The sophomore season of Netflix’s spy thriller The Recruit, starring Noah Centineo in the lead, arrived on Netflix on 30 January. As the young CIA lawyer strives to save the day, there is one burning question on every fan’s mind— is The Recruit season 3 in the works?
For context, viewers had to wait three years for The Recruit season 2. The second instalment sees the young CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks (Centineo) travel to South Korea and Russia as a mission, involving an NIS agent, spirals out of control.
With Owen saving the day yet again, it is now time to see if a possible The Recruit season 3 will see him back in action.
Is The Recruit returning for season 3?
Has Netflix announced The Recruit season 3?
While The Recruit is vying for a third season, Netflix has yet to officially announce its renewal.
However, it seems likely that the OTT juggernaut will renew it. After all, the streaming platform has been expanding its library of thriller series — The Night Agent season 2, for instance, arrived on 23 January 2025. Not to mention, The Recruit has garnered a high level of popularity. In fact, in the week of 20 – 26 January, The Recruit season 1 made an appearance on Netfllix’s Global Top 10 list. Season 2 will likely be dominating this chart for the weeks to come. Speaking of which…
How does The Recruit season 2 set up the show’s third season?
The Recruit season 2 follows Owen and his CIA colleagues Lester Kitchens (Colton Dunn) and Janus Ferber (Kristian Bruun) travelling to Seoul Korea to track a graymail. Their investigations lead them to NIS agent Jang Kyun (Teo Yoo), who seeks their help to save his wife Nan Hee (Lee Sang-hee) as she has been abducted by the Russians.
Owen uses Nichka (Maddie Hasson) as a valued CIA asset in Russia, but she has her own vile intentions. A flurry of events follows involving the Russian Coast Guard, CIA director Alton West (Nathan Fillion) and former Moscow station chief Dawn Gilbane (Angel Parker), leaving viewers on the edge of their seats.
However, in the end, Owen manages to rescue Nan Hee and presents Jang Kyun with two options — either the CIA could declare the couple dead and they start afresh in the US, implying he would be recruited as an asset, or they could return to South Korea where the NIS could charge them for treason. Jang Kyun takes the first option and shakes Owen’s hand.
Such an ending suggests that Jang Kyun could return in the third season, just as Nichka featured in the second season. The CIA, assuming Owen would fail in his mission and planning on making him a scapegoat for any fallout, will now have to make amends with him. Owen will also have to deal with the fact that Violet (Aarti Mann) tried to betray him.
What can we expect from The Recruit season 3?
Given the plot for the second season, it won’t be surprising to see creator Alexi Hawley rely on the tried yet tested formula of having Owen Hendricks track another graymail and investigate an operation riddled with dangerous global conspiracies for season 3.
Besides the protagonist and Jang Kyun, recurring characters like Lester, Janus, Walter Nyland, Amelia Salazar, Hannah Copeland and Terence Hoffman can be expected to return if The Recruit is renewed for season 3.
Watch The Recruit here
(Hero and featured image: Courtesy The Recruit/ Photo by Courtesy of Netflix – © 2024 Netflix, Inc./ IMDb)
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Trinetra is an ardent foodie and bibliophile who writes about films, travel, food and lifestyle. As a writer and literature student, slam poetry and storytelling are her go to jam. When not working, Trinetra is busy looking for her next place to visit or binge-watching Instagram videos for travel inspiration.
