Spoilers for The Night Agent lie ahead, so read at your own risk.
It didn’t take long for Netflix’s The Night Agent to make waves on the streaming service. Shortly after its release in March, the show, which was created by veteran writer and producer Shawn Ryan, skyrocketed to the No. 1 spot on the platform’s TV trending list. In doing so, it hit a major milestone by becoming the streamer's ninth most-viewed debut ever. On top of that, the thriller received mostly positive reviews from critics. So it probably shouldn’t have been all that surprising that a Season 2 renewal was given out less than a week after the debut. Though details on the upcoming episodes are scarce at the moment, Ryan and the cast have shared a few comments on the new season at this point.
Shawn Ryan’s latest show is based on Matthew Quirk’s 2019 book of the same name. Set in Washington D.C., it centers on Peter Sutherland, an FBI agent who works in the basement of the White House, where he’s tasked with looking over a phone that never rings. His world changes in a big way, however, when former CEO Rose Larkin calls for help. From there, the two are drawn into a vast conspiracy that’s penetrated the top of the U.S. government. The season ends in an explosive way and leaves Rose and Peter in interesting positions. There are plenty of uncertainties regarding what’s to come, so let’s see what we can glean from what the cast and crew have said so far.
Gabriel Basso Teased Plenty Of Turmoil For Peter In Season 2, And He Has A Bold Idea
What we definitely know is that Gabriel Basso will reprise the role of Peter Sutherland. The young agent was established as a noble and kind individual, and that will likely ring true moving forward. But according to Basso, the character will be somewhat darker when we see him again. One of Season 1’s biggest subplots revolves around Peter searching for answers about his late father, an agent who was dubbed a traitor and died before proving his innocence. In the finale, Peter learned from the president that Sutherland Sr. did get involved with foreign agents but was planning to become a triple agent, which is why he was murdered. Peter seemed to take the news relatively well in the moment, but Basso told EW that it’ll affect him deeply down the road:
It'll fill him with a lot of bitterness toward people who might have killed him and robbed him of justice because he was going to be tried. It might be nice to see Peter be angry at those people, and he has the skills to exact that revenge. Tethering that revenge to what he knows he should be doing might be cool. You're gonna see a lot more inner turmoil on Peter's end.
The Super 8 alum also discussed the biggest questions he personally has regarding his character’s future. Peter himself was officially dubbed a Night Agent, but the star wonders how he might handle working for an administration that’s being reformed after an assassination conspiracy. He's also uncertain about whether Peter will bring Rose into this new life, because “you can't really have things, like family” when you’re in that dangerous line of work. Aside from pondering those thoughts, Gabriel Basso also has an interesting idea. Before the show’s premiere, he revealed to me during our interview (which was conducted before the premiere) that he thinks Peter should die at some point:
In my head, I think Peter has to die – and not maybe in the second season maybe the third season. I just think to have morals and pursue truth and values in a field, in a profession where the more bendable in, you know, malleable your values are the better agent you would make, sets him up to be an enemy of his employers. So I think that having values and taking a stance and saying, ‘But this is wrong,’ sort of sets him up to be double crossed or die.
Such a notion may sound shocking, but it does make sense. I don’t know if Peter will meet his demise in the near future, but I absolutely expect him to face some deadly forces in the second batch of episodes.
Luciane Buchanan Has Simple Desires When It Comes To Rose’s Journey
When thinking about the future of The Night Agent, one must also consider what lies ahead for Rose Larkin. Introduced as a down-on-her-luck tech magnate, Larkin was staying with her loving aunt and uncle when they were murdered by dangerous assassins. That attack is what prompted her to call Night Action and ultimately set her and Peter on their dangerous adventure. After solving the conspiracy with Peter and their newfound allies, Rose planned to return to California to reform her company. She also aimed to maintain a long-distance relationship with Peter.
Though they’ll be apart, it seems like Rose will remain with the show moving forward, which means fans will see more of Luciane Buchanan. The New Zealand-born actress appears to be excited by the opportunity to continue her stint on the political thriller. She spoke to news.au.com and revealed that she learned of the renewal after getting a call at six o’clock in the morning, and it was certainly a surprise to her:
I was like, ‘What are you talking about? I thought we’d wait months and months to find out. It’s pretty crazy. … I thought we were going to fly under the radar, like other shows on the platform. I did not expect for it to be so popular.
The star hasn’t revealed any details on what viewers can expect from Rose’s story arc in the upcoming season – and this early on, she may not even know those details herself. Nevertheless, when I spoke with her, she provided a very honest answer when asked what she wants for Larkin in the immediate future:
I think she needs therapy first and foremost. She needs to go on a little retreat in the woods [to] chill out, process all the killings. [Laughs] I should not be laughing.
In all seriousness, there’s nothing wrong with a little self-care, and Rose could definitely use it. But after she’s done with that, I’d selfishly love to see her get wrapped up in yet another high-stakes conflict.
Shawn Ryan Has Put A Lot Of Thought Into Season 2 Of The Night Agent
Most creatives in the TV space would love to have a resume like producer Shawn Ryan’s, which consists of shows The Shield, Lie to Me, S.W.A.T. and much more. (He even wrote and EP’d the Beverly Hills Cop pilot that was produced over a decade ago.) Ryan really puts in the work, so it’s no surprise that he made it his mission to turn Matthew Quirk’s novel into a compelling piece of entertainment (that doesn’t fall into common narrative traps). I had the opportunity to speak with him ahead of the premiere, during which he confirmed to me that he absolutely intended for this to be an ongoing series. So he was more than pleased when Netflix greenlit Season 2 as you can tell by the following statement, which was shared with news outlets like CinemaBlend:
The last week has been a whirlwind as we've finally been able to share The Night Agent with the world. To see the tremendous reaction to the show has been a great joy and is a credit to our cast, our writers, our directors, our crew and our partners at Sony Pictures Television and Netflix. We couldn't be any prouder or more excited to get cracking on Season 2 to share the further adventures of Night Action with our newfound fans.
Of course, the creator and his team are now entering uncharted territory, as Matthew Quirk only published one book. During our conversation, I couldn’t help but ask the Timeless alum about his feelings on adding original material to the author’s story. On top of that, I was also curious as to whether Quirk might be involved in charting out future stories. The producer responded with an honest assessment of the situation:
Well, he's got a very busy career being a successful novelist. So I like to describe him as a friend of the family. He's not trying to come in and sort of tell us what to do. In the same way, I'm not coming in, telling them how to write his books. So his opinion is valuable to us. His approval is valuable to us. That's why I was so excited that he's so happy with Season 1 of the show. I think that season two, you know, we'd have to derive a story that isn't contained in his book, because really we used up, you know, the vast majority of his book to tell our Season 1 story. But you know, he did create Peter, he did create Rose. These are our main characters.
Of course, all of that is easier said than done, which Shawn Ryan absolutely knows. Ever the optimist, he seems up for the “challenge”:
I think a lot of that DNA would live on, but it would be an added challenge in Season 2, because we had so much great stuff from his book that we were able just to start with. And then when you have things to start with, it's easier to build on that. And if there were to be a Season 2, we'd have to rely on our own original ideas but still having the backbone of some of the characters that, you know, he created this book. So it's a challenge I look forward to.
The showrunner’s shrewd approach to his craft bodes well for the show moving forward. Since it’s still early days, fans shouldn’t expect to hear any concrete plot details or casting news in the near future. But if any of the stars do have more to say, take comfort in knowing that we’re going to discuss it.
The Night Agent Season 2 is expect to arrive sometime in 2024. In the meantime, you can grab a Netflix subscription to rewatch the recently released episodes or experience them for the first time if you haven’t already. Know that CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule also has helpful information on other premieres that are happening this year.
