The Night Agent might look a little different in the future, according to Shawn Ryan, the creator of the hit Netflix original series.
Heading into The Night Agent season 2, which just premiered on Thursday, Jan. 23, Variety profiled Gabriel Basso, who stars as Peter Sutherland, the lead character in The Night Agent. In the interview, Basso revealed his plans to leave acting behind sooner rather than later. Ryan followed up with a massive reveal that the show could continue without Peter Sutherland as the focus should Basso choose to leave the profession behind.
Here's what Ryan told Variety:
"How long does Gabriel want to do the show? The show is called ‘The Night Agent.’ It’s not called ‘The Gabriel Basso Show.’ So there may be a time when he decides he wants to do something else, and there’s a different night agent.”
I mean, that makes the most sense, of course. There are TV shows where one star or character is integral to the show's success and simply can't continue without that character. I don't think The Night Agent is that show.
The Night Agent is based on the book of the same name by Matthew Quirk, but that story is largely told in season 1. The Night Agent season 2, which is officially the hottest show in the world right now, is a whole new story.
In many ways, season 2 peels back the curtain on what Night Agent is, who the Night Agents are, and how the organization works. I'm not saying that another actor could replace what Basso means to the series. If Peter Sutherland ever retired, moved on to a different part of life and wanted out of Night Action, or bit the dust on the job, there's reason to believe that Ryan and the team could focus on another Night Agent from the program and craft stories around a new character.
Would it be the best thing for the show? At this point, that's a strong no! With Basso and Luciane Buchanan, who stars as Rose, in lead roles, The Night Agent is one of the most popular Netflix shows of all time. While Rose is such an important character in this series and this might not be the "Gabriel Basso Show," it is the Peter Sutherland Show. And, that's why Peter is the best character in this show. Peter's story is the most important. The first two seasons revolve around Peter's past, Peter's choices, and Peter's goals. He's still motivated by redemption and not making the wrong choices, the ones his father made.
So, I agree with Ryan that the show could continue without Basso's character. It would not be hard for this great writing team to create a new Night Agent, but it might come at a price. Audiences have responded exceptionally well to Basso's Peter saving the day in the first two seasons. Cast shakeups, as we have seen many times, are not always as easy as they seem.
The good news is that we don't have to worry about that for a while, or ever! The Night Agent season 3 is officially in the works on Netflix. We don't know many details about the new season, but production has already started on season 3. We know Basso will be in season 3 with some new cast members, along with Fola Evans-Akingbola, who starred as Chelsea Arrington in season 1 and made a season 2 cameo. It's still unclear if Buchanan will return as Rose in season 3, but we'll just have to wait to find out.
If all goes well, The Night Agent season 3 should be released on Netflix next year! We'll share more updates about The Night Agent as we find out.