Netflix's 'The Night Agent' returns for season 3 and delivers a slow burn spy thriller that satisfies rather than stuns

Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland in episode 303 of "The Night Agent." — (Image credit: Christopher Saunders/Netflix)

Tom's Guide Verdict: "The Night Agent" season 3

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Verdict: "The Night Agent" season 3 might fail to eclipse its competition in the spy thriller genre, but it's still a well-made spy thriller. That means it's still largely enjoyable for those who like a dark conspiracy, a car chase and more than a few gunfights. As a Netflix show, it's also designed to deliver a satisfying binge-watch, and while the pacing struggles at times, you'll always find yourself wanting to watch what's next.
Premiere date/time: All episodes streaming now
Where to watch: Stream all 10 episodes on Netflix

"The Night Agent" season 3 just dropped on Netflix in its entirety. That's 10 hours of a brooding Gabriel Basso uncovering a dark conspiracy for you to binge-watch, and if you're hoping for more of what made the past two seasons such a hit, you won't be disappointed. Much like its fellow spy or crime thrillers — "Cross," "Reacher" or even "Slow Horses" — this show finds a formula that works and sticks with it.

But make no mistake: "Slow Horses," this show is not. None of the other shows in the genre can touch the Emmy-nominated British spy thriller, either, but I'd argue "The Night Agent" falls short of even Prime Video's "Reacher," which is the closest to this Sony-produced Netflix original in terms of tone and target audience. The storylines just aren't quite as inspired, Gabriel Basso isn't quite as charming and deadly as Alan Ritchson and the pacing isn't quite as well-executed.

Then again, it never has been. This show has always been the B-team in terms of quality, but it makes up for it by being perfect for the Netflix algorithm. It's designed to be a satisfying binge-watch that will have you wanting to watch the next episode time and time again. On that front, there's no denying "The Night Agent" season 3 succeeds, in no small part due to a few new characters.

'The Night Agent' adds new friends and foes, and two rise above the rest

In season 3, Night Action agent Peter Sutherland (Basso) is tasked with another mission that holds the fate of the United States in its hands. A FinCEN agent, Jay Batra (Suraj Sharma), has allegedly killed his own boss and run off to Istanbul with stolen documents, and Peter needs to bring him in by any means necessary, but with very little support.

The Night Agent: Season 3 | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube

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Peter finds Jay relatively fast, and just as fast, he learns that Jay's dead boss is just the tip of the iceberg. Jay's research has found a chain of illicit payments that could be funding a terrorist who just shot down a commercial airliner. Turns out that's only part of it; one of the people involved is the intelligence broker Jacob Monroe (Louis Herthum), who has Peter in his pocket after the events of season 2.

From there, we're thrust into a deadly game that eventually extends beyond Peter's conflict with Monroe. There's multiple players involved: The LFS, a terrorist organization run by Raul Zapata, Monroe, who has a checkered past with Zapata, the bank that helps fund them both and Peter, who's now caught in the middle of it along with Jay and Isabel (Genesis Rodriguez), an intrepid journalist who Jay tried to give the documents to in Istanbul.

But there are also two characters that elevate season 3 whose allegiances are more cloudy. In a season that sometimes drags with its pacing and desire to focus on the past as much as the present, these two had me perking up every time I saw either come on screen.

First is Adam (David Lyons), a former associate of U.S. President Hagan's, who is brought in by the president to work with Peter on the investigation into Zapata and Monroe. But he's also there to keep an eye on Peter for Hagan, and you can't help but shake the feeling he's there to eliminate Peter if necessary.

Stephen Moyer as The Father in episode 302 of "The Night Agent." — (Image credit: Courtesy of Netflix)

Then there's "The Father." We never learn this character's name, but we don't need to know it to find him fascinating. He's a hitman working for one of the aforementioned parties, though we don't learn who until almost the very end. He's highly professional ... except that he brings his son with him, leaving him in hotels and campsites to learn from homeschooling workbooks and play PlayStation games while the Father goes out and kills people for money.

That, unsurprisingly, causes complications as the season goes on, and as we learn more of the Father's backstory, it's equally intriguing and horrifying. But the high point of his arc is when he's interrogating Peter in a scene that is on par with any supervillain's interrogation of a hero on screen. I'd honestly have taken an entire series about this character, but I'll settle for just these 10 episodes of "The Night Agent."

Verdict: 'The Night Agent' season 3 is bingeable if nothing else

"The Night Agent" season 3 is not my favorite season of a show I've watched this year (and I've watched several already). In fact, it's currently at the bottom of my list, though thankfully, I've yet to watch a bad season of TV so far this year.

That's the thing with this show. It is well-made. It's competently crafted. It's not the best thing you've ever watched, but you are satisfied after watching it. The closest comparison I can think of is to call it the fast food of spy thrillers. It's not as good as the Michelin-starred prestige shows, but sometimes, all you're looking for is a burger (or several burgers) and fries to binge on while you veg out on the couch. That is the type of spy thriller "The Night Agent" has always been, and the type of spy thriller it remains in season 3.

So if you've liked "The Night Agent" in the past, season 3 is a must-watch for you. I'd argue it's the best of the series so far. You might zone out a couple of times, including an episode that's almost entirely flashback in the middle third of the season. But you'll always hit play on the next episode, and sometimes, that's all you need.

"The Night Agent" season 3 final rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

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Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made.

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