Amazon’s Surprising James Bond Comedy Series: Bait

Prime Video’s upcoming series Bait is an unexpected comedy show, and the last thing James Bond fans thought would be next for the wide-ranging franchise. When Amazon secured the full rights for the James Bond franchise for $20 million, we all expected that a James Bond series was very likely on the table.

It felt like only a matter of time before Amazon produced its first James Bond series or movie, and on March 25, 2026, we’ll have it, and there is no way anyone could have guessed that this six-episode series would be the form it would take. Bait is about James Bond, alright, but not how you might think.

The first James Bond production from Prime Video is not a reboot of a previous Bond film, it’s not a sequel to No Time to Die, it’s not a spinoff starring Miss Moneypenny, it’s not even a spy action series. Bait is a comedy series that is, instead, a meta-commentary on the Bond films.

Bait was written by, created by, and stars Riz Ahmed as Shah Latif, a struggling actor about to give up when he’s invited to audition for the role of James Bond. The six episodes follow Shah over four days as he and his family and best friend Zulfi (Guz Khan) learn what it means to be an instant star.

Shah learns firsthand that while being considered for one of the biggest movie roles of all time makes him the center of attention, it also brings a lot of backlash. Not only does Shah have to deal with the vitriol from fans, but he also has to consider whether he thinks he’s right for the role in the first place.

Bait Looks Excellent, But Surely Makes Casting A New 007 Harder

The identity of the next James Bond will be the biggest piece of movie-related news in years. Everyone has an idea about who should be 007, and the discussion is a lot more telling about the current cultural atmosphere than you may initially think. Shah would be the first non-white James Bond after all.

Undoubtedly, Amazon is struggling to decide on whom the next Bond will be, and even putting aside the race conversation, there just aren’t many actors capable of handling such a big role. Idris Elba was once bandied around, but has now aged out, and up-and-comers like Paul Mescal and David Jonsson either don’t feel right, or aren’t big enough yet.

With all this in mind, it’s a shockingly slick move for Prime to make a series about how difficult it will be to figure out who gets to play one of the most important movie characters of all time. To top it off, the series looks great, with an ensemble of excellent actors such as Sheeba Chaddha and Nabhaan Rizwan.

However, Bait is also just a deflection in some way. We still don’t know who the next Bond will be, and it sounds like Amazon doesn’t either. This TV series may distract fans for a little bit, but it won’t be long before they’re clamoring for a real answer.