PONIES on Peacock is a new spy-thriller series starring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson. They will soon be thrust into the world of espionage as CIA operatives. The story plays out in Moscow during the Cold War in the 1970s. Season 1 has eight episodes out now. Read our Ponies series review here!
PONIES is a new Peacock series with 8 hour-long episodes and a wonderful core cast. Especially the two lead roles portrayed by Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson. It’s a thriller series with a spy plot and some comedic elements as well, but the risks are all very real and potentially deadly.
Also, I should mention that Haley Lu Richardson’s character is bisexual. Not just in theory, either, but as part of the plot in this season. Despite playing out in 1970’s Moscow, it reminded me quite a lot of the series Poker Face starring Natasha Lyonne. And yes, I do mean that as a huge compliment.
Continue reading our Ponies series review below. Find season 1 on Peacock now.
Persons of No Interest
The title of Ponies refers to the fact that the two lead characters are Persons of No Interest or PONIs. Anyone who watched Amy Acker and Sarah Shahi aggressively flirt as Shaw and Root (or just “Shoot”) on the CBS series Person of Interest will be familiar with this term.
In the world of Ponies, the two main characters are labeled as PONIs because the KGB would never expect women to be anything other than wives or secretaries. Neither, it appears, would the CIA, as Beatrice “Bea” Grant (Emilia Clarke) and Twila Hasbeck (Haley Lu Richardson), have to fight to be allowed to work in the field.
It seems borderline ridiculous when you hear them say it all out loud, but it’s a classic case of “It was a different time”. Really, it was just a time when most men had no idea what women were capable of. As a result, many women didn’t either.
I mean, isn’t it the most obvious thing in the world to actively use the fact that the KGB wouldn’t expect a female spy?!
Well, that’s pretty much the point Bea and Twila make. Also, it’s the entire premise for this series, and it works remarkably well.
Cagney and Lacey do the Cold War
Sure, I’m oversimplifying, but I loved the whole Cagney & Lacey vibe of having two wildly different women team up. The result is, of course, a dynamic duo that thrives on equal parts wit, intelligence, rebelliousness, and courage. Another result is seeing men recognize that women can actually do their job. In some cases, even better than men.
Another reason I had to mention Cagney & Lacey is the setting. Sure, the iconic cop show is set in 1980s USA, but the late 1970s are fairly close in terms of style. Not so much the surroundings as Moscow was very different than the West, but the music still made it there.
Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) and Haley Lu Richardson (The White Lotus) work perfectly as these wildly different women, who become their own heroes in the 1970s. The series begins with them being widowed, and then quickly stepping into action as CIA operatives to solve the mystery of the deaths of their husbands.
Also in the cast are Adrian Lester (Sandman), Artjom Gilz (Tar, Trunk), Nicholas Podany (Saturday Night), Petro Ninovskyi (Silence), and Vic Michaelis (Upload).
Watch season 1 of Ponies on Peacock now!
While I remember seeing a trailer for Ponies, I can’t say it has had much help in terms of marketing or press awareness. That’s why I absolutely had to cover it here on Womentainment now. Not only is it a story about women, but it was also made by a woman, and even has a queer character.
So much reason to cover it that it felt strange not to.
The series was created by Susanna Fogel (The Flight Attendant, The Spy Who Dumped Me, Cat Person) and David Iserson (Mr. Robot, New Girl). Both are also executive producers and writers on the season. Finally, Susanna Fogel also directs, while David Iserson serves as showrunner with Mike Daniels (The Village).
Executive producers also include Jessica Rhoades (Black Mirror) and star Emilia Clarke.
The eight-episode espionage thriller, which could easily become a multi-season series, premiered on Peacock on January 15, 2026.
Creators: Susanna Fogel, David Iserson
Cast: Emilia Clarke, Haley Lu Richardson, Adrian Lester, Artjom Gilz, Lili Walters
Official plot:
In 1977 Moscow, two “PONIES” (“persons of no interest” in intelligence speak) work anonymously as secretaries in the American Embassy. That is, until their husbands die under mysterious circumstances in the Soviet Union, and they are thrust into the CIA. Bea Grant is sharp, over-educated and fluent in Russian — a child of Russian immigrants, trying to make sense of a life that hasn’t turned out the way she expected. Twila Hasbeck is a small-town firecracker: abrasive, bold and more fearless than she should be. Thrown together by grief and circumstance, the two dig into the vast conspiracy their husbands were killed for.
