The series has been described as “All the President’s Men with car chases”.
Fresh off the success of The Recruit late last year, Netflix is dipping back into the world of spy thrillers with The Night Agent, which follows another unassuming young operative drawn into a dangerous conspiracy.
The Big C and Hillbilly Elegy star Gabriel Basso steps into the lead role of Peter Sutherland, who works in the basement of the White House, manning a top secret phone line for compromised undercover spies. Don’t worry, though, it never rings.
Until one day, it does. Tech CEO Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan, Sweet Tooth) dials up when her aunt and uncle are both assassinated, with her appeal for help bringing Peter out from behind his desk and into a dangerous field mission.
Adding some star power to the series is Hong Chau, who is currently an Academy Award nominee for her performance in The Whale and recently chilled viewers in culinary horror flick The Menu.
Here’s everything you need to know about The Night Agent ahead of its Netflix premiere.
The Night Agent release date
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CONFIRMED: The Night Agent is available to stream on Netflix from Thursday 23rd March.
All 10 episodes will drop at once as a binge-watch launch.
The Night Agent cast
Gabriel Basso takes the lead role in The Night Agent as FBI operative Peter Sutherland, with Luciane Buchanan co-starring as the targeted tech boss he is tasked with protecting.
The Whale star Hong Chau plays Diane Farr, Chief of Staff to the President of the United States, which is a role she booked just prior to landing an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
In response to the news, The Night Agent showrunner Shawn Ryan said (via TUDUM): “She’s an actress of extraordinary range. I just am in awe of her talent.”
DB Woodside (Lucifer) stars as Erik Monks, a Secret Service agent returning from an extended leave of absence, while Fola Evans-Akingbola is playing Chelsea Arrington, who heads up security for the Vice President’s daughter.
Rounding out the cast are Eve Harlow (The 100) as an unpredictable killer, Phoenix Raei (Clickbait) as her partner in crime, Enrique Murciano (Bloodline) as a Secret Service boss, and Sarah Desjardins (Yellowjackets) as the Vice President’s daughter.
What is The Night Agent about?
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The official synopsis, courtesy of Netflix, explains that The Night Agent follows “low level FBI agent” Peter Sutherland, who works in the basement of the White House manning a phone line that never rings.
The night that it does changes everything, as Peter is thrown “into a fast-moving and dangerous conspiracy that ultimately leads all the way to the Oval Office”.
More simply, showrunner Shawn Ryan describes it as “All the President’s Men with car chases”.
He went on to explain how Peter Sutherland differs from other famous espionage characters, such as James Bond and Jason Bourne, identifying him as the “underdog” in a high-stakes situation.
“Peter doesn’t exist in the novel as some kind of unbeatable killing machine superhero,” he told TUDUM. “He’s an FBI agent, so he has some training, but he’s not Jason Bourne. He’s not a trained assassin.
“He’s very much an underdog in the middle of all this. He’s someone who, when he’s in a fight, those bruises stick around. He’s not just miraculously recovered immediately afterwards.”
Is The Night Agent based on a book?
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Yes! The Night Agent is based on a novel of the same name by author Matthew Quirk, which was first released in 2019.
If you’re interested in checking it out ahead of the series adaptation, you can buy The Night Agent now on Amazon.
The Night Agent trailer
Netflix dropped a teaser for The Night Agent in February 2023, giving a glimpse of what’s in store. Watch it here, now:
The Night Agent is coming to Netflix on Thursday 23rd March. The book is available now on Amazon.
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