The Recruit has been officially renewed for season 2. The Netflix series, which debuted on December 16, 2022, stars frequent Netflix collaborator Noah Centineo, who previously appeared in the rom-coms Sierra Burgess is a Loser, The Perfect Date, and the To All The Boys I've Loved Before trilogy. The series sees him trying out the action genre in the role of a new lawyer at the CIA who is unwittingly drawn into a web of intrigue. The series, which was created by Alexi Hawley, also stars Laura Haddock, Aarti Mann, Colton Dunn, Fivel Stewart, Daniel Quincy Annoh, Kristian Bruun, and Vondie Curtis-Hall.
Per Deadline, Netflix has renewed The Recruit season 2, just shy of six weeks after the release of season 1.
The series will pick up after the season 1 cliffhanger, which involved Centineo and Haddock's characters finding themselves in mortal danger. Centineo will return to reprise his role as well as resuming his duties behind the camera as executive producer for the season, which Hawley promises will "turn it all up to 11."
How Well The Recruit Performed Compared to Netflix's Other Top Series
In recent months, the streaming landscape has been shifting dramatically, leading to the cancelation of quite a few series. Given the fact that streaming services seem to be condensing their lineups, The Recruit must have shown strong numbers on Netflix's internal metrics in order to receive this renewal notice. Although the series naturally couldn't compete with the streamer's heavy-hitters like Stranger Things season 4, which premiered in two parts over the course of 2022 and became a cultural phenomenon, even causing the Kate Bush song "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" to go viral and chart on Billboard decades after its original release.
A recently released chart of the most-streamed series of 2022 saw the Netflix properties Stranger Things, Cocomelon, Ozark dominating the Top 5. However, non-original titles like Seinfeld, Grey's Anatomy, and Gilmore Girls also filled out the Top 10 because of viewers streaming them on Netflix. The Recruit did not make this list, but it did stay in the Netflix Top 10 English language series for the five weeks following its release. However, it was finally knocked off the chart this week by the release of the reboot series That '90s Show, which debuted at No. 5.
The Recruit premiered at No. 3 on the chart (behind holdovers Wednesday and Harry & Meghan at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively) and never rose higher than that. This is perhaps the reason Netflix took their time before announcing a renewal. However, clearly the numbers built over time to become strong enough that they are hoping the series will continue to rake in at least the same audience, perhaps even garnering a larger total for season 2 as more and more viewers catch up with the series now that the busy holiday season and Avatar: The Way of Water's dominance at the box-office on audiences has slowed.
Source: Deadline