A main character in “A Spy Among Friends” is one of the Soviet Union's most notorious double agents. But you don't need to know anything about him — or really about spying in general — to enjoy the show.
The MGM+ series starring Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce dramatizes the true story of two British spies and lifelong friends, Nicholas Elliott (Lewis) and Kim Philby (Pearce.) The latter became a notorious British defector. But it's the personal betrayal that the creators hope to explore, not stolen microfilm or dead drops.
