Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke Leads Dangerous New Spy Peacock Series: Here’s What to Know

Emilia Clarke is stepping into unfamiliar territory, and that shift is exactly why her next project has people paying attention. The Game of Thrones star is headlining Ponies, a new Peacock espionage series that just unveiled its first official trailer and confirmed its premiere date.

Quick Read:

• Game of Thrones star is returning to TV as the lead in Peacock’s new espionage series Ponies.
• The show will premiere on January 15, 2026, with Peacock yet to confirm whether episodes will drop weekly or all at once.
• Clarke stars alongside Haley Lu Richardson, forming the core duo of the series.

Emilia Clarke Steps Into Cold War Espionage With Ponies

Ponies will debut on Thursday, January 15, 2026, marking Emilia Clarke’s return to prestige television in a role far removed from dragons and thrones. This time, Clarke plays a seemingly ordinary American embassy secretary whose life takes a sharp turn after a personal tragedy forces her into the world of intelligence work.

Haley Lu Richardson joins her as a fellow secretary turned CIA operative, and the story unfolds against the tense backdrop of Cold War Moscow. With eight hour-long episodes, a seasoned creative team, and Peacock keeping its release strategy close to the chest, Ponies arrives with quiet confidence and plenty of unanswered questions.

Peacock’s Ponies is set in Moscow in 1977 and centers on two women dismissed by the intelligence world as background players. The official synopsis explains it plainly (via IMDb):

Two secretaries at the American embassy in 1970s Moscow become CIA operatives after their husbands are killed, uncovering a Cold War conspiracy behind the tragedy.

The series is co-created by David Iserson and Susanna Fogel, with Iserson serving as showrunner and Fogel directing several episodes. Clarke is also on board as a producer, alongside Mike Daniels and Jessica Rhoades. Adrian Lester, Artjom Gilz, Nicholas Podany, Petro Ninovskyi, and Vic Michaelis round out the supporting cast. 

From Westeros to the CIA: Emilia Clarke’s Career Beyond Game of Thrones

Credits: Disney+

Emilia Clarke remains best known for portraying Daenerys Targaryen across all eight seasons of Game of Thrones, appearing in 62 episodes and carrying one of television’s most demanding arcs. She began the series as an exiled young woman and ended it as a ruler commanding armies and dragons, a performance that defined her career and made her a global name.

Since then, Clarke has tested different genres and franchises. Her entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Secret Invasion was meant to signal a long-term future, but the show’s poor reception may have stalled those plans. She found a better critical footing in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and her turn as Sarah Connor in Terminator Genisys showed her willingness to take risks, even when outcomes were mixed.

Now, Ponies feels like a recalibration rather than a gamble. It places Clarke in a grounded, character-driven story that values tension and performance over spectacle. For an actor often linked to massive franchises, this move suggests careful career steering rather than nostalgia chasing.

Also Read: House of the Dragon Season 4 Confirmed for 2028: What’s Next in the Dance of the Dragons?