Picture: Netflix
After 776 days (2 years and a month), The Recruit finally returned for its second season, albeit with only six episodes. Season 3 was definitely on the cards after that cliffhanger ending, but it won’t come. After we’ve been reporting on its disappointing viewing figures, the plug has officially been pulled on the series. Here’s everything we know.
The series returned amongst a busy January slate with two shows that could be argued to be working in favor of The Recruit (or against it, depending on your view). We’re referring to The Night Agent, which aligns with the same genre as The Recruit, so the thesis would be that audiences would bleed from one to the other. We’ve also had the return of XO, Kitty, which saw Centineo reprise his role from the To All The Boys movies, which would’ve put the actor freshly in the mind of most Netflixers when The Recruit’s poster popped up.
SPOILER: Season 3 is a must, given the explosive ending of another Nichka committing the shocking murder of CIA agent Dawn Gilane this season, having previously murdered her mother in season 1.
The Recruit Season 3 Renewal Status
Official Renewal Status: Canceled
In the weeks following The Recruit’s season 2 launch, we noted that viewership was probably not at the level needed to secure a renewal. The show coming back so much later than season 1 thanks to a prolonged strike that kept production from starting, likely was a main contributing factor.
On March 5th, actor Colton Dunn, who played Lester Kitchens, posted on the social media network Threads that the show had ended.
The Recruit has been cancelled yall. Such a bummer. I’ll share some pics and fun memories on IG but just wanted you to hear it from me. Thanks if you watched. I’m AVAILABLE NOW! Hire me for you tv story!!
Alexi Hawley posted a lengthy note on his social media upon the announcement of the cancelation:
A love letter to The Recruit…
It started with a conversation. A show about a CIA lawyer that wasn’t a law show. A fresh way into a spy series inspired by Adam Ciralsky, a former Agency lawyer turned force of nature. And the phrase that crystalized it all for me: “The CIA isn’t sexy, it’s the post office with secrets.”
We sold the pilot to USA Network. Where it died. But then the stars aligned in a way they never do. Doug Liman. Noah Centineo. And a new life at Netflix. The second script was easier to write than the first – which also doesn’t happen – but it’s a really good sign that the show works.
Practically, having Noah on board got us a greenlight. Creatively, the man is a straight-up movie star who elevates everything he touches. Emotionally, he was the best partner a guy could hope for. The rest of the cast was equally powerhouse: Vondie, Kristian, Colton, Laura, Fivel, Aarti, Maddie, Kaylah (and Teo, Young-ah, Do-Hyun and Sang-hee in S2).
Season One was rocky. There was a pandemic. Sets weren’t ready on time. Turns out Montreal is super cold in January. At one point we were shooting scenes from six different episodes at the same time to try and catch up. On paper, it should’ve been a disaster.But when we got to the editing room, there was magic in the footage. Joy and truth and bravery in the performances – brought to life by a crew and a cast that overcame every challenge, not always with a smile on their face, but with a belief that the show was worth the pain we were going through.
The cliffhanger was a ballsy move. Season Two wasn’t a sure thing. Completion rate was an early concern, ultimately overcome. Then, a joyous zoom and a greenlight. Back in the saddle again. A move to Vancouver. Eight episodes became six. We wrote, we scouted. And then the strike. A marathon that became a sprint into production. An experience in Vancouver that was as calm as S1 was chaotic.And then we went to Korea. A bunch of the cast, and a few dozen crew members flew to Seoul for a month to prep and shoot. We knew how special an experience we were having in the moment. How privileged we were to get to work with such phenomenal local cast and crew. Along the way, a family was created. In ways that are unique to Hollywood. The intensity of a shared, finite, creative experience. Equal parts vulnerable artistry and exhausting, rigorous work.
Along the way, we shot inside the CIA, the State Department, and a nuclear submarine. We laughed on multiple continents and supported each other when crying was more appropriate.
Is two seasons and a movie a thing? Cause we’d all be there in a heartbeat. If not, man, we left it all on the field. For those who haven’t yet watched, dive in. I swear to God you’ll enjoy the ride. In an age of shows that feel like homework, The Recruit is a blast that has stakes and humor and hardcore action which will keep you leaning forward.
Finally, to the cast and crew, thank you for giving the best of yourselves to this special show. I’m a better person for having spent time with you.– Alexi
Showrunner Hawley suggested that he was “super optimistic” about the future ahead of the cancelation, telling Deadline, “There’s a lot of goodwill inside Netflix towards the show and towards Noah [Centineo]; I think they very much feel like Noah is a homegrown star, which he is [having started on the streamer’s teen romcoms].” Hawley also confirmed that no writer’s room had been established yet, so he is awaiting good news on the viewership front.
How well did The Recruit season 2 perform on Netflix?
Using various sources, we can check exactly how well The Recruit Season 2 is performing, and it’s not looking good. Netflix was supposedly happy with the global top 10 viewing hours and views data following its initial release, saying on its TUDUM site that the show “hits its mark,” but that obviously didn’t tell the whole story.
In week 1, season 2 still clocked in substantially fewer views than season 1 (5.9M views vs 7.3M). Viewing hours are also substantially different, with season 1 pulling in 52.3M hours vs 31.8M, but that doesn’t take into account the shorter runtime. In that case, Season 2 should’ve gotten more views and the fact it didn’t suggests people didn’t want to dive back in.
The show featured in the top 10s for three weeks before dropping out:
| Week in Top 10 | Week Period | Hours Viewed | Views / CVE | Weekly Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 26th, 2025 to February 2nd, 2025 | 31,800,000 (New) | 5,900,000 | 2 |
| 2 | February 2nd, 2025 to February 9th, 2025 | 33,000,000 (+4%) | 6,100,000 | 2 |
| 3 | February 9th, 2025 to February 16th, 2025 | 17,700,000 (-46%) | 3,300,000 | 7 |
Compared to season 1, the show is really having trouble keeping up. In week 2 of season 1, the show saw a notable 83% bump in viewing numbers, but the same has not happened with season 2.
In our top 10 report for the week ending February 2nd, our data expert Frederic said, “The verdict seems clear: if The Recruit wasn’t renewed for two seasons right after its first one (and it appears it wasn’t), then it’s goodbye—since the renewal threshold is around 10M CVEs in 4 days.” That was followed up a week later comparing the show against all other season 2s and it continues to find itself in hot water:
Picture: Netflix n Chiffres
Our only optimistic data point so far is that season 1 returned to the global top 10 for three weeks, suggesting that people are either revisiting (unsurprising, given the length of time we’ve had to wait) or discovering the show for the first time.
How about other data sources? FlixPatrol data states that season 1 peaked in the top 10s with 770 points (if a title features in an individual country’s top 10, it picks up points depending on its position), whereas season 2 looks to have already peaked with 654 points. The show performs best on Netflix in the Nordics, Africa, Australia, and Southern and Eastern Europe. For Google Trends, we plotted The Night Agent (Red) against The Recruit (Blue), and it looks like The Recruit is seeing a decline slightly less here than The Night Agent, which has suffered a significant drop in viewership and interest.
Were you hoping Netflix gives the green light to The Recruit season 3? Let us know in the comments.
Rating: TV-MA
