A new "darkly funny" thriller series with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score just landed on Netflix – and a second season is already on the way

Ben Whishaw as Sam and Keira Knightley as Helen in Netflix's Black Doves
(Image credit: Netflix)

Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw's new spy thriller series Black Doves has just landed on Netflix – and it's proving to be a festive, fun treat.

Both critics and subscribers seem to be loving the show already, judging by its perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score and the praise it's getting on social media.

Also starring True Detective: Night Country's Finn Bennett, Fool Me Once's Adeel Akhtar, and Happy Valley's Sarah Lancashire, the six-parter released in entirety on December 5 and follows undercover agent Helen (Knightley), who's posing as a politician's wife while feeding government secrets to the group she works for. Later, she teams up with her bestie Sam (Whishaw), who just so happens to be an assassin, to exact revenge on those who killed her boyfriend.

"Black Doves is a little bit Slow Horses, a little bit John Wick, a little bit Killing Eve... But still it's own VERY entertaining beast," gushed one viewer on Twitter. "Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw have incredible BFF chemistry, would happily watch multiple seasons of them together.

"Am I already on ep 4 of Black Doves? Yes I am, thank-you very much. #glued," wrote another.

"Black Doves: stumbles a bit at the end but the vast majority of this is a fun, poppy 90's spy thriller in the Shane Black framework. Knightley tapping into her movie star charisma and ably paired with Whishaw doing his best John Wick, their chemistry keeping it all together," tweeted a third.

Black Doves is streaming now. Those who've enjoyed season 1 need not worry about its future, either, as a second chapter was greenlit way back in August. Looks like it'll avoid Netflix's all too frequent one-and-done fate...

For more, check out our picks of the best shows on Netflix for some further viewing inspiration, or have a look at our guide to the most exciting new TV shows heading our way.

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

Read more
Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland in The Night Agent season 2
Despite a divisive Rotten Tomatoes score, one of Netflix's most watched shows of all time The Night Agent hits the #1 spot with second season
Black Bag
This new spy thriller starring Michael Fassbender earns near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score with glowing first reviews
Leo Woodall in Prime Target
6 new movies and shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Prime, Disney Plus, and more (Jan 24 - 26)
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Mr and Mrs Smith was one of the best shows of 2024 and the perfect limited series – let's hope season 2 lives up to it
Just One Look
A new "edge-of-your-seat" Harlan Coben thriller series has been quietly added to Netflix
Brittany Snow as Alice in The Night Agent season 2
The Night Agent star had no idea his season 2 co-star originally auditioned to play the Netflix show's female lead
Latest in Thriller Shows
Penn Badgley and Charlotte Richie in You season 5
You season 5 trailer introduces Joe's new love interest and teases familiar faces in the final installment of the Netflix thriller
Noah Centineo in The Recruit
The Recruit fans are blaming The Night Agent for the show's cancelation: "It's Netflix's fault for releasing at the same time"
Noah Centineo in The Recruit season 2
Star of Netflix thriller show reveals sudden cancellation after two seasons: “Such a bummer”
Just One Look
A new "edge-of-your-seat" Harlan Coben thriller series has been quietly added to Netflix
Yellowjackets season 3
Yellowjackets season 3 episode 4's shock character death is a loss for the show, but proves the series is learning from season 2's mistakes
Yellowjackets
Who killed *spoiler* in Yellowjackets season 3? All our theories, explained
Latest in News
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
5 years after starting development, Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog's new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "still evolving and changing as we're making it"
Silent Hill f
After 2 years of silence, the next mainline Silent Hill game is getting a dedicated stream this week with "the latest news"
Original Xbox console
Former Microsoft exec says the first Xbox was killed early in favor of 360 because it was "losing money left right and center," but luckily "we could afford to hemorrhage cash"
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Despite Monster Hunter Wilds suffering monstrous performance problems on PC, it still outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in the US
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about "being lonely," as if his zombie apocalypse wasn’t isolating enough: "I really want you to be lost"
A screenshot of Jordan drinking a soda during the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Hertic Prophet.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "a game about faith and religion," which Neil Druckmann jokes will surely get less hate than The Last of Us 2