It’s mission aborted for The Recruit, with Netflix officially pulling the plug on the Noah Centineo-led spy thriller after two seasons. The news was first revealed by Colton Dunn, who played CIA agent Lester Kitchens, in a candid post on Threads.
“The Recruit has been cancelled y’all. Such a bummer,” Dunn wrote. “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 your TV story!!”
Showrunner Alexi Hawley Reflects on The Recruit’s Journey
Series creator Alexi Hawley took to Bluesky to bid farewell to The Recruit, reflecting on its journey from concept to cancellation. The show began with a fresh take on the spy genre—“The CIA isn’t sexy, it’s the post office with secrets”—but struggled to find a home, first landing at USA Network before Netflix gave it a second chance.
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Hawley credited Noah Centineo as a key reason the show got made, calling him a “straight-up movie star who elevates everything he touches.” But the production was anything but easy. Season one was plagued by pandemic delays, at one point requiring the team to shoot scenes from six different episodes at once. “On paper, it should’ve been a disaster,” Hawley admitted, but instead, “there was magic in the footage.”
Season two wasn’t guaranteed either. “The cliffhanger was a ballsy move,” he noted, but after a “joyous Zoom and a greenlight,” they were back. The production moved to Vancouver, was cut from eight to six episodes, and then hit a roadblock with the strikes. Then came Seoul, where much of the cast and crew spent a month filming. “We knew how special an experience we were having in the moment,” Hawley wrote, calling the opportunity to work with local talent a privilege.
With The Recruit now cancelled, Hawley asked: “Is two seasons and a movie a thing? ‘Cause we’d all be there in a heartbeat.” If not, he said, “Man, we left it all on the field.”
For those who haven’t watched yet, he urged: “Dive in. I swear to God you’ll enjoy the ride.” And to those who made the show happen, he left a final message: “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.”
A Strong Start, But an Uncertain Future
The Recruit debuted in December 2022, following Centineo’s Owen Hendricks, a rookie CIA lawyer who quickly found himself entangled in high-stakes espionage. The second season, which arrived over two years later in January 2025, saw Hendricks navigating another chaotic mission—this time in South Korea—where he took on the Yakuza, outwitted the CIA, and brokered a deal with a new recruit, Jang Kyun (Teo Yoo).
Despite earning a spot in Netflix’s Top 10 TV Shows upon its return and boasting a solid 83% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, The Recruit struggled to carve out its own identity amid the streaming giant’s crowded thriller lineup. Many fans pointed out the unfortunate timing of its release so soon after releasing the second season of The Night Agent, another espionage series that dominated the charts and may have overshadowed The Recruit‘s momentum.
“Whoever decided to release #TheNightAgentS2 & #TheRecruit within a month of each other needs firing,” one frustrated viewer posted on X. Another posted, “I was worried earlier this year when it was released in the same time window as night agent [sic], I guess suspicion confirmed.”
A Bittersweet Farewell
Centineo, who served as an executive producer on the show, previously spoke about the tight-knit cast and the energy they brought to season two. “Reuniting with the cast on a personal level was just so good,” he said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in February. “They’re amazing people. We like each other, we love each other, we hang out with each other off set all the time.” He also praised Yoo’s performance, saying, “Teo comes in and just elevates the series. It felt really, really good to do, and Korea is incredible. It adds such a wonderful layer to the show, new colors, and it’s a vibrant city.”
While Netflix hasn’t provided an official reason for the cancellation, industry trends suggest a mix of performance metrics, audience retention, and budget considerations likely played a role.
Whether Netflix decides to give fans a feature-length continuation/proper ending remains to be seen, but for now, it’s case closed for Owen Hendricks’ time at the CIA.
