'Extraordinary' Creator to Pen 'Killing Eve' Prequel Series 'Honey'

Since the unfortunate cancellation of the offbeat superhero comedy Extraordinary, many of us (read: me) have wondered what its creator, Emma Moran, might do next. Last week, we discovered she's set to pen a Cold War-era spy thriller called Honey for the BBC. Described as "flirty" and "darkly comedic", the show sounds perfect for her as a writer, and a ton of fun in its own right. But like any good espionage story, Honey comes with a twist none of us saw coming. 

According to Deadline, the show is actually the long-teased prequel to BBC America drama Killing Eve. (Yes, really!) The original series, which ran for four seasons from 2018 to 2022, starred Sandra Oh (The Sympathizer) and Jodie Comer (The End We Start From) and followed the tumultuous cat-and-mouse relationship between a British intelligence officer and an assassin. Created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), the show was a critical and popular hit and won Comer an Emmy for her performance as the deadly Villanelle. But its controversial (and quite frankly, terrible) final season soured many viewers on the drama and may explain why the BBC seems so willing to downplay its connection to their new project.

Set in 1980s Germany, Honey will reportedly serve as an origin story for Carolyn Martens, the MI6 handler played by BAFTA winner Fiona Shaw (Bad Sisters) in the original series. It will follow "Marta" as she goes deep undercover in a shadowy world of counterespionage and irresistible relations, with what sounds like its own dash of forbidden (or at least ill-advised) romance.

Here's the series synopsis. 

East Berlin, 1982. Marta, 24, is a deep cover agent for MI6. Surrounded by enemies and constantly under threat of her cover being blown, she tries her hardest to avoid detection by Friedrich Bauman, the new Head of Counter Espionage for the Stasi.

Finding herself caught between Friedrich and the reckless, arrogant (and incredibly attractive…) CIA operative Aaron Neeland, she is blind-sided by desire in this Cold War menage-a-trois.

The risk of being garrotted or incarcerated is nothing compared to the horrifying ordeal of falling in love. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable and bearing your heart and soul? She'd rather have her fingernails ripped off.

“I’m excited to dig into the sexy madness of our version of Cold War East Berlin," Moran said in a statement when the series was announced. "Romantic comedy plus espionage is a dream combination for me.”

The six-part series hails from Killing Eve producer Sid Gentle Films. Moran is the series's lead writer and an executive producer, with Emme Hoy (Renegade Nell) also writing on the show. Other executive producers include Sally Woodward Gentle and Lee Morris for Sid Gentle Films, and Christopher Hall is the producer.

“Set against the stark brutalism of East Germany, the characters and storylines in Honey are smart, violent, and highly sexually charged," Woodward Gentle said. "Emma’s scripts are characteristically take-no-prisoners witty, sophisticated, and pacy while quietly and desperately romantic."

There's no word yet on casting. Heck, the BBC hasn't even officially confirmed the show is a Killing Eve spinoff yet or if it will still air on BBC America! But the development process has certainly gotten a lot more interesting. We'll be keeping an eye out for updates on when we might expect to see this series for ourselves.