Have you run out of enthralling missions to work through as an armchair intelligence agent? Well, we thought we had, too – and then we discovered Patriot, a breathtakingly good spy thriller. If you’re eagerly awaiting the return of Slow Horses and need to get your subterfuge and dark humour fix, it’s just the series to whet your appetite – and you can binge it all tonight.
Prime Video’s Patriot takes us across the pond and centres around troubled US intelligence officer John Tavner (Michael Dorman) who, at the mercy of his dad, a CIA executive called Tom (Terry O’Quinn), must embark on a high-stakes mission to intervene with Iran’s nuclear efforts. The Iraq war veteran, who struggles with his mental health, is left to fumble his way through an international operation full of fiascos and belly-clutching chaos. All in all, it’s even more enjoyable than Slow Horses.
With Patriot now available to watch in full on Prime Video, here’s everything you need to know about the series before you watch it, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.
What is Patriot about?
First airing in 2015, Patriot introduces us to unlikely intelligence officer and Iraq war vet John Tavner (Michael Dorman), who’s stationed in Amsterdam to recover from a failed mission. That is until his dad, CIA executive Tom (Terry O’Quinn), orders that he returns home to assume a perilous position as a mid-level employee at a Midwestern piping company, His mission? To infiltrate and stop Iran’s nuclear efforts.
John must play nice with his colleagues and difficult boss while travelling between Iran and Luxembourg to fulfil his spying duties – where he faces a conveyor belt of catastrophes and sings folk songs to soothe his bouts of PTSD. On his first trip to Luxembourg to drop a bag of money, he accidentally kills an airport worker, and a Luxembourg cop (Aliette Opheim) gets on his case, jeopardising his entire mission.
After barely surviving the first round of his covert mission, the second eight-part series brings even higher stakes for John. The life of his brother Edward (played by Michael Chanus) is in danger, he’s lost a bag of 11 million Euros, and is still no closer to influencing Iran’s presidential election. His dad comes up with a high-risk solution and orders John to assassinate a pro-nuclear candidate in an ultra-secure Paris compound. What could possibly go wrong?
As the stakes reach an all-time high, John brings along his mum, Bernice (Debra Winger), who’s a powerful federal government official. Her job requires her to keep a distance from her son’s work, but his worsening mental state requires a mother’s intervention.
Who’s in the cast of Patriot?
The cast of Patriot includes:
- Michael Dorman (Joe Pickett) as John Tavner
- Kurtwood Smith (RoboCop) as Leslie Claret
- Michael Chernus (Orange Is the New Black) as Edward Tavner
- Kathleen Munroe (The Dogs) as Alice Tavner
- Aliette Opheim (Caliphate) as Detective Agathe Albans
- Chris Conrad (Young Hercules) as Dennis McClaren
- Terry O'Quinn (The Stepfather) as Tom Tavner
- Debra Winger (An Officer And A Gentleman) as Bernice Tavner
Is Patriot any good?
Yes – if you’re a fan of the chaos-laden missions and dark humour of Gary Oldman’s Slow Horses, you’ll love following Tom Tavner and the chaos that surrounds him as he somehow becomes the linchpin of American subterfuge. While it’s not as fast-paced as the British Apple TV hit, the characters are written with great depth and it’s truly unique. We never thought we’d hear a spy singing folk songs as a way to cope with trauma! As well as cracking us up, it’s brilliantly dark and twisty. Viewers have praised the series as ‘genius’, ‘unique’ and ‘massively underrated’ – and we couldn’t agree more.
Is there a trailer for Patriot?
Yes – you can watch the official trailer for Patriot below.
How can I watch Patriot?
You can stream all episodes of Patriot on Prime Video now.
What other spy thrillers can I watch now?
If you fancy something darker, we’d suggest Spies Of Terror. The thriller follows police intelligence and agents in the aftermath of the November 2015 Paris attacks as one of the biggest manhunts across Europe unfolds. All episodes of Spies Of Terror are available to watch now on ITVX. For an equally suspenseful watch, we’d suggest Unfamiliar, which follows German former Federal Intelligence Service agent Meret and her family, who are forced to go on the run when their secret Berlin hideaway, known as ‘The Nest’ is exposed. You can watch all episodes of Unfamiliar now on Netflix.
