According to Deadline, Netflix has decided to pull the plug on The Recruit, ending the spy thriller starring Noah Centineo (Dream Scenario, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before) after just two seasons. The news comes less than six weeks after the second season premiered in late January. Deadline reports that the announcement was first made by Colton Dunn (Superstore, Big City Greens), who played Lester Kitchens in the series, via social media. Netflix later confirmed its decision.

Originally debuting in December of 2022, The Recruit was about Centineo’s character Owen Hendricks who was a rookie CIA attorney caught up in a high-stakes international conflict. The series was created by Alexi Hawley (The Rookie, The Following).

The show faced a two-year gap between seasons due to the writers’ strike, which may have impacted its momentum. Despite strong viewership numbers, it struggled to keep up with the popularity of another similar Netflix hit The Night Agent. While The Recruit saw an increase in views in its second week, it wasn’t enough to secure a third. Season 2 also consisted of just six episodes, a reduced number compared to the eight-episode first season.

In a January interview with Deadline, Hawley expressed optimism about the show’s future, saying “We’re waiting for Netflix to officially do their thing with it. There’s a lot of goodwill inside Netflix towards the show and towards Noah; I think they very much feel like Noah is a homegrown star, which he is. So I’m feeling super positive about it, as positive as you can feel in this town at this time.” To her surprise, that optimism did not translate into a renewal.

Still, despite its cancellation, The Recruit performed well on Netflix’s global charts, spending five weeks in the platform’s Top Ten in 88 countries.

The cast included Nathan Fillion (The Rookie, Castle), Vondie Curtis Hall (Chicago Hope, Justified: City Primeval), Fivel Stewart (Atypical, Umma), Aarti Mann (The Big Bang Theory, Never Have I Ever), Kaylah Zander and Teo Yoo (Past Lives, Love To Hate You), among many others.

While fans may be disappointed by the show’s abrupt ending, The Recruit remains a notable entry in Netflix’s lineup of espionage dramas, cementing Centineo’s position as a rising star in the genre.