'The Spy': Release date, plot, cast, and everything you need to know about the Netflix series starring Sacha Baron Cohen

Inspired by the real-life story of former Mossad agent Eli Cohen, 'The Spy' follows Sacha Baron Cohen as he successfully goes undercover in early 1960s Syria.
UPDATED SEP 3, 2019

Netflix has finally announced the release date for its much-awaited spy series 'The Spy'. Inspired by the real-life story of former Mossad agent Eli Cohen, 'The Spy' follows Sacha Baron Cohen as he successfully goes undercover in early 1960s Syria and gains the trust of the military leaders to give out confidential information to him. All that Eli wanted to do was to serve his country and Baron Cohen brings this character to life in Netflix's upcoming limited series 'The Spy'.  

Here is everything you need to know about 'The Spy'.

Release date

The six-episode drama is set to release on September 6, 2019. 

Plot

"'The Spy' is inspired by the real-life story of former Mossad agent, Eli Cohen, who successfully goes undercover in Syria in the early 1960s. Cohen becomes close enough to ambitious military leaders and their rich friends to earn a game-changing level of trust and learn about Syria’s biggest anti-Israel secret initiatives," according to the official synopsis of the show. 

Cast

Sacha Baron Cohen as Eli Cohen

Sacha Baron Cohen attends the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Annual Grants Banquet at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on July 31, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Getty Images)

Emmy-nominated Sacha Baron Cohen (of 'Who is America?' and 'Borat' fame) plays the role of Eli Cohen, "a man who wants nothing more than to be of service to his country, but he does his job so well that he finds it hard to strip off his double identity", according to Netflix. Through six hour-long episodes, we will follow the journey of Eli via Baron Cohen. The actor is best known for creating and portraying several fictional satirical characters such as Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno, Admiral General Aladeen, and Erran Morad among others. For his work on 'Who is America?' Baron Cohen was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy.

Noah Emmerich as Dan Peleg 

Noah Emmerich attends the 71st Annual Writers Guild Awards New York ceremony at Edison Ballroom on February 17, 2019 in New York City. (Getty Images)

Emmerich will be playing the role of Dan Peleg, Eli’s Mossad handler who tries to ease his own guilt over the sacrifices that Eli makes. The actor is known for his work on 'The Truman Show', 'Little Children', 'Miracle', 'Frequency'. His role as FBI agent Stan Beeman on 'The Americans' won him the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

Other actors in the cast are Hadar Ratzon Rotem (of 'Homeland' fame) as Eli’s wife Nadia, who is left to raise their family on her own and has the feeling that things aren't right about her husband’s government job. Waleed Zuaiter (of 'Colony' fame) will be playing Amin Al-Hafz, a military officer who thinks he’s found the perfect ally in the undercover Cohen. 

Creator

'The Spy' is written and directed by Emmy-winner Gideon Raff (of 'Prisoners of War', 'Homeland' and 'Tyrant' fame) and Légende Films. The series is produced by Alain Goldman (La Vie en Rose').

First look

Netflix released a little sneak peek into the series.

Sacha Baron Cohen as Eli Cohen (Image: Netflix)
Sacha Baron Cohen takes on a serious role in 'The Spy' (Image: Netflix)

Trailer


 

 

Following Netflix's release of the trailer, here's our preview of 'The Spy'.

Where to watch

All episodes of 'The Spy' will be available for viewing on September 6, 2019, on Netflix. 

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