Bookish, polite Bea and brash, prickly Twila are married to men working at the American embassy in 1970s, Moscow. When we meet them, Bea - who speaks fluent Russian (Emilia Clarke had to learn Russian for the role) and has a secretarial job at the embassy - is trying to reason with a woman at a market stall, until Twila - who’s just shown up in Moscow - puts her straight in how to deal with the situation.
Bea and Twila’s tendency to be overlooked (‘ponies’ is the nickname for ‘PONIS’ the spy term for ‘persons of no interest’) becomes their secret weapon when they are recruited into the CIA themselves and go undercover to investigate a Cold War conspiracy.
After their husbands - who turn out to be CIA operatives - die in mysterious circumstances, the two women find themselves with a tragic bond. Although the embassy sends them back to the USA, Bea is determined to find out what happened to her husband. She returns to Moscow and Twila joins her, at the start of what turns out to be an unlikely friendship – and even weirder jobs!
Ponies went down a storm in the States when it was released over there in January, with the Los Angeles Times praising its ‘emotional depth and female friendship’ and screen bible RogerEbert.com describing it as a ‘compelling, female-driven buddy spy thriller.’
Who stars in Ponies?
Emilia Clarke as Bea Grant
Bea is a highly educated, Russian-speaking daughter of Soviet immigrants who works as a secretary at the American embassy in Moscow before being pulled into espionage after her husband’s apparent death. She’s methodical, intellectual, emotionally guarded and initially far more cautious than Twila.
‘People are unlikely to see me get on a dragon again,’ joked Emilia Clarke of her defining role as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones (2011-2019). The London-born actress has also appeared in the romantic drama film Me Before You opposite Sam Claflin (2016), the romantic comedy film Last Christmas (2019) with Emma Thompson and Michelle Yeoh, and 2023 Marvel espionage series Secret Invasion (2023) alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Olivia Colman and Kingsley Ben-Adir.
Haley Lu Richardson as Twila Hasbeck
Twila is Bea’s opposite: impulsive, blunt, fearless and emotionally volatile. A small-town American suddenly trapped in Cold War espionage, she becomes surprisingly effective precisely because people underestimate her.
Arizonan actress Haley Lu Richardson is best known as Portia in The White Lotus (2022). She’s also appeared in Ravenswood (2013-2014), the supernatural spin-off linked to Pretty Little Liars and starred in 2019 American romantic drama film Five Feet Apart as well as 2018 American comedy-drama film Support The Girls.
Adrian Lester as Dane Walter
Dane Walter is the experienced CIA operative who recruits and mentors Bea (Emilia Clarke) and Twila (Haley Lu Richardson) after their husbands die. He’s effectively their handler and guide into the spy world.
Birmingham-born Adrian Lester has won awards for his theatre work, but he’s also a familiar face from TV and film. His casting in Ponies got a particularly enthusiastic reaction from British viewers because of his role as charismatic conman Mickey Bricks in the much-loved crime drama series Hustle (2004-2012).
His more recent screen appearances include bomb disposal drama Trigger Point (2022) and 2022’s cyber warfare thriller The Undeclared War. He’s also been in Neil Jordan drama Riviera (2017-2020) and he starred opposite John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton and Kathy Bates in the 1998 American political comedy-drama film Primary Colors.
Artjom Gilz as Andrei Vasiliev
A Soviet/KGB-linked figure who becomes deeply entangled with Bea and Twila’s operations. He seems pretty sinister – but is Andrei Vasiliev really as villainous as he appears?
German-Russian actor Artjom Gilz appeared in German drama series Charité (2017), Babylon Berlin (2017-now) and Das Boot (2018), as well as the critically-acclaimed film Tár (2022) starring Cate Blanchett.
Vic Michaelis as Cheryl Symanski
Cheryl is an embassy office manager and one of the ‘queen bee’ embassy wives. She’s controlling, socially dominant and often dismissive toward Bea (Emilia Clarke) and Twila (Haley Lu Richardson).
Canadian-American Vic Michaelis is also a comedian and has a recurring role in Amazon Prime’s sci-fi comedy Upload. She was also in the American sitcom Bless This Mess (2019-2020).
Nicholas Podany as Ray Symanski
Ray is a CIA analyst and husband to Cheryl (Vic Michaelis). He operates within the embassy/CIA bureaucracy and becomes increasingly drawn into the central conspiracy.
Californian actor, musician, and singer-songwriter Nicholas Podany gained recognition for portraying Joey Shorter in retro-futurist drama Hello Tomorrow! (2023) and for his Broadway role as Albus Potter in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Petro Ninovskyi as Sasha Shevchenko
A Soviet technology specialist who secretly becomes a CIA informant. Sasha Shevchenko develops a close relationship with Bea (Emilia Clarke) after they meet in the first episode.
You likely won’t have seen Petro Ninovskyi before now as Ponies marks the first major role on western TV for the talented young actor, who was born and raised in Ukraine.
Andrew Richardson as Shep
Shep is part of the embassy/CIA social circle — one of the husbands whose relationships and friendships become entangled in the wider espionage conspiracy.
Andrew Richardson has worked a lot in prestige American streaming drama and indie film. He appeared in the comedy drama The Last O.G (2018-2021) with Tracy Morgan, as well as the Amazon fantasy series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022–current).
Where was Ponies filmed?
Although the show takes place in Moscow, Russia, the spy series was actually filmed in Budapest, Hungary!
Is Ponies based on a true story?
Whilst the characters of Bea (Emilia Clarke) and Twila (Haley Lu Richardson) are fictional, it is inspired by real Cold War espionage tactics and the use of PONIS.
Will there be a second series of Ponies?
Watch this space! There hasn’t been an official announcement as such, but the show performed solidly on streaming service Peacock. It has a very strong fan reaction online and series one ends with a very deliberate cliffhanger rather than a tidy ending.
Indeed, creators Susanna Fogel and David Iserson have said they’re ready to ‘dive into season two’ if Peacock gives the go-ahead... Fingers crossed!
When and where does Ponies air?
After airing in the US on Peacock earlier this year, Ponies will be arriving in the UK on Sky and streaming service NOW TV on 22 May 2026.
Martina Fowler has worked for TV Choice for, well, several years and very much learned ‘on the job’. Remembering to switch on her Dictaphone was an early triumph, only bettered by demanding of the interviewee (who asked not to be named) why it wasn’t working.