MOVIE NEWS – Season 2 of The Night Agent is in the works, which raises the question of how many more Peter Sutherland stories Netflix has…
The Netflix series The Night Agent is based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Quirk. This begs the question of how many more Peter Sutherland stories there are that feature the character. After the fantastic success of the first season of the series – in the first half of 2023, the series was in first place among the most-watched TV series on Netflix – Night Agent was renewed for a second season.
There are plenty of popular series based on novels, and the Shawn Ryan-developed Netflix action-thriller series faces a particular challenge in that regard now that it’s returning for a new season.
The Netflix viewing figures for The Night Agent were very convincing. They made it clear why there would be a second season. Regardless, aside from the part where Peter gets his first official mission as an agent, the first season was relatively self-contained. He didn’t necessarily demand a continuation. The Night Agent novel was also intended to be a standalone Peter Sutherland story. But that won’t be the case with the Netflix adaptation now that the series is one of the streaming service’s most popular titles…
There is only one The Night Agent book
Matthew Quirk has only written one Night Agent book until 2024. The volume, published in January 2019, introduces the character of Peter Sutherland, the son of a disgraced FBI agent. He becomes embroiled in a grand conspiracy involving his father’s and the White House’s crimes. Although there are many differences between the Netflix series and the book, such as who was behind the subway bombing and how Peter learned the truth, the series was a relatively faithful adaptation of the source material.
The end of the first season perfectly sets up Night Agent to become an anthology series, in which Peter can work on a different case in each new season.
However, unlike the source material, the series’ Season 1 ending included a “sequel hook” that sets up Season 2. Given how successful the series has been for Netflix, it’s no surprise that it’s coming back for a new Season 2. Even if there won’t be a second Peter Sutherland book. Whether there will ever be a sequel to the novel has not yet been revealed. But Peter’s story continues beyond the subway bombing case in the Netflix series. This makes Season 2 of Night Agent more unpredictable.
Season 2 should be an original story
The Night Agent is one of the most recent examples of a successful book-to-film adaptation of an action thriller novel. However, unlike series like Reacher or Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, this one won’t have other books to work on.
In other words, Season 2 should be an original story that takes Peter and Rose on a new adventure that won’t be based on any previous source material.
The end of season 1 sets it up perfectly to be an anthology series. Peter can work on a different case or uncover a different conspiracy in each new season. This anthology structure worked very well for Jack Ryan and Reacher. It also applies here, even if there are no other books starring Peter Sutherland.
The story of The Night Agent Season 2 may benefit from the lack of specific source material behind it. This would set it apart from similar series such as Reacher. Trying to predict the story of a series based on the novels it’s based on can be fun. However, it can also make the end result more predictable and lead to tiresome comparisons between the adaptation and the source material. Peter’s story can go in many directions, and if the 2nd season is as successful as the first, the series could even become its own franchise…
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