The Copenhagen Test

Production

Peacock ordered the espionage techno-thriller series in February 2024. Thomas Brandon created the show, writes, and executive produces alongside co-showrunner Jennifer Yale. James Wan, Michael Clear, and Rob Hackett executive produce for Atomic Monster, with Simu Liu also serving as an executive producer. Mark Winemaker and Jet Wilkinson are executive producers, and Wilkinson directed the first two episodes. Simu Liu and Melissa Barrera lead the cast, with series regulars Sinclair Daniel, Brian d'Arcy James, Mark O'Brien, and Kathleen Chalfant. The series was initially titled Copenhagen in October 2024. Sara Amini joined in November as Ellie in a major recurring role, and Saul Rubinek was announced as a cast member the following month. Filming began in Toronto on October 21, 2024, and concluded on March 11, 2025. Peacock canceled the series after one season on April 15, 2026.

Reception

The Copenhagen Test became a major streaming hit shortly after its release. According to data from Variety, the series accumulated 1.1 billion streams between December 27, 2025, and January 1, 2026. During that period, it was the third most-watched show in the United States, outperforming Netflix's Emily in Paris, HBO Max's The Pitt, and Amazon Prime's Fallout. Only Stranger Things and Landman had higher streaming viewership.

The show also claimed the number one spot on Peacock's top ten TV list and was called a "Streaming Success" just days after its debut. It entered the Nielsen Top Ten at number 10 and attracted the highest percentage of Black viewers (20%) and Asian viewers (12%) among all top ten titles. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a 71% approval rating from 24 reviews. The critics' consensus states: "After a slow start, The Copenhagen Test solidly sprints into thrilling spy-fare territory with engaging performances from Simu Liu and Melissa Barrera."

Metacritic gave it a score of 61 out of 100 based on eight critics, which indicates "generally favorable" reviews. Ron Seoul-Oh of Pop Culture News rated it 3/5, noting that the first seven and a half episodes are fast, exciting, and intriguing, but the finale's pacing falters. Joel Keller of Decider praised the show as a solid conspiracy drama with a touch of sci-fi, highlighting the chemistry between Liu and Barrera, and naming Saul Rubinek the "sleeper star."

Jeff Ewing of Collider gave it an 8/10, calling it an engaging spy thriller with a sci-fi edge, adding that Liu is a strong lead with good action skills and great chemistry with Barrera.