''Turn: Washington's Spies'' (originally titled ''Turn'' and stylized as ''TURИ: Washington's Spies'') is an American

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...

television series based on Alexander Rose's book '' Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring'' (2007), a history of the

Culper Ring The Culper Ring was a network of spies active during the American Revolutionary War, organized by Major Benjamin Tallmadge and General George Washington in 1778 during the British occupation of New York City. The name "Culper" was suggested by ...

. The series originally aired on the

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

network for four seasons, from April 6, 2014, to August 12, 2017.

Plot

The story covers events from 1776 to 1781 and features a farmer from

Setauket, New York Setauket is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the 2010 United States census, the CDP population, which at the time included ...

, and his childhood friends. They form an unlikely group of spies called the

, which eventually helps to turn the tide during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. The series begins in October 1776, shortly after British victories recapture Long Island and the Port of New York for the Crown, and leave General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's army in dire straits. The first episode opens with the following introductory text:

Autumn 1776. Insurgents have declared war against the Crown. Following a successful naval landing, His Majesty's Army has forced Washington's rebels into the wilderness.
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
serves as military base of operations for the British. The
Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...
of nearby
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
keep vigilant watch out for sympathizers and spies.

Cast

Main cast

Jamie Bell Andrew James Matfin Bell (born 14 March 1986) is an English actor and dancer. He rose to prominence for his debut role in ''Billy Elliot'' (2000), for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, becoming one of the youngest ...

as Abraham Woodhull *

Seth Numrich Seth Numrich ( ; born January 19, 1987) is an American stage, television, and film actor. Early life Numrich was born in Minneapolis. He studied at The Juilliard School graduating in acting in 2006 with Group 36 in acting. He was a teaching ar ...

as Captain

Benjamin Tallmadge Benjamin Tallmadge (February 25, 1754 – March 7, 1835) was an American military officer, spymaster, and politician. He is best known for his service as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He acted as leade ...

Daniel Henshall Daniel Edwin Henshall (born 9 August 1982) is an Australian film, television and theatre actor, known for his work in '' Snowtown'', ''The Babadook'' and '' Turn: Washington's Spies''. Early life and education Born and raised in Sydney, Austr ...

as Lieutenant

Caleb Brewster Caleb Brewster (September 12, 1747 – February 13, 1827) was a member of the Culper spy ring during the American Revolutionary War, reporting to General George Washington through Major Benjamin Tallmadge. He carried messages across Long Island So ...

Heather Lind Heather Lind (born March 22, 1983) is an American actress. She is known for her portrayal of Anna Strong in the AMC series '' Turn: Washington's Spies''. She is the twin sister of actress Christina Bennett Lind.

as Anna Strong *

Meegan Warner Meegan Warner (born August 5, 1991) is an Australian actress. She is known for her portrayal of Mary Woodhull in the AMC series '' Turn: Washington's Spies'' and as young Lady Rapunzel "Rapunzel" ( , ) is a German fairy tale recorded by t ...

as Mary Woodhull *

Burn Gorman Burn Hugh Winchester Gorman (born 1 September 1974) is an English actor and musician. He is known for his roles as Owen Harper in the BBC series ''Torchwood'' (2006–2008), Phillip Stryver in ''The Dark Knight Rises'' (2012), Karl Tanner in the ...

as Major Edmund Hewlett (based on Richard Hewlett) *

Samuel Roukin Samuel Roukin (ROO-kin; born 15 August 1980) is an English actor and DJ. He is best known for his role as John Graves Simcoe in the series, '' Turn: Washington's Spies'' and Simon "Ghost" Riley in ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.'' Early li ...

as Captain

John Graves Simcoe John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British Army general and the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796 in southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. He founded Yor ...

* Kevin R. McNally as Judge Richard Woodhull *

Angus Macfadyen Angus Macfadyen (born 21 September 1963) is a Scottish actor. His roles include Robert the Bruce, both in ''Braveheart'' and ''Robert the Bruce'', Komodo in ''Warriors of Virtue'', Vice-Counsel Dupont in '' Equilibrium'', Jeff Denlon in the '' ...

as Major

Robert Rogers Robert Rogers may refer to: Politics * Robert Rogers (Irish politician) (died 1719), Irish politician, MP for Cork City 1692–1699 *Robert Rogers (Manitoba politician) (1864–1936), Canadian politician * Robert Rogers, Baron Lisvane (born 1950), ...

(seasons 1–3; special appearance 4) *

JJ Feild John Joseph Feild (born 1978) is a British-American film, television and theatre actor. He started his television career in 1999. Feild played Fred Garland in Philip Pullman's ''The Ruby in the Smoke'' and ''The Shadow in the North'' television ...

as Major John André (seasons 1–3) *

Ksenia Solo Ksenia Solo (born 8 October 1987; pronounced ) is a Latvian-Canadian actress known for portraying Mackenzie "Kenzi" Malikov on ''Lost Girl''. She portrayed Peggy Shippen on '' Turn: Washington's Spies''. Solo also portrayed the character "Natash ...

Peggy Shippen Margaret "Peggy" Shippen (July 11, 1760 – August 24, 1804) was the highest-paid spy in the American Revolution, and was the second wife of General Benedict Arnold. Shippen was born into a prominent Philadelphia family with Loyalist tendencies. ...

(seasons 2–4) *

Ian Kahn Ian R. Kahn (born April 21, 1972) is an American stage, television actor and podcast host, perhaps best known for his roles on '' Turn: Washington's Spies'', ''Dawson's Creek'', ''Bull'', '' The Unusuals'' and ''As the World Turns''. He portraye ...

as General

(recurring season 1, main seasons 2–4) *

Owain Yeoman Owain Sebastian Yeoman is a Welsh actor. His credits include '' The Nine'', '' Kitchen Confidential'', AMC's '' Turn'' (as Benedict Arnold) and the HBO series '' Generation Kill''. Additionally, he portrayed CBI Agent Wayne Rigsby in ''The Men ...

as General Benedict Arnold (seasons 2–4) * Nick Westrate as Robert Townsend (recurring season 2, main seasons 3–4)

Recurring cast

* Idara Victor as Abigail, code named

Agent 355 355 (died after 1780) was the code name of a female spy during the American Revolution, part of the Culper Ring. She was one of the first spies for the United States, but her real identity is unknown. The number 355 could be decrypted from the s ...

* Darren Alford as Cicero * Andrew McKeough as John Carter * Talmadge Ragan as Woman in Crowd * Dylan Saunders as Joseph Sturridge (season 1) * Robert Beitzel as Selah B. Strong (seasons 1, 4) *

Jonny Coyne Jonathan "Jonny" Coyne (born 1 January 1953) is an English actor known for playing Warden Edwin James on Fox's short-lived series, ''Alcatraz'' (2012). He also appeared as Dr. Lydgate in '' Once Upon a Time in Wonderland'' and '' Once Upon a T ...

as Colonel Jonathan Cooke (seasons 1, 3–4) * Brian T. Finney as General Charles Lee (seasons 1–2) *

David Furr David Furr is an American theatre, film, and television actor. He received a Tony Award nomination for his role in Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway revival of ''Noises Off ''Noises Off'' is a 1982 play by the English playwright Michael ...

as Walter Havens (seasons 1, 4) *

Michael Gaston Michael Gaston is an American film and television actor. He played agent Quinn on the show ''Prison Break'', Gray Anderson on the CBS drama series ''Jericho'', and appeared in the first episode of ''The Sopranos'' as Alex Mahaffey, a compulsive ga ...

as General Charles Scott (season 1) * Amy Gumenick as Philomena Cheer (season 1, season 3–4) * Jamie Harris as John Robeson (seasons 1–3) *

Aldis Hodge Aldis Alexander Basil Hodge (born September 20, 1986) is an American actor. Among his significant roles, he played Alec Hardison in the TNT series '' Leverage'', MC Ren in the 2015 biopic '' Straight Outta Compton'', Levi Jackson in the 2016 f ...

as Jordan/Akinbode (seasons 1–2, 4) * Thomas Keegan as Ensign Baker (season 1) * Alex Miller as Colonel Joseph Reed (seasons 1–2) * Taylor Roberts as Rachel Clark (seasons 1–2) *

Stephen Root Stephen Root (born November 17, 1951) is an American actor. He has starred as Jimmy James on the television sitcom '' NewsRadio'', as Milton Waddams in the film ''Office Space'' (1999), and provided the voices of Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickl ...

Nathaniel Sackett Nathaniel Sackett (April 10, 1737 – July 28, 1805) was the spymaster appointed by General George Washington to create a network of civilian spies located in New York during the American Revolution. Sackett and his new spy ring would report to ...

(seasons 1–2) * Gentry White as William Lee (seasons 2–3) *

John Billingsley John Billingsley (, born May 20, 1960) is an American actor best known for his role as Doctor Phlox on the television series '' Star Trek: Enterprise''. Early life and education Billingsley was born in Media, Pennsylvania, and subsequently liv ...

as Samuel Townsend (seasons 2–3) *

Ralph Brown Ralph William John Brown (born 18 June 1957) is an English actor and writer, known for playing Danny the drug dealer in ''Withnail and I'', the security guard Aaron (a.k.a. "85") in ''Alien 3'', DJ Bob Silver in ''The Boat That Rocked'' aka ' ...

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Henry Clinton (seasons 2–4) * Stuart Greer as Officer Yates (season 2) * Josh Price as Freddy Morgan (seasons 2–4) * Brian Wiles as

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

(seasons 2–4) * Lilli Birdsell as

Martha Washington Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 21, 1731 — May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington served as the inaugural ...

(seasons 3–4) *

John Carroll Lynch John Carroll Lynch (born August 1, 1963) is an American character actor and film director. He first gained notice for his role as Norm Gunderson in '' Fargo'' (1996). He is also known for his television work on the ABC sitcom '' The Drew Carey ...

James Rivington James Rivington (1724 – July 4, 1802) was an English-born American journalist who published a Loyalist newspaper in the American colonies called ''Rivington's Gazette''. He was driven out of New York by the Sons of Liberty, but was very like ...

(seasons 3–4) * Sean Haggerty as

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

(seasons 3–4) * Adam J. Harrington as Lieutenant Gamble (seasons 2–3) *

Edward Akrout Edward Akrout is a Franco-British artist and actor. Early life and education Born in Paris, Akrout grew up between France and England. He studied philosophy at the Sorbonne before attending Le Cours Florent in Paris for theatre, followed by ...

as Amos Parker (season 4) *

Kelly AuCoin Kelly AuCoin (born February 14, 1967) is an American actor who has appeared in film, television, and theater. He is best known as "Dollar" Bill Stern on '' Billions'' ( Showtime), and Pastor Tim on ''The Americans'' ( FX). He has had recurring ro ...

Hercules Mulligan Hercules Mulligan (September 25, 1740March 4, 1825) was an Irish-American tailor and spy during the American Revolutionary War. He was a member of the Sons of Liberty. Early life Born in Coleraine in the north of Ireland to Hugh and Sarah Mull ...

(season 4) * Chris Webster as John Champe (season 4) * Mark Halpern as Lieutenant Appleton (seasons 1, 4) * Laura Meakin as Hesther Carney (season 4) * Ashley Smith as Lieutenant/Captain Wakefield (Seasons 1-4)

Episodes

Production

''Turn: Washington's Spies'' was renewed for a second 10-episode season on June 23, 2014, which premiered on April 13, 2015, and for a third 10-episode season on July 15, 2015, which premiered on April 25, 2016. On July 26, 2016, ''Turn: Washington's Spies'' was renewed for a fourth and final 10-episode season, which had a two-hour premiere on June 17, 2017.

Reception

Critical response

The first season of ''Turn: Washington's Spies'' received mixed reviews. Review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

rated the season 54%, based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 6.30/10. The site's consensus reads, "''Turn''s uneven treatment of the American Revolution is more frustrating than exciting and memorable." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the first season scored 62 out of 100, based on reviews from 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The second season received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 90%, based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 7.40/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The revolution gains steam in an improved second season that delivers on the series' promise of espionage thrills along with an expanded historical grandeur." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on reviews from 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has a rating of 100%, based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 8.00/10 and the fourth season has a rating of 80% based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 7.60/10.

Awards and nominations

The first season of ''TURN: Washington's Spies'' was awarded the 2014 Media & Entertainment Award by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Home media

The first season of ''TURN: Washington's Spies'' was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 17, 2015; it became available on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

on March 25, 2015. The second season was released on DVD on March 22, 2016 and became available on Netflix on April 11, 2016. The third season was released on DVD on November 8, 2016. and became available on Netflix on June 4, 2017. The fourth season became available on Netflix on December 1, 2017. The series departed Netflix after four years in December 2021. The fourth season still has not been released on DVD and Blu-ray. A Complete Series (Season 1-4) boxset has yet to be released in the US.

Comics

On March 26, 2014, AMC released the

digital comic Digital comics (also known as electronic comics,Ian Hague, ''Comics and the Senses: A Multisensory Approach to Comics and Graphic Novels'', Routledge, 2014, ch. 2: "Sight, or, the Ideal Perspective and the Physicality of Seeing". eComics, e-comi ...

''TURN: Origins'', illustrated by Steve Ellis, that portrays childhood and adulthood events from the lives of several of the series' main characters, including Abraham Woodhull, Benjamin Tallmadge, Anna Strong, and Caleb Brewster. On April 10 and April 15, 2015, AMC released the first and second chapters, respectively, of a second digital comic, ''TURN: Rivals'', that portrays the past rivalry of George Washington and Robert Rogers.

References

External links

* * Comics series: ** ** * * {{DEFAULTSORT:TURN: Washington's Spies 2010s American drama television series 2014 American television series debuts 2017 American television series endings American biographical series AMC (TV channel) original programming Cultural depictions of George Washington Cultural depictions of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette Cultural depictions of Benedict Arnold English-language television shows Espionage television series Historical television series Serial drama television series Television shows based on books Television series about the American Revolution Television series based on actual events Television series set in the 18th century Television shows set in Connecticut Television shows set in Fairfax County, Virginia Television shows set in New Jersey Television shows set in New York City Television shows set in Pennsylvania Television shows set in Virginia Television shows filmed in Virginia