ITV’s Betrayal, a pulse-pounding spy thriller premiering January 12, 2026, with a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score from early screenings, stars Shaun Evans (Endeavour, Vigil) as John Hughes, a battle-worn MI5 officer caught in a high-stakes web of bloodshed, betrayal, and dark secrets threatening to topple the agency from within. Created by Line of Duty’s Jed Mercurio and filmed in London’s gritty underbelly from April to October 2025, the 6-episode arc plunges viewers into a world where every conversation is a trap, and every ally could be an enemy, amassing 3.2M #BetrayalBlaze posts as fans hail it as ITV’s “most nerve-shredding” thriller yet.
The saga’s searing surge? Spellbinding: Episode 1 catapults Hughes into a clandestine meeting turned bloodbath, a traitor’s knife etched with doubt, unspooling a conspiracy where colleagues conceal crimes and shadows harbor threats. Evans’ Hughes? A “masterclass in mettle,” his steely resolve warping to weary dread, unraveling a ripple of regrets where a “trusted handler” surfaces as sabotage. Co-stars deepen the drama: Claire Foy as a “haunted operative” with a sting, Rory Kinnear as a “calculating” superior with a grudge, and a “VIP mole” with secrets. Mercurio’s script quivers with quips—“Trust is a currency MI5 can’t afford”—but the “brutal” stakes bite: a botched op buries hope, a VVIP viper’s venom turns ally to assassin.
The “redefining ITV drama”? Volcanic: Building on Vigil’s tension, Betrayal amps the “pacy” probe with “spooky” soundscapes and “authentic” espionage vibes, London’s “eerie fog” amplifying “grim themes.” The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan raves “pacy, poignant drama” with Evans’ “reliably raw” heart; The Independent’s Ed Power hails Foy’s “Icily Glamorous” intensity and the “haunting” score. The Times’s Carol Midgley praises the “confidence, style, authenticity.” Skeptics? “Mired in machismo,” but the 1-in-2 twist-to-trap ratio hooks, BARB metrics outgunning The Jetty.
This isn’t spy story; it’s a symphony of suspense, Betrayal’s “web” a requiem for the reckless where trust terrifies and secrets sear. Hughes’ fight? Ferocious. The mole’s menace? Mesmerizing. January 12? Not a drop—a deluge. Binge it; the ops overwhelm, the dramas devastate. Evans’ edge? Electric. The obsession? Overnight, inescapable.
