Berlin Station

Sometime toward the end of the first episode, the show hits critical mass and turns mesmerizing and addictive. With Showtime's Homeland and its bipolar spook Carrie Mathison AWOL until next year, Berlin Station has a temporary corner on the dysfunctional-spy market. Buy in.

A well-made but not hugely original mix of spycraft, action and sexy office intrigue, Berlin Station is elevated by the surprising, and relatively unnoticed, quality of its core cast.

It’s the TV show as page-turner, if you have room on your night stand.

Consider it John le Carre fan fiction that le Carre himself might enjoy. [4 Nov 2016, p.57]

Berlin Station so far looks like a series worth riding out, with Jenkins, Armitage, Ifans and Forbes all making strong contributions to the cause.

This is a spy series looking for someone or something to make you care.

One of the reasons it’s difficult to keep up is that Berlin Station is boring, as is its central character. As the spy we’re supposed to be rooting for, Armitage might as well be a cardboard cutout.