“Till death do us part” has a whole different meaning when you’re a spy who’s escaped certain death time and again. That’s the case for husband and wife Simon and Meret Schäfer (Felix Kramer and Susanne Wolff), whose seemingly idyllic existence running a safe house in Berlin implodes when their former lives as undercover agents come knocking. With their cover blown, they’re forced to contend with their past choices and the lies they’ve told their loved ones — and each other. 

Keep reading to learn more about Unfamiliar, the six-episode espionage thriller created by Paul Coates (Emmerdale Farm) that also stars Samuel Finzi, Andreas Pietschmann, Henry Hübchen, and Seyneb Saleh.

When will Unfamiliar be released?

Unfamiliar is available to watch on Netflix.

Why should you watch Unfamiliar?

You’ll like this show if …

• You followed the Jennings family’s every move in the spy series The Americans starring Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell. 
• You love heart-pounding German thrillers like Exterritorial and Brick. 
• You’re overly invested in who’ll be cast as the next James Bond. 
• You like the grittiness of Slow Horses and the CIA antics in Homeland. 

Who’s in the cast of Unfamiliar?

• Susanne Wolff (Styx) as Meret Schäfer
• Felix Kramer (Dogs of Berlin) as Simon Schäfer
• Samuel Finzi (How to Be Really Bad) as Josef Koleev
• Andreas Pietschmann (Dark) as Jonas Auken
• Henry Hübchen (Go for Zucker) as Gregor Klein
• Maja Bons (Die Akademie) as Nina Schäfer
• Seyneb Saleh (Mute) as Julika Ritter
• Genija Rykova (Servus Baby) as Vera Koleev
• Natalia Belitski (Shakespeares letzte Runde) as Katya Volkova
• Aaron Altaras (Unorthodox) as Mark Sinclair
• Laurence Rupp (Barbarians II) as Ben Krüger
• Sina Martens (Delicious) as Alice Belmont
• Anand Batbileg Chuluunbaatar (Wild Republic) as Yul Batbaatar

What happens in Unfamiliar?

Meret (Wolff) and Simon Schäfer’s (Kramer) quiet night at home celebrating their daughter Nina’s (Bons) 16th birthday hits a snag when they get a call from a man claiming he’s been injured and needs their assistance. It’s not an unusual request: The couple run a safe house in Berlin and — as former German foreign intelligence (BND) agents — they’ve handled their fair share of emergencies. But Simon and Meret are suspicious, and they have a right to be: the man’s wounds are self-inflicted, he’s behaving erratically, and they can’t figure out who he is.

The person who sent the man to them? Josef Koleev (Finzi), a high-ranking Russian military intelligence (GRU) officer suspected of espionage and who recently arrived in Berlin. At the safe house, Simon and Meret know they have a problem when the man who won’t identify himself hints at a disastrous mission from 16 years ago in Belarus, one that involved the villainous Koleev. That mission set them on their current path, and has defined their family’s life ever since — whether all of them are aware of it or not. When new details emerge, Nina realizes just how many skeletons are in her parents’ closet, and Meret uncovers Simon’s greatest betrayal. Can the couple grapple with their past to save their family’s future? Or will their secrets be their undoing?

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