The Copenhagen Test (2025) is a sci-fi espionage thriller series that centers on a sharp intelligence analyst who uncovers a chilling invasion of his own mind, forcing him to navigate layers of deception, shifting loyalties, and high-stakes intrigue while questioning the reality around him.

The Copenhagen Test MINI-Review (S1: E1)

First episodes are meant to set the tone and establish a show’s premise. Back in the day, series had 20-plus episodes to right the ship and gain their audience, but even then, a botched pilot could tank the show and send it to an early grave. Now that your average streaming show hovers around only eight episodes per season, combined with the sheer volume of options available to viewers—among them old favorites that are a known and safe option—showrunners must realize that they have to get it right right out of the gate, or else.

The opening episode of Peacock’s latest action-spy thriller, The Copenhagen Test, does a respectable job of setting the show’s tone and establishing its premise. However, some pacing problems, a dash of schlocky melodrama, and a lead with limited charisma and even less range hamper it, bogging down a story that lends itself to breakneck speeds and high levels of tension.

No doubt Simu Liu was cast in part for his martial arts know-how, but if future episodes don’t wade deeply into action, his performance handicaps and the other aforementioned issues will end this series before it’s begun.

As things are now, the premise is sufficiently interesting, and the production quality is just north of average enough to hold out hope, but if I were you, I’d wait to watch until we’ve had a chance to report on a few more episodes.

WOKE REPORT

Estroturf

• There are a… lot… of ladies in the upper echelons of power in the show’s main clandestine organization. It’s incredibly artificial. Most are in the background, so I didn’t ding the Woke-O-Meter too hard.

Under Skin Tones

• Some hints suggest the show will make a big deal of Simu’s character’s ethnicity, but it hasn’t yet. Stay tuned.