Unfamiliar – Review | Netflix Series

UNFAMILIAR on Netflix is a new spy thriller series from Germany. With just six episodes in the season, it’s very binge-worthy. Over the course of these episodes, we will cover events spanning nearly two decades, and secrets will come spilling out. Among them are secrets that are life-changing. Read our Unfamiliar Season 1 review here!

UNFAMILIAR is a new Netflix series from Germany. If you’ve been watching other German productions on Netflix, then you know the quality is very impressive. This six-episode season is no exception. Also, a key character is even played by a familiar face for fans of Dark. I mention Dark, or name-drop it, because this is perhaps the best German Netflix series ever.

In fact, Dark is among the best Netflix series, full stop. That’s not the case with this new spy thriller, but it is still very much worth your time. The very simple (probably even too simple) way to describe Unfamiliar is that this could be what Mr. & Mrs. Smith would have turned into 16 years down the line.

Continue reading our season 1 review of Unfamiliar below. Find it on Netflix on February 5, 2026.

Retired spies are never really retired

Unlike the earlier mentioned Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the two main characters in Unfamiliar are not assassins, but rather spies. Specifically, they are German spies who worked with Russian agents and informants at the beginning of this century.

When we meet the ex-spies, Simon and Meret, in the present, they are living very normal lives. Sure, they are technically hiding in the heart of Berlin, but they hide by leading lives alongside everyone else. Also, they do still run a safe house. After all, retired spies are never really retired. They still know too much and can help in a pinch.

That’s why they take in someone who reaches out to them and is in dire need of help. This, in turn, will soon result in them realizing that a long-buried threat is still very much a threat to their “normal” way of life. Not least in terms of keeping their daughter safe and their marriage together.

Assassins, Russian agents, and ex-lovers… oh my!

Things do escalate fairly quickly in Unfamiliar, which is a good thing, as there are just six episodes in the season. Before long, we will see Simon and Meret fight back against assassins, Russian agents, and even ex-lovers. Actually, quite a few relationships are struggling with loyalty – not least among those in the BND (the German Federal Intelligence Service), who are also getting involved.

I mean, obviously, when long-retired (and officially deceased) spies are suddenly resurfacing, then the BND must get involved.

As the case evolves and escalates, we learn about the many people wronged. In some cases, it’s about loyalty, but it is also about deception and lies that threaten to ruin alliances that should be able to resist everything. Especially the married former spies, who seem to have serious trouble telling each other the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

They are a mess, which is a real problem when they are also trying to survive this latest challenge.

Watch the Unfamiliar series on Netflix

In the cast, you get to enjoy Susanne Wolff and Felix Kramer as the two ex-spies, Meret and Simon. Also, we have Maja Bons as their daughter, Nina, and Andreas Pietschmann (Dark, 1899) in a very important key role that I won’t reveal here. For me, one of the most intriguing characters was the BND analyst, Julika, portrayed by Seyneb Saleh. Overall, the entire cast worked really well in this series.

Unfamiliar was developed under the working title of “Bone Palace”. The series is created by Paul Coates (Red Election), with the six episodes written by him and additional writing by Kim Zimmermann (The Signal, The Perfumier) and Alexander Seibt. The directors on the episode in season 1 are Lennart Ruff (as lead director) and Philipp Leinemann.

I don’t know if we’ll be getting a season 2 of Unfamiliar, so I just keep saying season 1 as a way of manifesting it into existence. This is a really good Netflix series with well-written and portrayed characters that are deeply flawed. Many of them don’t even seem to realize just how messed up they are, and those who do are judged for it.

If you’re a fan of well-written characters and enjoy a solid spy thriller plot with lots of action and twists, then Unfamiliar is definitely for you!

Unfamiliar Season 1 is out on Netflix on February 5, 2026.

Details

Creator: Paul Coates
Directors: Lennart Ruff (Lead), Philipp Leinemann
Screenwriters: Paul Coates, Kim Zimmermann, Alexander Seibt
Cast: Susanne Wolff, Felix Kramer, Maja Bons, Andreas Pietschmann, Henry Hübchen, Natalia Belitski, Samuel Finzi, Genija Rykova, Anand Batblieg Chuluunbaatar, Laurence Rupp, Seyneb Saleh, Sina Martens