Like many, I love KnowBe4’s The Inside Man series. So when series director Jim Shields and writer Robert McCollum stood on stage at the UK Premiere for Season 7 (held at the glitzy Odeon LUXE in Leicester Square, in an affair that could rival any of the Summer’s blockbusters) and said that they’d always planned to wrap the show up after seven series, I found myself abhorred. Personally, I’m not quite ready to let go of the Good Shepherd Cybersecurity gang just yet. Luckily, fans of the show have a whole series to get through first – and what a season it is.
Before the lights dimmed, Robert McCollum stood on stage and gave a recap of all six seasons so far. I’ve not got the room for that here, as there’s a lot of action, but you can catch up by reading the Guru’s reviews of Season 5 and Season 6.
Although less explosive than series six (no Romanian castles were harmed in the making of this series), the seventh season still had its audience on the edge of their (albeit reclined) seats. Without spoilers, Season 7 sees loyal allies become new adversaries. As an old friend embarks on a quest for revenge, the Good Shepherd team is caught in the middle. Our heroes, Mark and Co., must decide who they can trust, as they race against time to stop the villain and his stolen AI before it is too late…
Although heavily dramatised, the series engages with themes that most security teams are coming up against in the office daily, from deepfakes and impersonation attempts to phishing and vishing. At its core, the series is a genuinely good reflection of the cyber issues du jour, which is somewhat of a miracle when navigating a threat landscape that seems to throw a curveball every other day. The series is filmed a year out from its premiere date, so knowing what exactly will be the most pressing threats in the future is a reflection of the deep industry knowledge held by those who advise the show (mainly KnowBe4’s esteemed CISO advisors).
How do you go out with a bang, if you’re not blowing up castles? Well, you get Golden Globe winning actor Ving Rhames – yes, that Ving Rhames, star of Pulp Fiction, the Mission Impossible series and, for fans of 00s Disney animation (with impeccable taste), Lilo and Stitch – to make a guest appearance, of course! In The Inside Man, Rhames plays an esteemed national security figure, an ode to Luther Stickell, perhaps, his CIA hacker character in Mission Impossible. He described the role as “important.” Rhames scenes were filmed at KB4-CON in Florida (where, a year later in May 2026, the series received its world premiere), once again bringing KnowBe4’s valued customers and partners into the fold of a series that means so much to them.
As the credits rolled, the audience was serenaded by a live cover of Cyndi Lauper’s True Colours by Amber Beresford (better known as Rainbow Frog Biscuits to fans). This is something that will only make sense if you’ve seen season seven, but a performance so moving it’s worth noting. I’m yet to find the cover online to link here.
Whether or not this really is the end, the impact of The Inside Man cannot be understated. I’ve had more conversations in the past 10 days about the series premiere than almost anything else I’ve done professionally – and it’s been a busy time! What KnowBe4 has managed to do is the impossible: they’ve made cyber awareness training something employees actively want to engage with and participate in. I recall hearing a story at a previous premiere about one poor IT leader who was chased down a corridor by an eager employee who couldn’t wait for the next episode. Case in point.
Word on the street is that some spin-off shorts are in the works… Watch this space!
As its creators have said time and time again, The Inside Man series started out as a challenge: is it possible to create a drama about information security that rivals anything seen on Netflix? Seven seasons in, I’d say that that was very much a mission possible.
