She might have broken a rib after filming sex scenes with three men for hours, but for fans of Emilia Clarke’s new spy thriller it all appears to have been worth it.
Created by Susanna Fogel (Booksmart) and David Iverson (Mad Men, New Girl), Ponies is the fictional story of two secretaries who become CIA Operatives.
Set in 1977, Beatrice ‘Bea’ Grant (Clarke) and Twila Hasbeck (Haley Lu Richardson) attempt to uncover a Cold War conspiracy after their husbands are killed under mysterious circumstances.
The widows are tasked by the CIA to honey-trap high-level KGB agents in Moscow to get intel.
Previously, the Game of Thrones star detailed the brutal filming process of her intimate scenes in the Cold War project.
Now, following its release on Peacock, viewers have hailed it as ‘unbelievably good’, as @maggieofthetown declared: ‘I need everyone to binge this ASAP so I can get a Season 2.’
The social media user went on to say that the Game of Thrones star and Haley Lu, who fans might recognise as Tanya’s dogged assistant in season two of The White Lotus, were ‘electric’.
@Tv_reh also claimed that it was ‘one of the best new shows of the year’, writing: ‘Such a great mix of spy mystery action and comedy that finale was amazing I want Season 2 now!!’
Meanwhile, @KongoZande added: ‘That was some great TV from start to finish. Best thing Emilia Clarke has done since GoT. #PONIES’
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@bri___edits also hailed the attention to detail in the series and how believable it looks as a period piece.
Unfortunately for UK audiences, the show does not yet have a release date.
However, those who have already binged all eight episodes are demanding a second season, so on this side of the pond audiences could potentially be able to watch this sooner than expected.
Prior to the show being released, Clarke’s fellow Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner made a bold claim that she was ‘very happy’ with how her characters’ story ended in the hugely criticised final season.
The Steal actor said: ‘I feel that I was very happy with the way Sansa ended her story in Game of Thrones, and no one else was really happy with their ending.’
Other characters’ plot lines, like Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen came to sudden endings that some felt were rushed.
Key Details
Creator
Ponies is an American spy thriller television series created by Susanna Fogel and David Iserson for Peacock.
Cast
Emilia Clarke stars as Beatrice ‘Bea’ Grant alongside Haley Lu Richardson as Twila Hasbeck, Adrian Lester as Dane Walter and Artjom Gilz as Andrei Vasiliev.
Runtime
Eight episodes, around 50 minutes each.
Release date
January 15, 2026
Following her statements, a prequel to Game of Thrones released its first episode on Sunday night, drawing some mixed opinions from viewers.
Many fans of the original series said they felt ‘disrespected’ after a disgusting defecation scene was shown in the opening few moments.
Writing on X, @WilfLukas said they felt ‘personally disrespected’ when the theme song was ‘just about to drop… not a good start for me’.
Ponies is available to stream on Peacock.
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