James Bond Meets Fleabag In Prime Video's Best New Series Of 2026

Published Sep 14, 2026, 5:01 PM EDT Memory Ngulube joined Screen Rant in April 2024 as part of the Movies and TV team. Since then, she has written for the Perennials and Streaming team, covering a wide range of topics from new releases to old movies and TV shows. Memory is currently a Classic TV writer. Before joining Screen Rant, Memory was a freelance copywriter who specialized in email marketing and social media management. While she enjoyed her job, her true passion was always movies and TV. When she isn’t writing for Screen Rant, Memory can be found reading, baking (which is one of her passions), or watching her favorite K-drama. For years, James Bond has represented the fantasy of being a cool spy with an effortless charm and an ability to walk away from explosions without so much as wrinkling his suit. Fleabag, on the other hand, is a painfully honest comedy. Separately, the spy movie franchise and the series have nothing in common, but together they're surprisingly fitting for one of Prime Video's best series of 2026. Bait takes the idea of becoming James Bond and turns it into something far more awkward and hilarious. Created by and starring Riz Ahmed, the six-episode comedy follows Shah Latif, a struggling British-Pakistani actor whose life begins spiraling after he auditions for the role of 007. Bait doesn’t portray Shah as a glamorous international spy but has the protagonist try and fail to embody who he thinks he should be in order to be taken seriously. There is a sadness to Shah that is reminiscent of Fleabag. Like Phoebe Waller-Bridge's acclaimed comedy, Bait isn't afraid to expose the messy person underneath the polished exterior. The Prime Video series, however, isn't simply Fleabag with a male protagonist or a Bond parody with a more introspective streak. Bait uses both of the ideas in Fleabag and Bond to dig into emotions that are often hidden beneath the carefully constructed identities people present to the world. Bait is often described as a James Bond series, and it is in some way, but it is a much deeper show than meets the eye and is far from a conventional spy thriller. It instead invites its audiences to see the pressure that comes with being the next 007, especially when a person of color is vying for the position that has been associated with whiteness since its inception. Shah's obsession with becoming 007 is connected to his broader struggle with identity. He is constantly trying to work out what version of himself will be accepted by the industry, his family, and society. Through the process of his audition for the world’s most famous spy role, there is a rawness to Shah that is incredibly endearing. Though he wants the world to believe he can carry the weight of such a beloved character, he is deeply insecure and desperate to prove himself. Bait is, of course, a dark series at times, but it remains self-aware through it all. The dark tones are usually perfectly balanced with laugh-out-loud comedy, from Shah’s interactions with his family to the severed head of a pig who talks to him and provides him with life advice, which, funnily enough, he rarely takes. Why Bait Is Prime Video's Best New Series Of 2026 Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios. 2026 has been a huge year for Prime Video when it comes to its returning series. Invincible season 4, The Legend of Vox Machina’s fourth installment, and the final season of The Boys all debuted this year. The familiar TV shows, however, did not steal all the thunder on the streamer’s 2026 offerings. Prime Video also introduced new series like Scarpetta, Young Sherlock, Off Campus, Elle, and the short-lived Spider Noir. Though the year is far from over, there’s a good argument for Bait being the best new Prime Video series of 2026. The aforementioned returning Prime Video series do not really reinvent storytelling. Most of them have plots that audiences are familiar with and have seen dozens of times, which is ultimately why Bait surpasses them. The best example of this is Elle, which had the advantage of being tied to the popular Legally Blonde franchise. Bait, however, stands on its own. The easiest thing that Bait could have done was become a James Bond parody, but it chose to use the story of 007 to talk about identity, representation in the entertainment industry, and identity. The series’ tone is quite distinctive, which easily allows it to switch genres, yet it remains incredibly funny. Bait has this uncanny ability to get under its audience’s skin. Shah’s anxieties and struggles feel deeply personal, but also universal because what he wants from life — respect and acceptability — are things that many people who watch the series can relate to. Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00 Network Prime Video Showrunner Riz Ahmed, Ben Karlin Cast Struggling actor Shah Latif grapples with an impending role that thrusts him into an existential crisis and a surreal conspiracy.