Netflix, like every streaming service, has a hit-or-miss track record when it comes to the kinds of spy and spy-adjacent shows that it offers. Some of those shows, like Kleo, have a stylized aesthetic and avoid pandering to the lowest common denominator. Others, like The Recruit, are chock full of the same old tropes that make for schlocky entertainment value. The Night Agent, one of the streamer’s biggest TV releases of the year, not only managed to avoid those pitfalls — but it’s also so good that Netflix has already renewed it for a second season, based on the super-strong viewership that it garnered.
Should you put this 10-episode TV series based on Matthew Quirk’s novel of the same name on your watch list? Absolutely, in my opinion, especially if you were a fan of similarly themed and action-packed Netflix releases like The Gray Man and Extraction (I know those are both movies, but I’m simply using them as a point of reference).
The Night Agent: One of the biggest Netflix series of 2023
The Night Agent is also a textbook definition of what a Netflix hit looks like in 2023: Uncomplicated, tailored to fans of a specific genre, and with crisp writing that’s also based on existing source material.
“It’s a pleasure to see a show better than it might have been, when so often the opposite is true,” a Variety reviewer opines. “The Night Agent sparks with curiosity and intrigue, a richly detailed show that propels viewers forward with a relentless pace.”
Critics and reviewers, by the way, are pretty evenly split in terms of their reaction to the show. It’s got a 74% and 78% critics’ and audience score, respectively, on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a 7.5/10 rating on IMDb (based on 98,000 user ratings).
While we wait for Season 2, meanwhile, if you’re among the scores of Netflix subscribers who’ve already raced through all 10 episodes of The Night Agent then here’s what I recommend watching next if you loved the series.
Similar shows to watch
In no particular order, all of these titles will definitely keep fans of thrillers entertained and on the edge of their seats:
- Bodyguard: Starring Richard Madden and Keeley Hawes, this drama in which Madden plays an Afghanistan war veteran-turned-police sergeant in charge of protecting the Home Secretary played by Hawes completely and utterly shredded my nerves. Extremely tense action, bursts of shocking violence, and a tightly written story make this one a must-watch for thriller fans.
- Treason: Starring Charlie Cox and Olga Kurylenko, here’s the official synopsis of this British thriller — “An MI6 deputy’s bright future takes a sharp turn after a reunion with a Russian spy forces him to question his entire life.”
- Fauda: At the core of this thriller series from Israel is an elite military team that engages in covert operations to keep the population safe — sometimes relying on extreme means to do so. The title, by the way, means “chaos” in Arabic. I can’t recommend this series highly enough for fans of thrillers.
- The Spy: In this limited series, Sacha Baron Cohen portrays real-life Mossad agent Eli Cohen, who goes undercover in Syria in the early 1960s.
- The Snow Girl: Here, a trainee journalist in Spain investigates the disappearance of a young girl alongside a police investigator probing the same mystery.
