Paul Rhys
Jodie Whittaker
Harriet Walter
Stuart Milligan
Julian Ovenden
Christina Cole
Ralph Brown
Akie Kotabe

Based on:
“Circle of Treason: A CIA Account of Traitor Aldrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed” by Sandy Grimes & Jeanne Vertefeuille

Miniseries (after being canceled as a full series)
2014
Thriller
ABC
TV-14

I watched the first episode of “The Assets”; it’s not thrilling. On the contrary, there’s a lack of consistency from scene to scene. The actor (Paul Rhys) playing the CIA mole is intriguing, but this isn’t told from his point-of-view. It should be.

At the very beginning of the first episode, we’re shown that he’s the mole. Why? That undercuts the suspense and mystery. If you want to do something like that, then you must use it by making him the center of the story. Then, as an audience member, I’ll be forced to see things from his point-of-view. Now that would make things interesting; it’s what “The Americans” does so well.

As it is, “The Assets” is a well-shot TV show that doesn’t have a compelling figurative bone in its figurative body. It looks the part, but it doesn’t play the part. I’ll keep watching “Homeland” and “The Americans” instead.

Verdict: Whatever

About: (Source: assets)

CIA officers in the 1980s look for a mole to save the lives of Soviet agents working for the U.S.