The Recruit (American TV series)

Last updated

The Recruit
The Recruit (2022 TV series) Title Card.png
Genre
Created byAlexi Hawley
Starring
Music byJordan Gagne
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Hadi Nicholas Deeb
  • Agatha Barnes
  • Marc David Alpert
Production locations
Cinematography
Editors
  • Damien Smith
  • Adrienne McNally
  • Sang Han
Running time50–58 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Netflix
ReleaseDecember 16, 2022 (2022-12-16) 
present (present)

The Recruit is an American spy adventure television series created by Alexi Hawley for Netflix. The show follows Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo), a CIA lawyer who becomes involved in massive international conflicts with dangerous parties after an asset tries to expose her relationship to the agency. The series was released on Netflix on December 16, 2022. In January 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.

Contents

Synopsis

Fledgling lawyer Owen Hendricks, who has just started working for the CIA, has his life turned upside down when he encounters an Eastern European asset who threatens extortion if she is not freed from prison. As her long-term relationship with the CIA is revealed, he becomes entangled in convoluted international politics. Hendricks negotiates with the asset and finds himself at odds with menacing individuals and groups, risking his life as he tries to fulfill his duties.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

Each episode of The Recruit bears CIA-like initials in its title. The codes, which are not unlike the multitude of initials for different divisions and projects that Owen Hendricks must understand in his role within the agency (codes Owen acknowledges at one point he has trouble keeping up with), represent a line of dialogue from their respective episodes. [4] [5]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"I.N.A.S.I.A.L." Doug Liman Alexi HawleyDecember 16, 2022 (2022-12-16)
Title meaning: "I'm Not a Spy, I'm a Lawyer"
2"N.L.T.S.Y.P."Doug LimanAlexi HawleyDecember 16, 2022 (2022-12-16)
Title meaning: "Never Let Them See You Pucker"
3"Y.D.E.K.W.Y.D." Alex Kalymnios Alexi Hawley & George V. GhanemDecember 16, 2022 (2022-12-16)
Title meaning: "You Don't Even Know What You Do"
4"I.Y.D.I.A.A.C."Alex KalymniosAmelia RoperDecember 16, 2022 (2022-12-16)
Title meaning: "If You Do It as Anderson Cooper"
5"T.S.L.A.Y.P."Emmanuel Osei-KuffourHadi Nicholas DeebDecember 16, 2022 (2022-12-16)
Title meaning: "That Sounds Like a You Problem" (Technically, Owen says, "Wow, sounds like a you problem".)
6"I.C.I.N.C."Emmanuel Osei-KuffourNiceole R. LevyDecember 16, 2022 (2022-12-16)
Title meaning: "I'm Clenching, I'm Not Clenching"
7"I.M.F.T.B.S."Julian HolmesMaya GoldsmithDecember 16, 2022 (2022-12-16)
Title meaning: "It's My First Time Being Sexpionaged"
8"W.T.F.I.O.H."Julian HolmesAlexi HawleyDecember 16, 2022 (2022-12-16)
Title meaning: "Who the Fuck Is Owen Hendricks?"

Production

Development

It was announced that Netflix acquired an unnamed espionage drama on April 28, 2021, with Entertainment One backing the production. [6] [7] [8] Dubbed Graymail, the project was created by Alexi Hawley, executive producer of several popular procedural drama series, such as Castle , The Rookie , and its spin-off. [6] [7] [9] [10] Hawley again served as executive producer as well as showrunner. Alongside Hawley, Noah Centineo; Doug Liman, Gene Klein, and Dave Bartis of Hypnotic; and Adam Ciralsky and Charlie Ebersol of P3 Media also joined the project as executive producers. [11] [12] [13] The project was set as an eight-part one-hour television series. [8] [12] [14] It was unveiled on September 28, 2022, that Hawley, George Ghanem, Amelia Roper, Hadi Deeb, Niceole Levy, and Maya Goldsmith served as the series writers. Meanwhile, Doug Liman, Alex Kalymnios, Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr., and Julian Holmes directed the episodes. [15] On January 26, 2023, Netflix renewed the series for a second season. [16]

Casting

When the production was announced on April 28, 2021, Centineo was unveiled as the lead character of the series. [6] [8] More castings were revealed on November 12, 2021, with Aarti Mann, Daniel Quincy Annoh, Vondie Curtis Hall, Kristian Bruun, Laura Haddock, Colton Dunn, and Fivel Stewart joining the main cast. [11] [12] [14] [17] In addition, Byron Mann, Angel Parker, and Kaylah Zander were also announced in recurring capacities. [11] [12] [18] On December 19, 2023, Teo Yoo was cast as a new series regular for the second season. [1] On January 25, 2024, James Purefoy, Brooke Smith, Devika Bhise, Felix Solis, Young-Ah Kim, Do Hyun Shin, Sanghee Lee, Omar Maskati, and Alana Hawley Purvis joined the cast in recurring capacities for the second season. [2]

Filming

Principal photography for the first season took place in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec and Los Angeles, California, on October 25, 2021, [9] [10] [18] and wrapped on March 28, 2022. [18] Filming for the second season began on January 4, 2024, and is taking place in Vancouver, Canada, and Seoul, South Korea. [19]

Release

The Recruit premiered globally on Netflix on December 16, 2022. [13]

Marketing

The series was promoted during Netflix's TUDUM Global event on September 24, 2022, on YouTube. [17] [13] [20] Additional info, including its release date and official title, were unveiled at the official website of the event. [13] [14] [21] [20] [22] [23] The first official trailer for the series was released on YouTube on November 16, 2022. [24]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 68% approval rating, with an average rating of 7/10, based on 31 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Recruit may not be the freshest chip off the old block, but it employs Noah Centineo's considerable charms to highly watchable effect." [25] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the show a score of 59 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [26]

Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times gave the series 3 out of 4 stars and said, "Noah Centineo makes a likable lead on the flashy, funny series." [27]

Notes

  1. Known as Entertainment One for the first season

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References

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