Rating: 
Summary: So much better than anything on American TV
Review: A brilliantly scripted, acted, and executed spy drama. The one good thing about British TV is that they don't automatically assume that their audience is full of idiots like US shows do (beautifully portrayed by an earlier reviewer).As a fan of "24", which most people feel compelled to compare MI-5 to, I have to admit that it makes "24" look REALLY bad. While I don't think the shows are all that similar, MI-5 is really for an educated viewer that doesn't need everything explained to them. While I am a fraction of a bit disappointed that the Volume I set here didn't ship with all 12 episodes aired on A&E, I'm just happy to have the uncut Season 1 with 5.1 Surround Sound. GO BBC! If you enjoy great writing, great acting, great drama, and great fun, MI-5 is for you.
Rating:
Summary: All scenes cut by A&E are included
Review: According to the BBC America website this DVD will have the UK versions of the episodes which means an extra 10 minutes on each episode. There are loads of extra features, it's only a shame that there are only 6 episodes in the first series.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, what USA TV should strive for
Review: An exciting plot + interesting characters to care about + good writing + good acting that makes one suspend reality = great series, lots of fun. It's cool, contemporary, Miami Vice meets BBC quality.
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Summary: Gripping British Police Drama
Review: Clearly inspired by the American "24", it borrows a lot of the editing style and pacing. Well written and acted. One of the world's worst DVD menus, hehe.
Rating: 
Summary: Fast paced, exciting, well-developed story and characters
Review: Didn't want the programs to end. Very exciting, well-developed stories and characters. Am looking forward to the next series. One complaint-actors talk fast and at times the background music is too loud to understand what they are saying. Since the plots are usually quite intricate, the story can be difficult to follow.
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Summary: MI 5 (or SPOOKS) - Based on Australian DVD versions
Review: I am glad that Americans are able to see such a great British drama. MI-5 or Spooks as it is known by in Britain and Australia is certainly one of the best productions of its type I have seen. The only US drama that we have seen in Australia that remotely resembles it would be "The Agency" which has not made it to DVD or video. This is more a thinking person's depiction of the Intelligence Service without the over-the-top action that we have come to be used to in US drama, but is still suspenseful and entertaining. 6 episodes in the first season, 10 in the 2nd season. We are fortunate in Australia to be about the only place in the world where season 2 has been available on DVD for some time. Excellent cast and scripts. The first season has special features including the development of the show, character profiles. Well worth the money and sits somewhere between John Le Carre and James Bond. Thoroughly realistic. A must for the collections of anybody interested in this genre.
Rating:
Summary: Spooky... how good this series is.
Review: I am pleased to recommend this wonderful counter-spionage series, featuring such strong acting, gripping plotlines and intelligent scripts. I can't wait to buy it, along with a rather obscure but also supperb British spy drama from the 80's called The Sandbaggers. It would be a good idea for A&E to consider re-running that one. Real television gems, both of them! Eagerly waiting for MI-5 (Spooks)series 3. PS. I cannot rate the DVD itself, but it promises many extra feature.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent series
Review: I began watching MI-5 this year on A&E. It's a big hit in Britain (where it's known as "Snoops") and has gained a sizable following here in the US. The episodes are deftly written and well-acted, truly unlike anything else currently airing. The tone is sometimes moody and a bit hectic, but that is the point of the series; these are British Intelligence agents working on matters of high security, from the attempted hack-in of the bankroll from which MI-5 pays their agents (undercover and otherwise) to Alexander Siddig's role as an Algerian defector seeking to infiltrate a sect of Muslim extremists.
The plots are fast-paced and the characterization is well-thought out and plotted; Tom McFayden's Quinn wrestles with a dual identity: he is trying to maintain a relationship while keeping his girlfriend Ellie in the dark. One of the more emotionally telling moments of the first season is when Quinn suffers an injury and is forced to come clean with Ellie about his dangerous line of work.
This is one of the most original, suspenseful, and character-driven series' to come down the pipe in ages. It is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys the spy genre and for those who simply enjoy a good drama.
January 13th cannot come soon enough.
Rating:
Summary: Criminal Drama at Its Best
Review: I caught the very first American showing of this on A&E and was hooked. It's smart, serious, and edgy. It pulls no punches, and always has you wondering what will happen next. There's no standard formula like so many of the American shows. ... This drama, about Britain's much more established version of the U.S.'s Dept. of Homeland Security, makes ABC's the Threat Matrix seem like show for Nickelodeon. It stays fresh, smart, and isn't affraid to show the viewer the good with the bad. And it gives glimpses into how other countries, namely Britain, view America's government.
Rating:
Summary: Television At It's Finest
Review: I first became addicted to this show, known as Spooks in the UK, when it first appeared on A&E. MI-5 is an example of television at its finest. This show gives us a fictional insider view of Britian's domestic intelligence division known as MI-5, and we're not talking James Bond (anyway, he was MI-6). This show presents these people as patriots fighting to keep their country safe, but it's also not afraid to present the morally questionable side, as well -- not something you usually see on American television. In the US, when a show like this is made it treats the players as heroes making a great sacrifice to keep the country safe, rarely as human beings who sometimes have to make morally questionable decisions, decisions that force them to question whether they are doing the right thing or not. Shows like Alias and 24 come close, but they are more thriller shows with thriller plots and violence. This show works in real-time, often using real-time events as catalyst for their plots. What sets this show apart from the likes of Alias and 24 is the human factor: the series focuses more on the human drama than it does the thriller elements. Matthew MacFadyen is absolutely wonderful as Tom Quinn, who over time begins to wonder about the decisions he's had to make and the affect they've had on his life and those around him. Keeley Hawes as Zoe Reynolds, David Oyelowo as Danny Hunter, and Peter Firth as Harry Pearce are exceptional supporting players. Don't let the British setting keep you from watching this series. Unlike any show currently on television in America, based in America, this series reminds us there is still a war on terror and we're only moments away from another disaster. It's edge-of-your-seat plotting and exceptional acting.
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