SummaryStruggling actor Shah Latif (Riz Ahmed) faces major changes when everyone learns he is auditioning to be the next James Bond in the comedy series.
Created By:Riz Ahmed
Bait
Season 1 Premiere:
Mar 24, 2026
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
85
User score
Generally Favorable
6.2
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
All Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
85
94% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Apr 2, 2026
100
Riz Ahmed’s maverick Prime series oscillates from boldness to hilarity — sometimes in the same instance — throughout all six of its under-25-minute episodes. It’s that potent balance that makes it one of the smartest and best streaming shows you’ll watch this year.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.2
62% Positive
24 Ratings
24 Ratings
10% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
28% Negative
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
Mar 26, 2026
10
Bait is wildly creative, clever, and genuinely smart—one of those rare shows you want everyone to watch. It balances real emotional heart with moments of absurdity and surrealism, and the performances keep everything grounded so nothing feels out of place. The editing and cinematography move with Riz Ahmed’s character, giving it a rhythm that feels fluid, intimate, and fully unhinged as he spirals. Also, there is a surprise character (maybe shocking is the right word) that I won't give away that you have to see to believe.
Mar 25, 2026
10
As always with Riz Ahmed you get to go on a journey. This didn't disappoint. Can't wait for season 2.
Mar 25, 2026
90
It begins with a simple premise, but flies quickly off the rails in service of some of the most volatile, self-reflexive comedy-drama you’re likely to stream this year.
Mar 25, 2026
80
All those detours, breezily paced in sub-30-minute episodes, ultimately return to the series’ overarching ideas about what it costs — culturally, commercially, personally, domestically, romantically, professionally — to exist as a minority within a majority. Bait is most intriguing when it refuses to answer that question in a tidy way.
Mar 25, 2026
80
Delivered in brisk, 25-minute episodes, “Bait” emerges as a portrait of a nervous breakdown brought to you by the entertainment-industrial complex, rendered with bustling London street energy and a touch of absurdist wit. The series is bursting with ideas, sometimes more than it knows what to do with. .... But “Bait” never feels derivative; it has a pulsating urban energy and ribald family dynamic all its own.
Mar 19, 2026
70
It’s more interesting and worthy of admiration than necessarily great, but you can see the greatness on the periphery.
Mar 25, 2026
60
Given more room to stretch out and experiment, “Bait” might look a little more like its apparent influences ["Ramy" and "Master of None"] .... “Bait” has glimpses of such potential at its margins. .... But before long, it’s back to the mission at hand: poking at the Bond legend while ultimately, respectfully propping it up.
Apr 6, 2026
9
Riz Ahmed is excellent in this clever and funny show. Good job by everyone involved. Bring on another installment.
May 3, 2026
6
Riz Ahmed faz um trabalho digno, mas que ainda se encontra perdido naquilo onde quer chegar. E sem um texto substancialmente robusto, como o visto em "Wonder man", da Marvel, este acaba sendo a série de 2026 a melhor retratar a derrocada artística; assim como tivemos ano passado a série "The studio", temos o esforço metalinguístico e irônico em retratar esse lado do show bussiness, e aqui tudo fica meio experimental. Era preferível um longa, dado o número de episódios e a curta duração.
Mar 30, 2026
4
I get it. They are trying to make a British version of the excellent Mo. However the premise that a virtual nobody could audition to be the next Bond? That, and the self-hating main character, the cringy/unfunny scenes with family, and over the top racism don’t add up to a show that the viewer is likely to invest much emotional energy.
Mar 30, 2026
3
I think the bait here are these stellar reviews. I expected a smart comedy, I got an overacted copy of better shows with a fake sounding Patrick Stewart and tropes bringing to mind family comedies from the 90s, but with swearwords and tackier sets. The "deep" questions about cultural identity are on par with Adam
Sandler's Zohan and frankly insulting. The industry is trying to make anything into a hit show. Camera work is nice tho.
