Rating: 
Summary: MI-5: Best show on television
Review: I got hooked on this show from the first episode. Smart scripts and actors who don't chew up scenery (are you listening Kiefer??)
The writers assume the audience has functioning brain cells and the characters are not perfect, just bright, funny, ambitious, and a bit quirky. The show is for everyone frustrated with the crapulous crud that passes for most of American television.
Timely plots and yes, Americans don't always come off well but that's part of the charm. We do have a bullying reputation and the series makes a bit of hay with it. I can take it.
As for the actors: MacFadyen, Hawes, and Agutter are especially good. They make you care and understand even when they are doing some very nasty things.
Rating:
Summary: Spooktacular
Review: I had never seen the Show MI-5 (Spooks) until I bought the Box set from work - I am so glad I did! I would have spent twice my money to own it. This Series is phenomenal. The acting is excellent, the actors are exellent and the stories are amazing. It is so refreshing to finally be challenged in a tv series - and not be pandered to with lukewarm plots designed not to intimidate the squeamish. The jargon, technical familarity and thorough research that goes into each episode is reminiscent of the early ER days - however, with less gore!
MI-5 is the culmination of British Dramatic television, completely building on the excellent grounwork set by Cracker and The Knock. If you are at all interested in good drama with intelligent plotwork and a keen interest in espionage - definitely MI-5 is a must for your collection!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent DVD for an excellent series
Review: I just watched the DVDs today, and if you are a fan at all of espionage/action/mystery shows, I recommend this series. It is great to watch on TV, but these DVDs have the entire episodes that were shown on the BBC, but had parts cut out for the American release (on A&E) for commercial breaks. Watching the extended episodes is wonderful...like new episodes or more in depth episodes. The extras are great to watch, especially the interviews with the cast members and how they talk about their careers and their characters. The only problem I had with the DVDs is that the menus don't tell you which episode is which, but that is such a minor thing to me, since it is a delight to have one of my absolute favorite shows on DVD to watch whenever I need a MI-5 fix, since there haven't been new episodes in ages and it is never on when I want to watch it. I definitely recommend that this DVD series be added to your collection if you are into spy/action series.
Rating:
Summary: MI-5 Top-Notch Show! A MUST SEE!!!
Review: I like Kiefer Sutherland's 24 TV series, but MI-5 is far better hands down. MI-5 screenplays are intelligent & storlines not always predictable unlike many American shows which are written for the 6th grade level mentality. Definitely recommend this to all who enjoyed Sandbaggers with Roy Mardsen.
Rating:
Summary: MI-5 Intelligent Screenplays & Guaranteed to Thrill
Review: I like Kiefer Sutherland's 24, but MI-5 blows my mind. This is a must have dvd set. My only regret the upcoming release will only contain the 1st 6 episodes. Clever & intelligent screenplays unlike most American shows which are usually created for 6th grade level mentalities. Never know what's going to happen next on this show...the last aired episode was a shocker and can't wait until they finish filming the next new season and air it on BBC America!!!
Rating:
Summary: GREAT GREAT GREAT!!!
Review: I spend a lot of time in England where the show is entitled Spooks. I was so glad to see A&E bring this show to the U.S. I think that the writing is crisp and the fast pace of the show keeps your interest. My only disappointment was I was unable to purchase Volume 1 and 2 because it stops short of the shows that aired on A&E. I enjoy watching a show where people are not perfect but try and do the right thing without being to apologetic. The episode where Danny has to give up his credit cards because he has a abused the system where he can repair his credit is to much.Tom haas to tell his very belligerent girlfriend that he serves his country and have her not understand is hard for him but I do believe things will turn out the way they should. For a grown up who is tired of the usual sitcoms and cop shows this offers a fanastic outlet.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Series
Review: I started watching MI-5 on A&E as the show's title inspired some interest in me. It's since become probably one of my favourite shows on television. I'm also a fan of 24, but you definitely can't compare the two in my mind: 24 tends to do the unexpected, but that in itself is almost becoming expected. MI-5, on the other hand, seems to me a much truer to life glimpse at the roles of agents in England. As for a few comments about the 'negative' portrayal of America, I don't for a second think that the portrayal is meant to be unrealistic or as negative as the other reviewers may believe. Although in this world MI-5 and the CIA may cooperate on matters of mutual concern, they're still very much separate entities working for different governments - governments with different views of how the world should look and function. And as this show is from the English perspective, it makes perfect sense for the shows perspective to be skewed toward a more European view - and obviously the conflict filled interactions make for a more interesting story line.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but a bit overrated
Review: I think this show is certainly watchable and has many good qualities, but I guess my expectations were higher based on the high marks it's received in reviews here. The plots seem a bit contrived and PC. Also, the spies themselves honestly don't impress me as all that smart, as they keep doing stupid things and getting caught. Now that I've seen the entire first season on DVD, I can't say that I was really all that excited about seeing what happens in the next episode. And while I agree with others that there is a lot of drivel on American television, we definitely have many high quality shows that I think surpass this one (Sopranos and Six Feet Under come to mind.) Bottom line, this is an above-quality, enjoyable show but not the best thing I've ever seen.
Rating: 
Summary: Marred by dubious acting and uneven direction
Review: I wanted to enjoy this series, but was let down by the contrivances in the writing and direction, and some very average acting. Unlike, say, the superb productions of Le Carre's George Smiley novels, the show adopts a kind of Mission Impossible, technology-ridden, slick attitude....but it doesn't have the production values to pull it off, so it always feels kind of cheesy. I enjoyed the contemporary plots and the moral ambivalence, but somehow it crossed a line of implausibility that, say, Law & Order, doesn't.
Not without merit, but I really can't give it more than 2 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Another Hit from the BBC
Review: I was hooked on MI-5 from the first episode I saw when it was running on A&E. This show from the BBC also makes one question why American television cannot be this good (for further proof may I direct your attention to BBC comedies Absolutely Fabulous and the Vicar of Dibley). The chararcters come off as being human--they aren't perfect and you learn what each of their flaws are and how they deal with them in the context of their job. The topics of the show are also very timely and each of the episodes are top notch. I have also become a very huge fan of Matthew Macfayden (Tom Quinn/Matthew Archer) as a result of this show--he is an excellent actor and has the most complex character on the show. Overall what an outstanding show. Kudos to the BBC for another well-acted, well-written, well-produced show. Keep up the good work! Give the show a watch, I promise you won't be disappointed.
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