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 streaming service's sixth-most-viewed series. In October 2024, ahead of the second-season premiere, the series was renewed for a third season. The second season was released on January 23, 2025.
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.
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. On March 29, 2023, Netflix renewed it for a 10-episode second season. On October 8, 2024, ahead of the second-season premiere, Netflix renewed the series for a third season.
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. On December 8, 2023, Amanda Warren was cast as a series regular for the second season. On January 11, 2024, Berto Colon, Louis Herthum, and Arienne Mandi joined the cast as new series regulars while Brittany Snow and Teddy Sears were in recurring roles for the second season. On February 16, 2024, Michael Malarkey and Keon Alexander were cast as new series regulars while Navid Negahban and Rob Heaps joined the cast in recurring capacities for the second season. On March 26, 2024, Marwan Kenzari, Elise Kibler, and Dikran Tulaine joined the cast in guest roles for the second season. On November 19, 2024, Genesis Rodriguez was cast as a series regular for the third season. On December 13, 2024, David Lyons, Jennifer Morrison, Stephen Moyer, and Callum Vinson joined the cast as new series regulars while Suraj Sharma joined in a recurring role for the third season. On January 31, 2025, Evans-Akingbola, Ward Horton and Albert Jones were promoted as series regulars for the third season.
The first season was filmed in British Columbia, Canada, with the city of Vancouver standing in for Washington, D.C. Filming for the second season began on February 5, 2024 in New York City, with additional filming in Thailand and Washington D.C. It was announced on June 17, 2024, that the second season had concluded filming.
The first season of The Night Agent was released on Netflix on March 23, 2023. The second season premiered on January 23, 2025.
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.
Between its release and June 2023 the series totaled 812.1 million hours watched, the most of any Netflix original in that time span.
For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 74% approval rating based on 31 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."
The second season has an 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 24 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's critics consensus states, "Growing more assured in its second season, The Night Agent executes its mission to entertain with no muss or fuss." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.