Nobody probably expected Noah Centineo, leading actor of Netflix romcoms like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, to enter the realm of Dad TV. Yet that’s precisely what this former Internet Boyfriend has done in the action-packed yet comedic The Recruit, which stars Centineo as a newbie CIA lawyer who ends up in over his head and awash in a web of international intrigue.
The show rolls out like a combination of Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer and Amazon’s Jack Ryan with the viewership to back it up. Within its first six months of release, The Recruit racked up 147 million streaming hours, and it’s no wonder why this happened. In addition to holding built-in audience appeal from Centineo, the series pilot was directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) in a show created by Alexi Hawley (The Rookie, State Of Affairs). A second season was inevitable, so let’s dig in on what’s been revealed thus far.
Plot
As viewers will recall, Owen Hendricks’ first week as a CIA lawyer does not go smoothly. He swiftly ends up embroiled in potential international scandal after discovering that an ex-Russian asset, Max Meladze (Laura Haddock), is angling for exoneration from murder charges by threat of exposing agency doings. In order to clean up this mess, Owen finds himself whirling round the globe to prove that he’s got what it takes for this job. This leads him into precarious moral territory that is fraught with danger, and he certainly did not count on being sucked into the darker sides of espionage right off the bat.
Naturally, Owen personal life gets entangled in the adventure, too, because the complications will not stop coming for this guy. According to Netflix’s synopsis for the second season, the pace of the series will not slow down, and Max’s life remains in jeopardy after her story took a sudden turn:
The Recruit picks up after that massive cliff-hanger ending of the first season, where Russian asset Max Meladze’s (Laura Haddock) life hangs in the balance after her own daughter(!) shot her in cold blood. Season 2 finds CIA lawyer Owen pulled into a life-threatening espionage situation in South Korea, only to realize that the bigger danger just might be coming from inside the agency.
Cast
Noah Centineo obviously will be back as Owen, but Netflix hasn’t revealed whether Laura Haddock’s Max will appear in this next season. Confirmed returning cast members include Nathan Fillion as CIA Director Alton West along with Fidel Stewart, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Kaylah Zander, Maddie Hasson, Colton Dunn, Angel Parker, Kristian Bruun, and Jesse Collin.
Additionally, new cast members will include Teo Yoo and Young-Ah Kim as intelligence officers. Felix Solis will portray a senior U.S. diplomat, and James Purefoy will play a slightly shady and charming British business dude.
Release Date
Filming began in January, so viewers will hopefully see The Recruit return in late 2024.
Trailer
While we await a peek at the next season, here’s a compilation of action scenes, which are as amusing as they are filled with adrenaline.