Well, we have some bad news to share. The Night Agent will be without one of its major stars when the series returns for season 3.
In an interview with Deadline, Luciane Buchanan revealed she will not return for season 3 after starring as Rose Larkin in the first two seasons of the hit Netflix original series.
First, Brittany Snow. Now, Buchanan? What are they doing over there?
Gabriel Basso will return as Peter Sutherland in season 3, along with Fola Evans-Akingbola, Ward Horton, Albert Jones, David Lyons, Callum Vinson, Stephan Moyer, Genesis Rodriguez, and Jennifer Morrison.
There were question marks about Rose's place in season 3 following the season 2 finale. Production on season 3 wrapped this summer, and for those following closely, Buchanan was not in any of the set leaks or reports about the new season. She also wasn't part of the cast list. And, now, we know why.
Why Rose won't be in The Night Agent season 3
Buchanan shared a lot of information about her character's absence in the third season of the hit Netflix series in the Deadline interview.
"I won’t be returning to season 3 ofThe Night Agent. As much as that show has been so amazing, especially for my career — being a lead on a U.S. show from little New Zealand was such a whirlwind — the writers decided that they wanted to follow Peter and his journey based on what happened at the end of season 2. And so, we don’t get to see what happens to Rose, but I think it’s a really exciting time for the show, and who knows, it’s not a goodbye forever.”
Buchanan also revealed that she's known for a long time that she would not be returning for the new season.
“They called me not so long after season 2, and they were like, we’ve been trying to find a way to bring her in, but we want to do her character justice and not make her a sub-character. I totally respected that decision and agreed. I was like, if it makes sense for a story, I’ll do that. If it doesn’t, let’s not force that.”
For those who don't recall, Peter (Gabriel Basso) and Rose went their separate ways at the end of season 2 after saving New York City from a chemical terrorist attack. Peter is going undercover to try to take down Jacob Monroe (Louis Herthum) from the inside. There's definitely not a ton of room for Rose on that mission, unlike season 1 and season 2, where she was very central to the story.
I don't love the decision to craft this story without Rose. She was the catalyst in the first season, and she's been integral to the story so far. The show is obviously about Peter, but it just won't feel the same without Rose.
As Buchanan said, it doesn't seem like this will be the end of the story for Rose, though. I think we all know that Peter and Rose are endgame, so hopefully, they can figure out a way for her to return in future seasons. Even creator Shawn Ryan isn't ruling that out.
Here's what Ryan told Deadline about Buchanan's lack of involvment in season 3:
“I adore Luciane as a person and as a performer, and I don’t believe that this means we’re done telling the story of Peter and Rose. I hope circumstances ultimately allow for the return of Rose to our Night Agent universe.”
So, that's the good news about this situation. I do think it's a mistake to not find a place for a performer like Buchanan and a character like Rose, but that's not the story Ryan and the writers are interested in telling in season 3.
Should Peter survive season 3, there's no doubt that season 4 will happen. Maybe, that's when we'll see Buchanan return as Rose. It could even be seasons down the line. With that said, Buchanan just starred in Apple TV+'s Chief of War. There's a good chance she could book another big show or movie and be unavailable. You just never know how it's going to go in this industry.
As mentioned, The Night Agent season 3 finished filming this summer. Unfortunately, it's not coming to Netflix this year, but we are expecting the season to be ready to roll in January 2026. It could be later than that, but it should definitely drop in the first quarter of next year.
Stay tuned for more news about The Night Agent!