The term “Cold War” first appeared in George Orwell’s essayYou and the Atomic Bomb, in which he foreshadowed a nuclear statement between the West and East. It was then popularized by presidential adviser Bernard Baruch during a 1947 White House speech. Soon, the conflict became a reality, with leaders from both sides concluding that there would never be amodus vivendi(agreement to coexist peacefully), so the only solution was to sleep with one eye open.
The Cold War was mainly fought using propaganda, economic competition, and surveillance. Over the years, the geopolitical rivalry has been used either as a backdrop or as a spine by a number of TVdramas. These shows mostly explore the political and espionage angles, while others cover the lives of ordinary citizens who were affected by the conflict in one way or the other.
10The Sandbaggers (1978 – 1980)
Fans ofslow-paced realistic spy movieswill enjoyThe Sandbaggers, which follows a special MI6 unit tasked with handling Cold War affairs. Whether it’s escorting defectors, transporting sensitive documents, or carrying out hits, they do it all. The show’s creator, Ian Mackintosh, is even rumored to have been a spy, and there are numerous conspiracies surrounding his real-world disappearance, notably the assumption that the Soviets took him out.
The rumors aren’t exactly baseless.The Sandbaggersfeatures plenty of spy jargon that only an actual agent might have had knowledge of. Away from the tittle-tattle, there is a running gag on the show involving the CIA being the cooler cousin of the MI6. It’s constantly implied that the British agency is underfunded hence its members have to rely on their American counterparts for crucial resources and information.
9The Americans (2013 – 2018)
The “weapons, women, and gadgets” motif established by thehighly rated James Bond moviestends to appeal to larger audiences, yet FX’sThe Americansalso avoids it. The show centers around two KGB agents posing as a typical False Church, Virginia married couple as they gather crucial information in the United States.
The Americans’ creator, Joseph Weisberg, briefly worked as a CIA officer, so the show doesn’t rely on conjectures, especially when it comes to how American intelligence agencies work. There is plenty of family drama too, so viewers who aren’t too interested in the complex espionage strategies adopted by the main characters never feel left out
8The Optimists (2017)
The Optimistsis whatMad Menwould look like if it was produced in Russia and focused on diplomats rather than advertising agents. Like the AMC series, it’s set in the ‘60s and the characters have a very good fashion sense. The locations, cars, and furniture are also very pleasing to look at.
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The main characters are members of the “Special Advisory Group” in Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and their job is to familiarize themselves with American customs to make the work of spies easier. The obvious issues such as bureaucratic obstacles and chauvinism-inspired tussles between male and female superiors thus pop up. The protagonist Ruta Blaumaine also happens to an American who fled to Russia because of her communist views. Given her past, there are always doubts about where her loyalty truly lies.
7Tannbach (2015)
The majority of Cold War shows delve into grand-scale events, and feature characters that keep crossing borders butTannbachrestricts the proceedings to a single village. The village in question is Mödlareuth, and it just happens to be located in an area where the border for East Germany and West Germany is supposed to be drawn.
After the establishment of the Iron Curtain, villagers who were initially the greatest of friends find themselves in different sides and start feuding. There are numerous emotional moments, all of which stem from the brutality by the military officers as they try to enforce the boundaries. The show also does well by briefly covering the pre-Cold War events before ushering audiences into the troubling era itself.
6Totems (2022)
Totemsserves as a reminder that when it comes to East-West conflicts, hatred only exists among the political class. The average Russian doesn’t hate Americans (or their allies) and vice versa. To prove this point, the show’s two main characters are made to fall in love, despite them belonging to different sides of the divide.
Francis Mareuli is a French scientist hired by his country’s intelligence agency to look into a satellite being developed by a Russian scientist. Lyudmila Goloubeva is a young Russian woman who dreams of being a pianist but has been forced to work for the KGB. Their missions are serious, yet the two fall deeply in love in a Shakespearian fashion. In fact, their first meetup is a recreation of Baz Luhrmann’sRomeo and Julietwhere Leonardo DiCaprio’s character meets Clarie Danes’ character for the first time. Things eventually go wrong, but there is a lot of fun before that happens.
5The Red Queen (2015)
At the height of the Cold War, Regina Zbarskaya, was the Soviet Union’s most famous model, earning herself the nickname, “the most beautiful weapon of the Kremlin.” However, there have always been suggestions that she was a KGB agent, andThe Red Queenjuggles between affirming such speculations and denouncing them.
What’s clear from the series is that the model’s life was never an easy one. Many opportunistic men aimed to take advantage of her, resulting in her getting depressed and attempting suicide a couple of times. The show is full of color and glamor, but it’s in no way a happy tale. As underrated as it is, it just might be one ofthe most gripping biographical historical showsof all time.
4Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy (1979)
Movie lovers will be more familiar with Tomas Alfredson’sTinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy, starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tom Hardy. However, the ‘70s miniseries starring Alec Guinness is more enjoyable. Events revolve around the aftermath of a complicated meeting between a British and a Czech agent.
What the series does best is show how the intelligence community is often plagued by paranoia and distrust. Suggestions that there might be moles in both the KGB and the MI6 force everyone to be on the lookout. Plenty of effort goes into finding out who these people are and while at it, viewers are fed thought-provoking dialogue and a number of red herrings.
31983 (2018)
1983is not only a great Cold War drama, but it also features one ofthe most intriguing alternate histories on TV. In it, the Iron Curtain never fell, so it’s 2003 and the conflict is still ongoing. The communist Polish People’s Republic is characterized by totalitarianism and soon, grounds for a revolution emerge when a lawyer and investigator discover a major government conspiracy.
The show explores many burning modern issues, specifically classism and the ethics of government surveillance. The secret police scans all devices used by the citizens and classify everyone according to their level of threat. Members of the elite are shown to be living in gated communities while the rest of the pollution is relegated to dilapidated apartment blocks.
2Deutschland 83 (2015)
Shortly afterDeutschland 83premiered,Channel 4news reported that it had become the highest-rated foreign drama in UK history. Why did audiences find it fascinating? After all, it was only about an East German guard doing undercover espionage in West Germany. Well, it has plenty of brutal villains that viewers can’t help but wish doom on.
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On top of that,Deutschland 83is aesthetically ambitious. Unlike other European spy dramas which normally rely on a dark hue, this particular show pumps in as much color as possible. Most importantly, it appeals to history lovers by making sure the main character somehow finds himself at the center of the country’s major political moments. And viewers need not worry about the eight episodes ending too quickly because there are the sequel shows,Deutschland 86and,Deutschland 89.
1For All Mankind (2019 – Present)
For All Mankindalso takes the alternate history approach and presents the Soviet Union as the superior power. Much of America’s glory is, therefore, reallocated to the East. For example, instead of Neil Armstrong being the first person to land on the moon, the honor is given to Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov.
There are much more ambitious plots, and they all stem from America trying to play catchup. In one scene, a paranoid Richard Nixon suggests building a military base on the moon. A part of him thinks the Soviet Union will do it first, and then go on to colonize the entire universe. In another subplot inspired by progressiveness, America is forced to start admitting female astronauts into NASA after realizing that women play a huge role in the Soviet Union’s space program.
