Season 1
The Assets is an American period drama television miniseries based on the book Circle of Treason: A CIA Account of Traitor Aldrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed by retired CIA officers Sandra Grimes and Jeanne Vertefeuille and on the real life events of CIA counter-intelligence officer Sandy Grimes.
The year 1985 serves as the backdrop to the final showdown of the Cold War when Sandy and her partner Jeanne Vertefeuille (Harriet Walter) vowed to find the mole who would turn out to be the most notorious traitor in US History, Aldrich Ames (Paul Rhys).
Sandy is in a race against time to save the Soviet intelligence officers from being caught and killed. Living her own double life at home, this beautiful wife and mother vowed to stop at nothing until she uncovered the truth.
The Assets looks inside the true, personal stories of the conclusion of the Cold War as told by the keepers of the nation's secrets: the CIA.
The Assets stars Paul Rhys (Borgia) as Aldrich Ames, Jodie Whittaker (Venus) as Sandy Grimes, Harriet Walter (Babel) as Jeanne Vertefeuile, Stuart Milligan (Jonathan Creek) as Paul Redmond, Julian Ovenden (Downton Abbey) as Gary Grimes, Christina Cole (Casino Royale) as Louisa, and Ralph Brown (Withnail and I) as Lawrence Winston.
The Assets is based on the book Circle of Treason: A CIA Account of Traitor Aldrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed by Sandy Grimes and Jeanne Vertefeuile. Morgan Hertzan, Rudy Bednar and Andrew Chapman executive produce the series.
The Assets is produced by Lincoln Square Productions.
Special Notes
The pilot episode (which aired on ABC on 2 January, 2014) earned a 0.7 rating on ABC in the 18–49 year old demographic, making The Assets the lowest rated drama premiere ever on one of the big three US networks.
Although eight episodes were made, only two aired on ABC before the series was cancelled. The remaining episodes were burned off later in the year.