The secretaries at the American embassy in Moscow were considered “persons of no interest” until a personal tragedy turned them into the CIA’s most unexpected operatives. Peacock has released the first look at its new spy thriller PONIES, starring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson. The series, set in 1977 during the Cold War, will premiere on January 15, 2026.
The Story Behind the Show
PONIES introduces Bea, played by Emilia Clarke, and Twila, played by Haley Lu Richardson, who work as secretaries at the American embassy in Moscow. Their lives are upended when their husbands are killed under mysterious circumstances. This personal tragedy propels them into the dangerous world of espionage, where they become CIA operatives to uncover the truth.
The show’s title is an acronym for “Persons Of No Interest,” which is intelligence community language for people considered unimportant. The series explores how these two women, previously invisible to the intelligence world, use that to their advantage.
Meet the Characters
The first look at the series reveals two women with completely opposite personalities who must learn to work together. Emilia Clarke’s character, Bea, is described as highly educated and tightly wound.
“When you first meet Bea, she went to Wellesley, she studied Russian, she married her childhood sweetheart. She’s on the path to be the perfect wife, perfect mother, perfect woman,” Clarke said. “I mean, I can’t relate at all. It’s outrageous that they cast me.”
In contrast, Haley Lu Richardson’s Twila is a bold and fearless spirit from a small town. Richardson described her character as “loud, and a lot, and uninhibited,” a naturally big and bold human being. Clarke added that the duo complements each other perfectly: “Everything that Bea isn’t, Twila is. And everything that Twila isn’t, Bea is. Twila drinks wine, Bea gets uptight. Twila’s loud and colorful, Bea is more demure.”
The Creative Team and Production
PONIES is co-created by Susanna Fogel and David Iserson. Fogel, who directed the series, previously created the HBO dramedy The Flight Attendant, while Iserson’s credits include Mr. Robot and New Girl. Iserson serves as showrunner alongside Mike Daniels.
The series began filming in Budapest, Hungary in February 2025. The location provides an authentic backdrop for the Cold War setting. The cast includes Adrian Lester as Dane, Artjom Gilz as Andrei, Nicholas Podany as Ray, Petro Ninovskyi as Sasha, and Vic Michaelis as Cheryl.
Emilia Clarke not only stars in the series but also serves as an executive producer, a role she also held on the 2023 sci-fi film The Pod Generation.
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What to Expect From the Series
According to the stars, PONIES will deliver a mix of suspense, darkness, and unexpected twists. Haley Lu Richardson promised that the show will give audiences what they want from a spy thriller and much more.
“People will get what they expect and what they want out of a show like this — and so much more that they would never expect,” Richardson said. “It’s sexy. It’s crazy. It’s dark… It’s like wild… It actually gets pretty interesting.”
The eight-episode series will see Bea and Twila navigating the complexities of Cold War espionage while dealing with their personal grief. Bea’s background as the child of Soviet immigrants and her fluency in Russian, combined with Twila’s fearless nature, make them an unexpectedly effective team against a vast conspiracy.
The first look images show Clarke’s Bea in a blue tracksuit looking concerned beside Richardson’s Twila. Another photo features Bea at her office desk, while a third shows Twila with Adrian Lester’s character, Dane, in a serious outdoor scene at night.
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