Danny just as hard. Just as their romantic relationship begins, however, Alex is murdered in his apartment and Danny becomes a suspect in the crime. He subsequently learns that Alex was not telling the whole truth about who he was. But learning about his lover’s connection to MI6 and the secrets that he kept makes Danny all the more determined to find the truth and bring Alex’s murderers to justice. London Spy is a show that plays its cards close to its chest and never fully reveals every secret. Some viewers may find it frustrating, but like Danny himself, others may find themselves drawn in by London Spy’s reticence. London Spy is available for streaming on Roku.
Watch on RokuHopping back across the pond, one of the best shows on television from 2013 to 2018 was The Americans, a spy thriller whose focus is unerringly on the "bad guys". Set during the Reagan administration in the latter days of the Cold War, The Americans follows Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings (Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, respectively), an average American couple living with their two kids in a suburb in Virginia who also happen to be deep-cover Russian agents. The tension between their cover identities and their intense loyalty to their country and ideology runs through the entire series, bringing in aspects of psychological drama and espionage thriller that permeate every scene, even and especially those of quiet, banal domesticity. The Americans is available for streaming on Hulu.