Television series

Totally Spies!

Name: Totally Spies!
Genre: Comedy, Action, Adventure

Spy action
Light-hearted

A live-action spy comedy following three best friends juggling espionage missions with college life. Think high-octane action meets dorm-room dramedy—it's bubblegum-coloured chaos with heart, designed for viewers who want spectacle without cynicism and friendship without saccharine. Made for anyone who loved the cartoon's weird energy.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love bright, knockabout espionage comedy where the gadgets and banter carry the fun, and a cartoon's sugar-rush energy translated into live action sounds like a good time.

Skip it if you need something to press play on tonight, because this is still in development and there is nothing finished to see yet.

What it asks of you: Hard to gauge until anything airs, but the premise suggests a light, quick-moving shape, with banter and gadget set-pieces doing most of the work rather than slow emotional build-up.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Kim Possible2002

The spiritual ancestor: cheerleader-turned-spy balancing homework and world-saving with effortless charm. Similar DNA—accessible action, witty banter, a lead who refuses to be one thing. If you loved the animated Totally Spies, this is the obvious next move.

But The live-action movie that followed the series was clunky; some worry about the format. And yes, it's from 2002—the fashion choices are a choice.

The Baby-Sitters Club2020

A live-action reboot that somehow gets better the longer you watch. Warm, funny, genuinely about friendship. Proves that adapting a property beloved in another medium can work if you respect what people loved about it.

But It's fundamentally gentler and slower than you might expect. The first episode is almost aggressively wholesome. Not every adaptation instinct here will appeal.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.2013

A team working together against bigger forces, learning to trust each other through adversity. Genuinely improves over its run, builds real stakes, and makes you care deeply about these people. The friendship element grows quietly powerful.

But The early seasons drag while it figures out what it wants to be. Heavy Marvel continuity if you're not already plugged in. Later seasons demand commitment.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Totally Spies!

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World2010

Both tap into the same engine: young people doing impossible things while figuring out who they are. Both understand that girl power without irony feels radical. Both treat action and emotion as equally important.

Absurdist action-comedy about people figuring out who they are through their relationships. Edgar Wright's kinetic direction, non-stop visual gags, and genuine romance coexisting with anime-level fights. It's maximalist fun with a beating heart underneath.

But The reference humour and aesthetic will feel dated or alienating if you're not in its frequency. Some find the lead character insufferable. Requires patience with its own weirdness.

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch2018

Choose-your-own-adventure format played completely straight. Dizzying, trippy, genuinely playful with its medium. If Totally Spies aims for interactive fun, this shows how ambitious that format can be.

But The novelty wears thin fast. Some branches feel more developed than others, leaving sections feeling hollow on second play. Can feel like a gimmick instead of a story.

Kick-Ass2010

Ordinary people deciding to be extraordinary, finding community and purpose. The action lands hard, the characters are real, and it captures the genuine joy of having people around you who get it.

But It's violent in ways that serve the story but don't pull punches. Not your Saturday-morning cartoon tone, despite surface similarities. An R-rated turn that might feel wrong after the Totally Spies vibe.

Gossip Girl2007

Three lead characters with genuine chemistry, navigating friendship against a backdrop of chaos. Smart, stylish, character-driven. Shows how to layer humour, drama, and spectacle without letting any one dominate.

But The show becomes increasingly absurd as it progresses. Some arcs go nowhere. And it's genuinely uneven—brilliant episodes sit next to forgettable ones even in the strong seasons.

Spy Game2001

Brad Pitt and Robert Redford in a zippy action-espionage romp structured as a non-stop flashback. Proves that spy stories can be purely fun—no need for grim realism. Fast, charming, occasionally ridiculous.

But It's thin. The plot exists to move between action sequences. If you need emotional weight or character depth, this is all surface. Feels very 2005-action-movie in ways that haven't aged.

The Go-Go's2021

Same DNA: female friendship as the actual story, not subplot. Both celebrate showing up, looking good, having fun, and being competent at the same time. Both are unabashed about joy.

Documentary about an all-female band that broke every rule and did it together. Utterly joyful, surprisingly moving, captures the specific electricity of women making something important while refusing to be serious about it. That's exactly what Totally Spies is chasing.

But It's a music documentary—if you don't care about the Go-Go's specifically, the structure might feel repetitive. There's real sadness underneath the fun that can blindside you.

Atomic Blonde2017

Female spy protagonist doing the impossible. But where Totally Spies celebrates the sparkle, this shows you the scar tissue underneath. Both are about women choosing power. This one shows the weight of that choice.

Charlize Theron as a spy in 1989 Berlin. Brutal, stylish action sequences—genuinely breathtaking choreography. But beneath the violence is real vulnerability and a story about what it costs to be good at this. Proof that spy action can be both gorgeous and gutting.

But It's violent in a way Totally Spies emphatically is not. The tone is serious, sometimes grim. And the emotional beats land harder—it's asking you to feel something raw, not just have fun.