The Night Agent is Netflix’s new TV show darling – but it won’t surpass Stranger Things
Putting daylight between yourself and the competition
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Every so often, a new Netflix series comes out of nowhere and blows the competition away to stunning effect. ThinkStranger Things,Wednesday, andSquid Game, and you’ll get the idea.
Three months into 2023 andNetflixhas another unexpected TV-based success to add to that roster. Step forwardThe Night Agent, a politically-charged action thriller that stormed to the top of the Netflix TV charts less than a week after it debuted on the world’sbest streaming service.
Based on Matthew Quirk’s book of the same name,The Night Agentstars Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland, an FBI agent who becomes embroiled in a vast conspiracy at the heart of the US government. Cue a race against time to stop the mole leakinginteland potentially causing US society from collapsing in on itself.
As plot synopses go, it’s a simple one. Clearly, though, audiences have lapped up what’s on offer inThe Night Agent, with millions of viewers becoming absorbed in its cat and mouse-style narrative, shocking revelations, and suspense-filled teases that have left many on tenterhooks.
In fact,The Night Agenthas proven so popular that it’s only the second Netflix show to debut this year with a whopping 100 million-plus hours streamed.The Night Agentonly premiered on March 23 but, six days post-release, it’s accrued 168.7 million hours viewed (perNetflix’s Top 10 website).
Ginny and Georgiaseason 2 is the only English-language TV show to rack up more hours viewed in its first week this year – the comedy drama series amassing 180.4 million hours streamed during its opening week. On the non-English language front, revenge thrillerThe Glory(125.3 million hours streamed in its first week) is the only series to come close to matchingThe Night Agent’s impressive tally.
Considering thatThe Night Agenthas outperformed fan-favorite series likeYou(season 4 part 2 accumulated 92 million hours viewed in its first week) andOuter Banks(season 3 earned 154.9 million hours streamed during opening week), its success shouldn’t be dismissed so easily. Expect TheNight Agentto join that duo on ourbest Netflix showslist shortly.
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Even more impressively, The Night Agent’s opening week viewing figures were three times bigger than its nearest rival.Shadow and Boneseason 2, which landed on March 16, collected 55 million hours viewed in its second week on Netflix (read ourShadow and Boneseason 2 reviewwhile you’re here).Love is Blind season 4andWaco: American Apocalypse, which debuted alongsideThe Night Agent, performed terribly compared to the spy thriller – the pair racking up just 25.5 million hours and 21.5 million hours streamed respectively.
Analysis: a tough challenge to reach the top
Unexpected asThe Night Agent’s, well, overnight success has been, it’s unlikely to trouble Netflix’s most-watched original shows of all-time.
Stranger Thingsseason 4,Wednesday,Squid Game, andMonster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Storyracked up one billion-plus hours viewed each in the weeks after their respective launches. WithStranger Thingsseason 5,Squid Gameseason 2, andWednesdayseason 2, and a new installment in Netflix’sMonsterseries all in development, the next entry in each of these global hits is likely to surpass their predecessor in the viewership stakes.
The Night Agentmight be the latest TV darling to grace Netflix, but it’s got a huge fight on its hands to even come close to matching its contemporaries' viewing figures. Of course, the series could enjoy a bumper second week at the top of the charts, especially if Netflix users recommendThe Night Agentto their families, friends, and co-workers. Even with that word of mouth aid, though, we’d be surprised ifThe Night Agentmakes a major play for the Netflix TV show throne. Yes, it’ll continue to perform well for a couple more weeks, but it’ll need more traction among viewers to stand a chance of tackling Netflix’s most-streamed shows ever.
For more Netflix coverage, check out ournew Netflix movies,best Netflix movies, andbest Netflix documentariesguides.
As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.
Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.
Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.
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