My Old Friend Turned Out to Be an Assassin! Agent Comedy from Prime Video: “Ride or Die”

What would you do if you found out that the woman you’ve known for years as your best friend—the one you drank coffee with and talked about life with had actually been an international hitwoman all along? You’d probably experience a wave of panic. However, Prime Video’s new 8-episode action-comedy series “Ride or Die,” which premiered on July 15, 2026, transforms this absurd situation into a story of great female solidarity and agent adventure rather than turning it into a tacky parody. Created by Tessa Coates, the series casts aside the tropes of lonely, charismatic male agents and places the friendship of two middle-aged women right at the center of the action.

At the center of the story are Debbie, who leads an ordinary life, and her best friend Judith, who has been working secretly as an assassin for years. When a critical mission for Judith ends in disaster, the duo’s quiet life suddenly turns into a dangerous escape across the streets of Europe. While Debbie finds herself in the middle of bullets, conspiracies, and an espionage world she knows nothing about, Judith is forced to realize that the greatest weapon in her life is not her professional agent skills, but her trust in Debbie. Between chases and car races, the duo faces not only the enemies pursuing them, but also past resentments and unspoken truths, adding tremendous emotional depth to the action genre.

The element that truly makes the series shine and brings it to a 7.4 rating on IMDb is undoubtedly the natural and legendary screen chemistry overflowing between Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (Debbie) and Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham (Judith) in the lead roles. The screen chemistry of the two master actors, tackling both humor and drama simultaneously, transforms into a visual feast even more striking than the action scenes themselves. They are joined in the cast by strong names such as Ed Skrein, Calam Lynch, Sylvia Hoeks, and legendary actor Bill Nighy. In fact, these performances have already borne fruit: both Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham were nominated for “Best Actress in an Action Series” at the Critics Choice Super Awards, crowning their success.

“Ride or Die” proves how female solidarity and mature female protagonists can transform into a new “superpower” in the spy genre. Offering a complete viewing feast for fans of productions like The Spy Who Dumped Me, Killing Eve, The Diplomat, or Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the series is also the freshest and most entertaining addition to current series trends centered on relationships and crises, such as The Five-Star Weekend or Lucky.

NO-26 Editor’s Viewing Note

• Where to Watch: The series is currently streaming exclusively on Prime Video with its 8-episode miniseries.

• Who Should Watch: A great choice for anyone who says, “I want dialogues to be as high-quality as the explosions, I want to laugh out loud while watching action, but I also want to sincerely believe in the characters’ friendship.”

• Who Should Stay Away: Those looking for serious, gloomy, and overly bleak political spy dramas might not find what they are looking for in the fun and humorous tone of the series.