Prior to December 2022, if you’d told me the bloke from To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before would be (partially) responsible for what is one of the most genuinely entertaining Netflix shows in recent memory, I would’ve accused you of taking the piss. Yet that’s precisely the case with The Recruit and, if all goes according to plan, the same will be said about The Recruit season 2.
The streaming giant’s spy-adventure drama tells the story of fledgling CIA lawyer, Owen Hendricks (Centineo), who is thrown into the deep end of complex geopolitics, government conspiracies, and deadly international assassins after a former asset, Maxine Meladze, threatens to expose her long-term relationship with the agency unless she’s exonerated through “graymail.”
While this may sound like a rather tired premise, I have to say, the execution is both a masterclass in crafting binge-worthy content, and entirely charming (hate to admit it but we’re Noah Centineo fans now). So why aren’t more people talking about it? Better question: where does it go from here? And by “here,” I mean that cliffhanger of a season 1 finale.
Here’s everything we know about The Recruit season 2.
Everything We Know About The Recruit Season 2
Has The Recruit season 2 been confirmed by Netflix?
On January 26th of 2023, Netflix confirmed The Recruit season 2 had officially been greenlit.
“I’m thrilled to dive back into the fun, funny, action-packed world of The Recruit,” said creator, executive producer, and showrunner Alexi Hawley in a statement (via Tudum).
“Seeing how invested our audience became in the show’s adventurous take on the spy world and Noah’s turn as Owen has been incredibly rewarding, and I can’t wait to turn it all up to 11 in Season Two.”
Noah Centineo, who’s also set to take on the role of executive producer for the sophomore instalment, added: “I know I speak for our entire cast and executive team at eOne and Netflix when I say that we are thrilled to be returning to The Recruit for a second season. I’m looking forward to seeing what Alexi Hawley has in store for us all.”
What will the second season of The Recruit be about?
In the final episode of the first season, ‘W.T.F.I.O.H.’ or ‘Who The Fuck Is Owen Hendricks?’, Owen is kidnapped right after he decides to walk away from his new job; and right before he meets his ex-girlfriend/roommate Hannah Copeland (Fivel Stewart) in Geneva.
Initially, we’re led to believe he was simply apprehended for a debrief by CIA field agent Dawn Gilbane (Angel Parker), who tracks him through the watch gifted by Maxine Meladze earlier on. When the bag is removed from his head, however, and Max is revealed to be tied in a chair next to him, it’s clear there’s a larger threat at hand.
Cue major plot twist: Karolina/Marta/Nichka Lashin, the Russian assassin and organised crime figure that’s been pursuing them, is actually Max’s daughter. But before the audience even gets a chance to let that one marinate, Karolina/Marta/Nichka Lashin executes Max with a gun.
The upcoming second season will need to address all of the above and plenty more, with specific regard to how Max fits in the bigger picture in play. Because as it stands, we’ve only been fed the topline elevator pitch.
Regardless of how the arc shapes up, you can rest easy knowing the vision won’t be compromised just to cater to the possibility of an extended run.
“I know things about where I would want to take it, and where I’d want to go with it,” creator, showrunner, and executive producer Alexi Hawley told Collider.
“I mean obviously, you hope for success, but as you could see with that ending, I didn’t plan for failure because I feel like in this day and age you just have to be bold, you have to be dramatic, to the expense of everything else.”
Hawley added: “And you can’t worry about season two, or season three, or beyond. You have to go, ‘What’s the best version of this story right now?’ And trust that people will come to it. And then you’ll get another shot at it.”
“You have to always try and make the most dramatic choice even if it’s hard, and even if it does leave you with a cliffhanger — even if it does turn the story 180 degrees, Hawley elaborated in conversation with Variety.
“Yes, you can worry about what happens after, but at the same time, I think you have to be bold, especially in this day and age where there’s 9,000 shows.”
Noah Centineo has also reassured the public it won’t escalate ridiculously into the territory of the blockbuster spy genre; remaining true to its lowkey and wit-based wheelhouse a la The Night Manager.
“If we were trying to do Bourne, it would have been sick to have all those gadgets and gizmos,” said Centineo (via IOL).
“But we’re just doing a show about a kid that wants to be a lawyer that gets thrown into the world of espionage, and I loved it for what it was.”
Incidentally, series director and executive producer, Doug Liman, actually helmed The Bourne Identity starring Matt Damon.
Do we know The Recruit season 2 cast members?
Aside from Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks (AKA the titular CIA recruit), you can expect the following cast members to return for Netflix’s The Recruit season 2:
- Aarti Mann as Violet Ebner
- Colton Dunn as Lester Kitchens
- Fivel Stewart as Hannah Copeland
- Daniel Quincy Annoh as Terence Hoffman
- Kristian Bruun as Janus Ferber
- Vondie Curtis-Hall as Walter Nyland
- Kaylah Zander as Amelia Salazar
- Angel Parker as Dawn Gilbane
In light of the season 1 finale’s drastic turn, you can also expect to see more Maddie Hasson as Karolina/Marta/Nichka Lashin and Kira Clavell as Hannah’s duplicitous mother Mei Copeland.
Despite the fact that Hasson’s Karolina shoots Max Meladze point blanc, there’s a good chance Laura Haddock will also return. Either in the form of backstory-building flashbacks or some form of deus ex machina justifying her survival a la Kingsman: The Golden Circle.
Max is, after all, an integral component of the series’ story and charm.
When is The Recruit season 2 release date?
Currently, The Recruit season 2 does not have an exact release date.
Assuming they get a move on with production soon, we can reasonably expect something between mid-2024 and late-2024.
Potentially even December next year to mirror the timeframe in which it debuted.
Is there a The Recruit season 2 trailer?
At this stage, similar to the release date, The Recruit season 2 doesn’t have a trailer. Yet. Standby.
In the meantime, revisit the season 1 trailer below.
