This sci-fi thriller, which counts The Conjuring’s James Wan as one of the executive producers, is set five minutes into the future, where one’s brain could be hacked to broadcast to the world. Never mind, we seem to do that quite happily with our smartphones and socials!
The Copenhagen Test (English)
Season 1
Episodes: 8
Creator: Thomas Brandon
Starring: Simu Liu, Melissa Barrera, Sinclair Daniel, Brian d’Arcy James, Mark O’Brien, Kathleen Chalfant
Storyline: An intelligence analyst’s brain is hacked and he soon realises it is part of a conspiracy with far- reaching consequences
Runtime: 55 minutes
Three years earlier, in Belarus, Alex Hale (Simu Liu) is introduced as a field agent. There are bullets flying and a chopper approaching with one seat on it and Hale is told to “prioritise American citizens”. Just as he is taking a terrified Belarusian boy to the helicopter, he is stopped by a woman who begs for help after identifying herself as an American. Will Hale leave the boy or the woman behind?
A still from the show
| Photo Credit:
JioHotstar/YouTube
The choice forced upon him affects him deeply and three years later, Hale is at the Orphanage, a super secret watchdog for all of America’s spy organisations. Hale works “downstairs” as an analyst, though he longs to be “upstairs” as a field agent.
There seems to be a mole in the Orphanage causing three assets to be compromised. Hale is connected to all three and so might be the mole. And then the big reveal, Hale’s brain has been hacked (five minutes into the future remember?) and he is broadcasting what he sees and hears to the world.
The bosses at the Orphanage (what an unfortunate name) tell Hale that he could pretend not to know about the hack so they can find out who put the nanites in his brain. Hale, being the ultimate patriot, agrees.
This is followed by meetings in SCIF-like (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) spaces that block all broadcasts, as Hale begins to question everything—and everyone—he knows.”
A still from the show
| Photo Credit:
JioHotstar/YouTube
Who or what can he trust is the big question. Michelle (Melissa Barrera) is tasked with getting close to Hale and when he recognises her as the woman from Belarus (even top secret organisations trip up) he realises that he has been under observation for quite some time. Does the fact that he is first-generation Chinese American have something to do with the way he is treated?
Can Hale trust his ex-fiancée, Rachel (Hannah Cruz), the doctor who got Hale the anti-anxiety medication that put the nanites in his brain? Could his mentor, Victor (Saul Rubinek) who left the Orphanage to be a chef at his restaurant be giving altruistic advice? It seems Hale can only trust his parents, Preston (Oscar Hsu) and Helen (Lauren Tom), but will his actions put them in danger?
Parker (Sinclair Daniel), the brightest analyst at the Orphanage, tracks Hale and is meant to predict which way he would swerve. The director, Peter Moira (Brian d’Arcy James), gives Parker a long leash to figure out Hale’s motivations. Moira seems to share secrets with the shadowy St. George (Kathleen Chalfant), who is one of the Orphanage’s founding members.
There is Cobb (Mark O’Brien) from the CIA, who has friends in high places and seems determined to bring Hale down for personal or professional reasons. The show circles back to 1989, a pivotal year, when the Wall fell in Berlin as well as being the year of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Those events have a bearing on the present day with Schiff (Adam Godley) probably able to tell more.
A still from the show
| Photo Credit:
JioHotstar/YouTube
The eight episodes keep a steady metronomic rhythm interspersed with flurries of action and deception. A handsome-looking show, with a cool palette, The Copenhagen Test has an elegantly dressed cast — from Hale’s turtlenecks to St George’s pristine white pantsuits.
The cast is impassive starting with Liu but that is to be expected considering the plot. While the Copenhagen Test is not a real psychological test unlike in the show, no mention is made of the Copenhagen interpretation or quantum mechanics. More is the pity!
Some reveals are a little too convenient and at the end of eight episodes, one is still unclear why Hale was hacked. Maybe we will find that out in season 2.
The Copenhagen Test is currently streaming on Jio Hotstar
Published – January 02, 2026 05:05 pm IST
