The Copenhagen Test turns surveillance into a personal nightmare: intelligence analyst Alexander Hale discovers that someone has hacked his brain and can see and hear everything he does. Simu Liu gives the espionage thriller a compelling center, while its shifting timelines and concealed loyalties make the conspiracy intriguing—and sometimes hard to track.
What is The Copenhagen Test about?
Created by Thomas Brandon, the eight-episode series follows Alexander Hale (Simu Liu), a first-generation Chinese-American intelligence analyst who learns that an unknown party has access to his sensory experience. Hale must conceal that he knows about the intrusion as he tries to identify who is behind it and establish where his own allegiance lies.
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The premise gives familiar spy-story surveillance a science-fiction edge. The threat is not just that someone may intercept a message or watch a location: the intruder can potentially see what Hale sees and hear what he hears. That makes even his attempts to investigate part of the exposure problem. The show’s central tension comes from watching him act under observation while trying to work out which people and institutions he can trust.
How well do the performances and spy story work?
Liu anchors the series as Hale, a protagonist forced to keep a secret while operating inside a world of competing loyalties. Melissa Barrera plays Michelle, with Sinclair Daniel as Parker, Brian D’Arcy James as Peter Moira, Mark O’Brien as Cobb, and Kathleen Chalfant as St. George rounding out the principal ensemble.
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- The War
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In her December 26, 2025 review for TheWrap, Thelma Adams praised Liu’s charisma and emotional range and described the series as satisfying spy television. Her assessment captures the show’s appeal: a strong lead performance gives the intricate conspiracy a human point of entry, even as the story expands into overlapping agencies, hidden motives, and questions about Hale’s loyalties.
Are the twists easy to follow?
The show deliberately withholds information, and its timeline jumps add another layer of uncertainty. Adams noted that the shifts—among moments such as “two hours ago,” “eleven months before,” and “yesterday”—can make the complicated plot hard to follow. Her phrase “binging vertigo” describes a real trade-off: the reveals can reward close attention, but the chronology may also make it harder to keep track of what characters know at any given moment.
That complexity suits a story about surveillance and deception, where information is incomplete and loyalties are difficult to read. It is less suited to viewers looking for a straightforward case-of-the-week structure or a conspiracy that explains itself as it unfolds. Adams summed up the puzzle-box effect this way: “No one knows all the puzzle pieces or how they fit together in this smart, dense, original thriller.”
Is The Copenhagen Test worth watching?
It is a good fit if you enjoy spy fiction built around shifting alliances, withheld information, and a speculative hook that actively shapes the investigation. Liu’s performance and the sensory-hacking premise give it a distinctive center. If you prefer a linear plot with clear explanations at each turn, the time shifts and accumulating secrets may feel more disorienting than suspenseful.
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Rotten Tomatoes’ page showed a 72% Tomatometer from 25 reviews and a 79% Popcornmeter from more than 250 ratings when accessed October 4, 2026. These are changing page snapshots, not fixed measures of the series’ quality. TheWrap’s review is a more useful guide to the specific trade-off: praise for Liu and the spy-thriller experience alongside a warning that the structure can be difficult to follow.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How many episodes are there, and where can you watch?
Season 1 has eight episodes, released together on Peacock on December 27, 2025. Peacock is the premiere platform, and Rotten Tomatoes lists the season as streaming there. Availability can vary by territory, so check Peacock in your region for current access.
Will there be a second season?
GamesRadar+ reported on April 16, 2026, that Peacock cancelled The Copenhagen Test after one season. The series therefore has no announced second season; viewers should approach its first-season story without expecting a continuation.
Who made the series?
Brandon created The Copenhagen Test and serves as co-showrunner, writer, and executive producer with Jennifer Yale. Executive producers also include Liu, James Wan, Michael Clear, Rob Hackett, Mark Winemaker, and director Jet Wilkinson.
Quick Recap
Sources
- Peacock: The Copenhagen Test
- NBCUniversal: Series announcement and cast
- TheWrap review by Thelma Adams
- Rotten Tomatoes: Season 1 page
- GamesRadar+: Cancellation report
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