THE NIGHT AGENT on Netflix is a thriller, action, and crime series that has a lot going for it. Especially when it comes to the cast and characters.  This is what makes it so very binge-worthy. And yes, the plot is also full of twists and turns. Read our full The Night Agent Season 1 review here!

THE NIGHT AGENT is a new Netflix series in the thriller, action, and crime genres. There are ten 1-hour episodes in season 1 and it’s surprisingly binge-worthy. I say “surprisingly” because on the surface it sounds like something you might’ve watched a few times already.

However, what this particular series has going for it, is the very interesting characters. And, obviously, the fact that these characters are portrayed by awesome actors. Then again, even the most amazing cast could’ve made a series interesting without a solid plot and tight pacing from the directing, so I fully acknowledge that this is a team effort.

Continue reading our The Night Agent Season 1 review below. Find the new thriller series on Netflix from March 23, 2023.

Familiar but fun and fresh!

As already noted, The Night Agent doesn’t sound particularly innovative. And, to be honest, and fair, it really isn’t. However, it doesn’t need to be when it’s this entertaining. I mean, when I read the plot I did get a “This again?!”-feeling, but then you look at the cast and get the feeling that maybe there’s more to it.

An FBI Agent (Gabriel Basso) is working at the White House as a very low-level agent. In fact, his job is sitting by a phone every night and waiting for a call that never comes. Until it does. And then he gets caught up in something way above his pay grade. Plus, he needs to protect a young woman while trying to figure out what’s going on.

Like I said, it does sound desperately familiar on a broader scale.

However, in this series, the agent is a charming young man, who just wants to do the right thing. If FBI Agent Peter Sutherland was a dog, he would most definitely be a golden retriever. Meanwhile, the young woman he needs to protect and help (though she also helps him quite a lot) is used to being on her own. Usually staying safe by whatever means necessary.

WATCH THE NIGHT AGENT IF YOU LIKED…

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Oh, she’s not cruel or evil. But she isn’t exactly staying on the right side of the law either. Her name is Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan) and if she was a dog, she’d probably be a feisty small mix with both terrier and bulldog in there. The kind of dog that is stronger than it looks, smart, fast, and doesn’t let go or give up.

Watching these two interact is interesting and helps them both in different ways. Gabriel Basso and Luciane Buchanan as FBI Agent Peter Sutherland and Rose Larkin respectively are perfectly cast. I first remember seeing Gabriel Basso in J.J. Abrams’s Super 8 (2011) and he’s got that same warmth as an adult. Later this year, he’ll be in the horror remake The Strangers (2023).

The Night Agent - Review | Netflix Thriller Series

Assassins are people too

We follow the two assassins trying to get to Rose (and what she has in her possession). The assassins are working as freelance contractors and we know from the beginning that they are a romantic couple as well. What makes The Night Agent so interesting is that we also follow these two as human beings.

Clearly, they’ve had a rough life as well and they acknowledge that they are merely doing a job while others are giving the orders. Sure, they kill people, but they’re not the ones deciding who to kill.

Usually, when assassins are humanized in any way, it’s because they’re actually the heroes. Or they’re not labeled as assassins even though that’s clearly their job. It just depends on what uniform you wear or who gives the orders really.

In The Night Agent, there’s a very interesting focus on the fact that those in charge never get their hands dirty. They hire people to do their dirty work and pay them handsomely for their discretion. While you will get irritated with the assassins (because they’re not nice people), I still enjoyed watching them interact as regular people in between jobs.

Eve Harlow (The 100, Next) and Phoenix Raei (Clickbait) portray the two assassins and do an excellent job. They’re in season 1 from the very beginning so we follow them quite closely early on.

Other key characters in The Night Agents are portrayed by more familiar faces.

Most importantly, we have Hong Chau (The Menu, Homecoming, Poker Face) as Peter’s boss. Also, you’ll see Sarah Desjardins (Yellowjackets), Fola Evans-Akingbola (Black Mirror), D.B. Woodside (Lucifer), Enrique Murciano (Panic), Richard Harmon (The Return), and Andre Anthony (Scream VI). And that’s just in the first few episodes!

Watch season 1 of The Night Agent on Netflix!

The Night Agent is based on the novel by Matthew Quirk with Corey Deshon (Daughter), Seth Fisher (Harley and the Davidsons), and Shawn Ryan (co-creator of the S.W.A.T. series) as writers. Shawn Ryan is the creator and showrunner. As mentioned several times already, what really works for me is that the story is carried by interesting characters.

The directors on season 1 are Seth Gordon (For All Mankind, Identity Thief) and Millicent Shelton (The Walking Dead, Hunters). If you check out the IMDb resume for these two directors, it’s quite an intriguing read. From music videos to amazing TV series and blockbuster movies. They’ve definitely got what it takes for this genre-mix series.

There are 10 episodes in season 1 of The Night Agent which can sound like a lot. Especially considering each episode is around 1 hour. And yet, with all the characters we get introduced to – and follow – it doesn’t feel like the story is being dragged out in any way.

I can imagine this new Netflix series will be a hit (and deserves to be), so there’s a big chance we’ll get at least one more season. If season 2 of The Night Agent does get greenlit, I’ll be happy to keep watching.

The Night Agent season 1 is on Netflix from March 23, 2023.

Details

Creator: Shawn Ryan
Directors: Seth Gordon, Millicent Shelton
Cast: Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan, Sarah Desjardins, D.B. Woodside, Eve Harlow, Enrique Murciano, Hong Chau, Phoenix Raei, Fola Evans-Akingbola

Plot

Based on the novel by Matthew Quirk, The Night Agent is a sophisticated, character-based, action-thriller centering on a low level FBI Agent who works in the basement of the White House, manning a phone that never rings — until the night that it does, propelling him into a fast moving and dangerous conspiracy that ultimately leads all the way to the Oval Office.

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!
Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
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