The Night Agent

The Night Agent is an American action thriller television series created by Shawn Ryan based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Quirk. Starring Gabriel Basso in the title role, it premiered on Netflix on March 23, 2023. The series emerged as the third-most-viewed debuting series on Netflix in its first four days, and within a week it was renewed for a second season. Within a month, it became the streamer's sixth-most-viewed series.
Plot
FBI Agent Peter Sutherland is thrown into a vast conspiracy about a mole at the highest levels of the United States government. To save the nation, he plunges into a desperate hunt for the traitor, while protecting former tech CEO Rose Larkin from the people who murdered her aunt and uncle.
Cast and characters
Main
Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland, an FBI agent who works at the White House as a Night Action telephone operator
Luciane Buchanan as Rose Larkin, a young cybersecurity entrepreneur and the niece of two Night Action agents
Fola Evans-Akingbola as Chelsea Arrington, an ambitious U.S. Secret Service agent who leads Maddie's protective detail
Sarah Desjardins as Maddie Redfield, the daughter of the Vice President
Eve Harlow as Ellen, an unpredictable assassin
Phoenix Raei as Dale, a professional hitman and Ellen's partner
Enrique Murciano as Ben Almora, the director of the Secret Service
D. B. Woodside as Erik Monks, a veteran U.S. Secret Service agent newly assigned to Maddie
Hong Chau as Diane Farr, the White House chief of staff
Recurring
Andre Anthony as Colin Worley, perpetrator of a bombing in Washington, D.C.
Anthony also portrays Matteo, Colin's identical twin brother
Christopher Shyer as Vice President Ashley Redfield
Toby Levins as Nathan Briggs, the U.S. Secret Service agent who is part of Redfield's detail team
Ben Cotton as Gordon Wick, the CEO of a government contractor, Turn Lake Industries, who hired Ellen and Dale to kill people
Kari Matchett as President Michelle Travers
Production
Development
On December 24, 2020, it was announced that Sony Pictures Television would produce the TV series adaptation of Matthew Quirk's novel The Night Agent, with Shawn Ryan as writer. On July 21, 2021, the series was acquired by Netflix, with Seth Gordon set to direct the pilot and produce the ten-episode series with Ryan, Marney Hochman, Julia Gunn, James Vanderbilt, William Sherak, Paul Neinstein, Nicole Tossou and David Beaubaire. The series was released on Netflix on March 23, 2023. On March 29, 2023, Netflix renewed it for a second season.
Casting
On November 22, 2021, Gabriel Basso and Luciane Buchanan were cast in the series. On February 1, 2022, Hong Chau, D. B. Woodside, Fola Evans-Akingbola, Eve Harlow, Phoenix Raei, Enrique Murciano, and Sarah Desjardins joined the cast as regulars. On February 24, 2023, Kari Matchett joined in a recurring role.
Filming
The series was filmed in British Columbia, Canada, with the city of Vancouver standing in for Washington, D.C.
Episodes
Reception
Audience viewership
According to Netflix, the series had 168.71 million hours of worldwide views over its first four days, the third-highest for a new series. In its second week, it amassed 216.4 million hours of views. In its third week, it gained 130.48 million hours of views, and became the streamer's ninth-most-viewed series, with a total 515.57 million hours viewed. By 25 days, it accrued 605.62 million total hours, emerging as the streamer's sixth-most viewed series.
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 75% approval rating with an average rating of 6.5/10, based on 28 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Bingeable as a beach read and just as forgettable, The Night Agent is a routine spy thriller told with commendable bravado." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 68 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Lucy Mangan of The Guardian gave the show 4 out of 5 stars, writing: "It is propulsive, slicker-than-slick fun, with every hairpin turn perfectly negotiated. There are fine performances—especially from Basso, who is getting two or three notes out of what could easily have been a one-note part." Comparing The Night Agent and Rabbit Hole in the New York Times, Mike Hale writes: "The two new shows are ... cheerfully, maddeningly implausible. Night Agent is on more of a meat-and-potatoes level... but it strings the viewer along in sufficiently teasing fashion to carry hard-core fans of the genre through its 10 episodes."
References
External links
2020s American drama television series
2023 American television series debuts
American action television series
American thriller television series
English-language Netflix original programming
Television series about conspiracy theories
Television series about the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Television shows based on American novels
Television series by Sony Pictures Television