Rating: 4/5

Three Word Summary: Bad Dad Spies

There simply is no substitution for comedic timing and good jokes. Some shows try to cover up with a clever premise or flashy effects. Some shows don’t even have those things going for them.

Spy is simply funny. Because the characters say and do funny things.

And there is a clever premise too — a recently divorced bumbling British father (Tim) accidentally lands a job with a secret intelligence agency (MI5), but can’t reveal the secret in an attempt to impress his overly-judgmental son (Marcus) and ex-wife.

At first, Tim the protagonist seems to be dim-witted, but as ridiculous scenarios unfold around him, Tim develops into the perfect straight man. He seems little affected by the other characters’ shenanigans and allows them to play out hilariously.

Three characters stand out to me as being remarkably humorous.

First, there’s Tim’s best friend Chris, who works as an unmotivated electronics store cashier but is secretly a highly intelligence lawyer. Next is Philip, who is Tim’s ex-wife’s new boyfriend and headmaster at Marcus’ school. Philip is good-hearted and naive and loves Tim despite their awkward situation.

Finally, the best character on the show, is The Examiner, Tim’s boss at MI5. He is everything a secret service executive shouldn’t be and everything a comedic character should — he’s wildly unpredictable, flamboyant paranoid and gives ambiguously preferential treatment towards Tim.

That’s not to mention the family counselors that Tim is required to see, which are both more unstable than any of their patients could possibly be. In fact, most of the characters are just a little unhinged, which only makes things more interesting.

Even the small details like the apt show title, the upbeat theme tune and the accompanying cartoonish intro sequence are perfectly pleasing and fit with the overall theme of the show. Although it only lasted two seasons, Spy is full of colorful characters and pleasing humor.