When the long-awaited last episode of Game of Thrones aired back on May 19, 2019, it made waves. After all, while the finale saw major betrayals, shocking deaths, and even a dragon setting fire to a whole city, the ending was quite controversial and marked the end of an era. After that, loyal viewers were in mourning, not only for the show being over but for having a finale that didn’t quite hit the spot. But while no time machine could solve that issue, Emilia Clarke, aka Game of Thrones‘ iconic Daenerys Targaryen, has been giving viewers plenty of entertainment ever since.

From stage productions in London to tear-jerking rom-coms, Clarke has proved that she’s much more than the Mother of Dragons. Sadly, however, none of these projects have her riding dragons or speaking Dothraki. In fact, in a new interview with The New York Times, she said her days in fantasy are long over. “You’re highly unlikely to see me get on a dragon, or even in the same frame as a dragon, ever again,” she said. But, even with the fantasy genre out of the picture, Clarke’s latest Peacock spy thriller Ponies is still a must-watch for Game of Thrones fans.

What Is ‘Ponies’ About?

Set during the Cold War in Moscow in 1977, Ponies, which premiered on Peacock on January 15, 2026, follows Beatrice “Bea” Russell (Clarke) and Twila Harding (Haley Lu Richardson), two American embassy wives living quietly inside a rigid system in the USSR. While intelligence jargon labels them as “persons of no interest,” aka “ponies,” the pair function as unofficial employees of the U.S. government, filing paperwork, attending parties, and observing everything and everyone around them. Not even 20 minutes into the first episode, their lives take a turn when their respective husbands, Chris (Louis Boyer) and Tom (John Macmillian), die under suspicious circumstances.

Following their deaths, the CIA (alongside Director George H.W. Bush, played by Patrick Fabian) pushes Bea and Twila to become “spies” working under CIA Moscow station handlers, Dane (Adrian Lester) and Ray (Nicholas Podany). What then follows is these two women, with different backgrounds, attitudes and skills, in a search for answers, not only to find out what happened to their husbands but to fulfill their assignments and prove themselves in the frigid environment around them. While Bea is over-educated, fluent in Russian and constrained, Twilla is overly confident, fearless, and outspoken, and that’s exactly what makes their dynamic onscreen so special.

‘Ponies’ Is an Early Hit With Critics

While Ponies has yet to reach the Top 10 TV shows on Peacock on premiere day, the series has already been praised by critics. According to Collider’s very own Tania Hussain, the spy thriller manages to balance tension and classic espionage components with genuine emotional depth and occasional humor. The highlights are undoubtedly Clarke and Richardson’s performances and “electric” dynamic onscreen together representing different responses to grief, loss, stress, and injustice. Clarke’s role is also a standout one that “anchors the show’s real stakes keeping us on the edge of our seats for her sake.”

So far, the series has earned an impressive 92% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics with many praising it for being much more than a classic spy thriller and instead being a story about women regaining control and agency. “Ponies creates a world in which a woman can stand up and assert her right to exist,” wrote one review. By doing so, the series created by Susanna Fogel and David Iserson, is much more than thrilling TV and serves as a glimpse into second wave feminism and women’s rights as well.

With that said while perhaps only Game of Thrones’ spinoffs like House of the Dragon might scratch the itch for Game of Thrones fans still in mourning Clarke’s new show Ponies is definitely a must-watch. With her performance front and center and Richardson’s firecracker character as the perfect scene partner,Ponies is a spy thriller that will have you rooting for their wins gripped in the mysteries and seeing a chapter of history in a whole new light.

Here you can find the original article; the photos and images used in our article also come from this source. We are not their authors; they have been used solely for informational purposes with proper attribution to their original source.[/nospin]

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