30-Episode Netflix Action Thriller Series Cracked The Code For Book Adaptations

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While Netflix’s action thriller series managed to pull off an incredible feat when it comes to page-to-screen adaptation, the streaming service doesn’t have a replacement for the show after its upcoming series finale. It is never easy to adapt a book to TV, whether creators are dealing with elaborate magic systems like SyFy’s The Magicians or complex in-universe worldbuilding, as was the case for Prime Video’s Lord of the Rings prequel The Rings of Power.

Even outside the lore-heavy worlds of fantasy and sci-fi, thriller novel adaptations can struggle just as much with their transition to the screen. Characters like Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent or Michael Connelly’s iconic detective Harry Bosch are lone wolves who don’t work well with others in their source novels, but the shows Will Trent and Bosch needed to alter this character detail so the strong, silent title characters would actually have some dialogue and character relationships.

However, the biggest challenge for screen adaptations of books always comes when shows run out of existing literary source material. Hulu’s dystopian show The Handmaid’s Tale faithfully adapted author Margaret Atwood’s novel in its first season, and spent the remaining five seasons telling an original story that expanded on the plot of the iconic book with new material. Similarly, Netflix’s The Night Agent lasted three successful seasons even after running out of source material.

Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland in The Night Agent

Based on author Matthew Quirk’s 2019 novel of the same name, The Night Agent season 1 introduced Gabriel Basso’s conflicted FBI agent Peter Sutherland as he investigates a mole within the US government. The show’s first outing was a massive hit for Netflix, joining Prime Video’s The Terminal List, Hanna, Citadel, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith to become part of the streaming era’s spy show resurgence.

However, there was another series that The Night Agent garnered even more comparisons to. With its irredeemably evil villains, fast-paced action, and escapist feel, The Night Agent was frequently called a masterpiece of “Dad TV” alongside Prime Video’s iconic Reacher franchise. The big difference was that every season of Reacher adapted a different book from author Lee Child’s extensive, ongoing novel series of the same name, whereas The Night Agent ran out of source material at the end of season 1.

Fortunately, The Night Agent seasons 2 and 3 not only managed to overcome this, but even earned better reviews than their predecessor when the show moved on from its original inspiration. With a shared Rotten Tomatoes critical rating of 86% compared to season 1’s 75%, The Night Agent was a hit with viewers even though the show now had to come up with its own storylines on the fly.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end and, rather than trying to drag the show out for as long as possible, Netflix opted to cancel The Night Agent after its upcoming fourth and final season. Compared to the Reacher franchise’s recent expansion, this pragmatic but unfortunate choice makes sense, since The Night Agent is more likely to struggle without any source material after a full two seasons of original stories.

However, while Prime Video had Reacher in the proverbial chamber after the streaming service canceled their earlier Tom Clancy adaptation Jack Ryan, Netflix doesn’t have a similarly crowd-pleasing thriller franchise ready to replace The Night Agent. Although Netflix does have Black Doves, that darkly funny British spy series is closer in tone to Apple TV’s comparatively grounded Slow Horses than The Night Agent.

When it comes to purely fun, fast-paced action thrillers, Netflix risks lagging behind Prime Video thanks to Reacher’s popularity. Thus, the ending of The Night Agent is both well advised and, simultaneously, somewhat ill-time for the streaming service.