PONIES Peacock series:
I finally sat down to see what the deal was with PONIES—mostly because I’ll watch anything Haley Lu Richardson is in—and honestly? The hype is actually real.
Peacock just dropped the series today, and it already has an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. For a streaming original, that’s a massive debut. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, don’t let the title fool you—it’s not a show about horses. It’s a 1970s spy thriller set in Moscow, and “PONIES” is apparently CIA slang for “Persons of No Interest.”
The Vibe
Think The Americans but with a lot more personality and way better outfits. Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson play two “embassy wives” whose husbands die under some seriously shady circumstances. Instead of just heading back to the States and grieving, they realize they’ve been overlooked by everyone—the KGB, the CIA, the works—and decide to use that invisibility to become spies themselves.
Why it works
What makes this feel fresh is the pairing. You’ve got:
Emilia Clarke: Playing the poised, over-educated Bea. It’s so good to see her in something grounded where she can actually lean into that quiet, sharp intensity.
Haley Lu Richardson: Playing Twila, who is basically a human wrecking ball from a small town.
The “odd couple” trope can feel tired, but these two have this chaotic, sisterly chemistry that makes the high-stakes Cold War stuff feel personal. One minute they’re navigating a tense drop-off in a snowy park, and the next they’re bickering about life. It’s funny, it’s stressful, and it looks beautiful—that grainy, 70s film look is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Is it worth the binge?
If you’re into shows that reward you for paying attention to the small details, then yes. It’s a smart, stylish thriller that doesn’t feel like it was made by a committee. It’s got heart, it’s got grit, and it’s probably the best thing Peacock has put out in a minute.
I’m only three episodes in, but I’m already hooked on the mystery of what actually happened to their husbands.
