Ponies is a Peacock espionage thriller created by Susanna Fogel and David Iserson that became one of the streamer's standout original series of 2026. Premiering in January with all eight episodes released at once, it is set in 1977 Moscow at the height of the Cold War and pairs sharp period atmosphere with a wry, character-driven approach to spycraft.
Emilia Clarke stars as Bea Grant and Haley Lu Richardson as Twila Hasbeck, two secretaries at the U.S. Embassy whose CIA-officer husbands die under mysterious circumstances. Rather than retreat, the pair volunteer to become operatives themselves, proving unexpectedly effective precisely because the KGB would never suspect two embassy typists of being spies. Adrian Lester co-stars as their handler.
Critics praised the show's 1977 texture and, above all, the chemistry between its two leads, who play cleverly against the types audiences associate with them; it earned a 94 percent critics' score. Filmed in Budapest standing in for Soviet Moscow, it was nonetheless canceled after a single season despite its acclaim. It is streaming on Peacock.
Think of "The Mentalist" as USA Network's "Psych" with prettier people, more money, slightly more upscale locations, and shorter sentences. Working as a consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation, Patrick Jane"”expertly played with appropriate style and savoir faire by Simon Baker"”uses his exceptionally well-honed powers of observation to solve big-time homicides. As the "The Mentalist" series unfolds, we learn more about Jane's con-man past: he once made a spectacular living as a television psychic, who used his command of "tells" or nuances of expression, body language, and intonation to put willing patsies in touch with dead relatives and future lovers. Of course, a life-changing tragedy inspired him to use his (almost) super-powers for good. Summing-up his new-found crime-fighter philosophy, Jane flatly declares, "There's no such thing as real psychics. Anyone who claims to have a sixth sense is either deluded or dishonest." Like all of television's elite criminalists, "The Mentalist" shows that refined powers of observation are at least as rare and valuable as ESP. Best of all, "The Mentalist" always looks wonderfully fashionable as he nabs the bad guy.
Like fine red wines, pate de foie gras, and escargot, Criminal Minds probably is an acquired taste: The crime drama psychoanalyzes the psychoanalysts, definitely building tense drama, but ironically downplaying the crimes. The New York Times has described Criminal Minds as "cerebral," a euphemism for "nerds with guns." Brilliant writing and compelling characters, however, make it work. The stories represent an elite team of specialists"”the FBI's "Behavioral Analysis Unit" "” who, in just forty-four minutes, can deconstruct a crime, profile a criminal, and bring everything to a profound resolution complete with quotation from literature. Naturally, the feds encounter resistance from local enforcers eager to protect their turf. Just as naturally, many of the stories spark viewers' recognition, because they are "ripped from the headlines." Two features sustain viewers' interest in this sometimes too-heady-for-primetime series: First, every audience loves a good hunt for a psychotic serial killer; and, second, in Criminal Minds, many of the good guys are almost as twisted as the bad guys.
