Ride or Die Review: Waddingham and Spencer Lift Up a Standard Spy Tale

When you’re trying to build a buddy comedy, you need two performers who can complement each other regardless of the moment. This proves especially true for action comedies, which can use the extra boost to raise the stakes of the story. Ride or Die gives Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham their own espionage adventure to traverse. While it’s fun, there’s not much to Ride or Die beyond its central conceit. Prime has another show in its stable that should probably have been a movie but will certainly find an audience in the process.

What is Ride or Die about?

Debbie Claybourne (Octavia Spencer) manages the life of her husband David (Jamie Parker). She has helped him become a star as a member of Parliament, and he has an inside track to become Prime Minister someday. Giving up her impressive life as a lawyer to become a homemaker has seemingly all been worth it. However, David grows disinterested in Debbie over the years and surprises her when he asks for a divorce.

Debbie’s best friend, Judith (Hannah Waddingham), leads her own double life. While she plays upper-class socialite and forensic accountant around Debbie, Judith works for a covert ops agency. As an assassin, she’s tasked to kill Billy Donovan (Ed Skrein), a man with ties to organized crime. When she arrives to do the job, she instead finds David is involved. Judith rushes to hide Debbie, but in the process reveals she’s lied about her past. The two realize that they’ll need to work together to bring down Donovan and survive their surprising adventure.

A generic spy show, Ride or Die relies on its actors’ chemistry.

Much of Ride or Die tries to break away from the somewhat generic premise. Thanks to movies like Spy and The Spy Who Dumped Me, action comedies where one part of the buddy comedy features a “fish-out-of-water” character have been played out. Having Spencer play into the housewife role while Waddingham guides her through a world of death and deception creates some fun moments. However, it is terribly generic, with few moments that feel unique to Spencer as an actress or performer.

This is especially frustrating because Spencer’s character is already a stranger in a strange land. As an American in England, she already has experience with her life turning upside down. Instead, the role feels somewhat anonymous, rarely giving her any defining features as a character. While she still brings her charm and humor as a performer to the role, there’s nothing on the page to help her out. Spencer is consistently forced to elevate the roles given to her, and Ride or Die is just another example of that problem. One wonders how many more Oscar nominations and wins she might have if she actually got the top-shelf material she deserves.

Waddingham naturally has more to play in the role. She has more conflict with her bosses and finds herself fighting consistently adapting to situations through changes in demeanor and behavior. Her character faces a conundrum about her future, and the choices she makes will endanger the two things she cares most about in the world: her job and her relationship to Debbie. That inner turmoil is key to making Ride or Die work and establishing the stakes for everything that follows.

The supporting cast has little to do either. It is fun to see Cathy Tyson continue to put in great work, even though the actress remains wildly underused by the entertainment industry. Bill Nighy could play this role in his sleep but still pulls out the gravitas for a few sequences. Calam Lynch and Savannah Steyn give Ride or Die a fun dynamic as the somewhat bumbling next generation of spies. However, the real standout is Sylvia Hoeks, who has been languishing in Apple TV purgatory since her brilliant performance in Blade Runner 2049. She’s a dynamic visual performer and stunt actress, so hopefully Ride or Die opens more doors for her.

Created and run by Tessa Coates, Ride or Die has quite the support team behind it. MCU alum Peyton Reed directs the pilot to deliver the action-comedy aesthetic that sets the visual tone. Taking cues from established action and crime franchises, it can feel a bit commonplace in scenes. However, the actual fight choreography and stuntwork excels, giving Ride or Die several scenes that help create tension. While this does not make up for flat characters and a standard story, it does give the series some exciting beats.

Is Ride or Die worth watching?

No, Ride or Die will certainly find an audience, but there’s not much new going on in the show. Fans of Waddingham or Spencer will be happy, but it’s not clear how Ride or Die can stand out in the overcrowded field of espionage TV. As you watch Ride or Die, you can’t help but wonder if a two-hour movie would have helped the story and actors more. Instead, too many beats feel generic to help it rise to the top of the watchlist.

Ride or Die premieres on Prime Video on July 15, 2026. Eight episodes were provided for this review.

Ride or Die Review: Waddingham and Spencer Lift Up a Standard Spy Tale