The Copenhagen Test Review: Simu Liu Can’t Save Peacock’s High-Concept Spy Series

There’s a great show hiding somewhere inside The Copenhagen Test. On paper, Peacock’s latest original has all the ingredients of a buzzy, conversation-starting sci-fi thriller: espionage, paranoia, cutting-edge surveillance tech, and an intelligence agent whose very mind has been compromised by a foreign enemy. In an era where data breaches, AI surveillance, and digital privacy are daily anxieties, the premise feels timely, unsettling, and ripe for tension. Unfortunately, after screening all eight episodes ahead of the premiere, The Copenhagen Test never quite capitalizes on that promise.

The series centers on Alexander Hale (Simu Liu), an intelligence analyst whose brain is hacked, allowing unseen enemies to access everything he sees and hears. It’s a chilling idea, one that instantly raises questions about free will, loyalty, and the impossibility of privacy in a hyper-connected world. Who’s watching? When are they watching? And how do you fight an enemy that may already be inside your head? These questions should fuel a gripping, nerve-shredding experience.

Instead, The Copenhagen Test often feels strangely inert.

The biggest hurdle is Simu Liu’s performance as Alexander Hale. Liu is undeniably charismatic elsewhere and has proven he can anchor big-budget projects, but here his portrayal is frustratingly flat. For a character whose entire reality is being invaded, the emotional range rarely moves beyond muted concern. Scenes that are clearly meant to land with weight like moments of fear, betrayal, or existential dread never quite connect. The emotional beats come and go without leaving much of an impression, which is a problem when the show relies so heavily on the audience investing in its lead’s internal turmoil.

Pictured: Simu Liu as Alexander -- (Photo by: Christos Kalohoridis/PEACOCK)

That emotional distance makes it harder to stay fully engaged, even as the plot escalates. The story introduces intriguing twists, shadowy agencies, and layered conspiracies, but without a compelling emotional anchor, the tension struggles to sustain itself across eight episodes. You’re watching events unfold, rather than feeling pulled into them.

What does work, and works consistently, is the show’s visual presentation. The Copenhagen Test looks fantastic. The sleek production design, polished cinematography, and well-executed special effects give the series a premium feel. The tech itself interfaces, surveillance systems, and digital intrusions is convincingly realized and often fascinating to watch. These elements tap into the show’s strongest thematic thread: the creeping unease of constant observation. When the series leans into the question of whether this kind of mind-level surveillance could actually exist, it sparks genuine intrigue.

Those moments are when The Copenhagen Test feels most alive, nudging viewers to glance uneasily at their own devices and wonder how close we already are to this reality. Unfortunately, those flashes of brilliance aren’t enough to fully offset the show’s narrative and emotional shortcomings.

By the time the series reaches episode eight and delivers its long-teased reveal, the payoff feels underwhelming. The answers arrive, but they don’t land with the impact the story has been building toward. Rather than recontextualizing everything that came before, the finale lands with a soft thud, leaving little reason to revisit the journey or speculate about what comes next. If Peacock decides to renew The Copenhagen Test for a season two, this is one viewer who probably won’t be tuning back in.

That’s not to say the series is without merit. Fans of high-concept sci-fi may still appreciate the ideas at play, and the technical craftsmanship is undeniably strong. But as a whole, The Copenhagen Test feels like a missed opportunity, a smart concept weighed down by a lead performance that never fully ignites and a story that struggles to maintain momentum.

In the crowded landscape of prestige television, that makes it a largely skippable entry. Still, Simu Liu fans shouldn’t worry too much, there’s always the next Marvel movie.