Television series

The New Avengers

Name: The New Avengers
Genre: Action, Thriller, Mystery
Released: 1976
Cast: Patrick Macnee, Joanna Lumley, Gareth Hunt

Spy action
Thriller
Dip in and out

The New Avengers reunites Patrick Macnee's impeccable spy John Steed with two brilliant new partners: Purdey, a former ballet dancer with lethal legs, and Mike Gambit, a crack marksman and martial artist. It's stylish 1970s action-thriller fare—witty, elegantly shot, pleasingly absurd. For viewers who want spy thrills without grit, or who simply adore watching beautiful people in tailored clothes outwit cartoonish villains with panache.

TVMaze rating

3.6

If you liked this

Remington Steele1982

Another effortlessly charming spy-adjacent series where banter and chemistry between leads matter as much as the plot. Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist have that same playful energy and impeccable style.

But The cases blur together after a while, and it leans more comedic than The New Avengers, which might feel slight if you want real tension.

The Professionals1977

British spy action that takes itself slightly more seriously while keeping the same era's aesthetic. Tighter plotting, grittier edge, but maintains that cool professionalism and excellent supporting cast work.

But It's considerably darker in tone. If you loved The New Avengers' playfulness, this might feel like a comedown.

Danger UXB1979

Superbly crafted British drama with action, mystery, and character work. Treats its plots and cast with intelligence. Sets a high bar for how smart a genre show can be without winking at the audience.

But No humor at all—it's completely earnest and sometimes bleak. A very different energy from The New Avengers' charm.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The New Avengers

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Nikita1990

Both feature a charismatic, skilled operative trained by an organization, moving through stylized action sequences. But Nikita inverts the formula—it asks what happens when your handler's code of honor breaks down, turning the Avengers dynamic inside-out.

French action thriller with a female assassin trained by her employer—sounds like a premise, but it's actually a character study about duty, control, and the possibility of escape. Kinetic, visually striking, and emotionally real.

But Violent and genuinely dark in ways The New Avengers never was. More existential thriller than spy romp; some find the tonal shift unsettling.

Jason King1971

Groovy British thriller about a crime novelist who keeps stumbling into real cases. Same era's aesthetics, same love of glamor and improbable plots, great supporting performances.

But Very much a product of its time—some episodes feel padded, and the lead is less charismatic than Steed.

The Saint1962

Roger Moore as a charming rogue who outwits villains with style and wit. Pre-Bond Roger, proving he could carry an action series with pure personality and good humor.

But Episodic in a way that can feel repetitive. Moore is wonderful but not supported by the ensemble dynamics The New Avengers had.

Callan1967

British spy thriller with real narrative weight and character development. Shows what spy television could do when it took its premise seriously while keeping individual episodes engaging.

But Considerably more serious and pessimistic in tone. Not remotely as fun.

Department S1969

Stylish adventure series about a team solving impossible mysteries. Good ensemble work, globe-trotting plots, and that same 1960s-into-70s aesthetic of effortless cool.

But Less focused on character than The New Avengers, and some episodes feel like they're spinning wheels.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang2005

Both understand that style and self-awareness can coexist with genuine plot momentum. Both treat the audience as intelligent enough to catch jokes and follow action simultaneously, with protagonists who are always three steps ahead.

Robert Downey Jr. and Ryan Gosling as a con man and private eye stumbling through LA noir. It's witty, self-aware, visually playful, and proves that action-comedy with real intelligence can still be thrilling.

But Deliberately fractured narrative and constant fourth-wall breaks; some find it exhausting rather than clever. Also considerably more cynical than The New Avengers.

Ashes to Ashes2008

Like The New Avengers, it builds a world where style and form matter as much as story, where the pleasure is partly in how the show looks and sounds. But Ashes to Ashes uses that aesthetic language to explore trauma and mortality—it's what The New Avengers' world would look like if the elegance couldn't protect you from the darkness underneath.

A finale-focused police thriller masquerading as a serial drama. Spectacular visual invention, performances that grow richer with repetition, and a final season that interrogates everything the show seemed to stand for. Television as architecture.

But Requires genuine commitment across 21 episodes before the payoff arrives. The mythology becomes deliberately convoluted, and some viewers find the ending philosophically unsatisfying rather than artfully ambiguous.