TURN: Washington’s Spies
Cast & Key People
Our Review
Remember when AMC had the discipline to cancel things at their peak instead of milking them? TURN: Washington’s Spies ran four seasons, 2014 to 2017, and knew when to stop. It is the Revolutionary War told from the spy side: a Long Island farmer, Abraham Woodhull, coerced by the Sons of Liberty into befriending his old British officer pal, and the Culper Ring that grew out of it, an actual network that helped Washington win the war.
The first season is the rough one (a 54% Rotten Tomatoes score that the show spent three years making people regret). Then it finds its voice. Season 3 sits at 100% with episode ratings north of 9, the Benedict Arnold arc is devastating, and Jamie Bell makes an unglamorous hero out of a man whose whole job is lying to faces he loves. Set in period costume but built like a modern paranoia thriller, it is arguably the smartest thing AMC did between Mad Men and Better Call Saul.
Fair warning: history is compressed, some characters get merged or invented, and Washington is used like a chess piece. Purists complain. Drama fans rarely notice.
If the American Revolution interests you at all, or if you liked Turn’s contemporary spy-drama DNA, this is four tight seasons with an actual ending. Our score: 7.5/10.
