Netflix has decided not to move forward with a third season of The Recruit, the espionage drama starring Noah Centineo. The series, which premiered in December 2022, concluded its second season earlier this year.
Colton Dunn, who played Lester Kitchens, shared the news on Threads. “‘The Recruit’ has been canceled y’all. Such a bummer,” he 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!!”
Created by Alexi Hawley, The Recruit followed Owen Hendricks, a young CIA lawyer who became entangled in global conflicts after an asset attempted to expose her ties to the agency. The cast also included Aarti Mann, Fivel Stewart, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Kaylah Zander, Kristian Bruun, Angel Parker, and Jesse Collin.
Hypnotic and Lionsgate produced the series for Netflix, with executive producers including Centineo, Doug Liman, Gene Klein, David Bartis, Adam Ciralsky, Charlie Ebersol, and Julian Holmes. Directors for season two included Hawley, Holmes, Jessica Yu, Viet Nguyen, and John Hyams.
The second season took the story to Seoul, South Korea, where Hendricks found himself drawn back into high-stakes action. Teo Yoo joined the cast as Jang Kyun Kim, a role that Centineo praised. “Teo comes in and just elevates the series,” he said. “Korea is incredible. It adds such a wonderful layer to the show, new colors, and it’s a vibrant city, and it really shows in the second season.”
Netflix reported that season two reached 5.9 million views in its first four days, ranking second among English-language series on the platform during that period. It trailed only The Night Agent season two, which garnered 15.2 million views.
Centineo reflected on reuniting with the cast, emphasizing the bond among the actors. “Reuniting with the cast on a personal level was just so good,” he said. “They’re amazing people. We like each other, we love each other, we hang out with each other off set all the time.”
No specific reason was given for the cancellation. Renewals on the platform often depend on factors such as viewership numbers, production costs, and strategic content planning.
