While many Apple TV+ viewers enjoy Luciane Buchanan as the strong-willed Ka’ahumanu on the historical drama, Chief of War, others recognize her from her breakout role in Netflix’s espionage thriller, The Night Agent. According to Deadline, Buchanan will not return for the long-awaited third season of the action series.
In an interview with Deadline about Jason Momoa’s (Aquaman, A Minecraft Movie) epic depiction of Hawai’i’s civil war and fight against colonization, Buchanan revealed she will not return as Rose Larkin, the co-lead to Gabriel Basso’s (The Big C, The Kings of Summer) protective FBI agent, Peter Sutherland.
“As much as that show has been so amazing, especially for my career — being a lead on a U.S. show from little New Zealand was such a whirlwind — the writers decided that they wanted to follow Peter and his journey based on what happened at the end of Season 2. And so, we don’t get to see what happens to Rose, but I think it’s a really exciting time for the show, and who knows, it’s not a goodbye forever,” Buchanan told Deadline.
In the series, Basso’s Sutherland is a lowly rookie in the agency, with the sole job of monitoring a worst-case scenario phone in a basement. Unfortunately, one night, that phone begins to ring, sending him on a dangerous mission to protect Buchanan’s Rose from an insidious syndicate of rogue agents.
Creator and showrunner Shawn Ryan (The Shield, Timeless) explained to Deadline that each season was set to tell a new story within Peter’s journey. Season three’s narrative did not have a spot for his original companion. While Rose may not appear in the upcoming season, Ryan was not opposed to Buchanan returning for future seasons.
“I adore Luciane as a person and as a performer and I don’t believe that this means we’re done telling the story of Peter and Rose,” Ryan said via Deadline. “I hope circumstances ultimately allow for the return of Rose to our Night Agent universe.”
During the interview, Buchanan spoke about her Chief of War character and the similarities with Larkin. Both women find themselves placing their trust in others’ good intentions, despite warnings of potential harm. She spoke specifically about Ka’ahumanu in episode 7 of the series, in which siding with her husband regarding outsiders resulted in terrible violence and loss. She sees both Ka’ahumanu and Rose having to convince men to be “more critical”, but sometimes those plans go awry.
“Those are both fun things to play, and I really, really enjoyed it,” Buchanan said via Deadline.
Chief of War follows Momoa’s Ka’iana, a former war chief who resigned his position in the wake of a violent betrayal led by his king. When the same king believes he needs Ka’iana to fulfill a long-believed prophecy that will unite the four islands, it initiates a violent civil war. The internal strife is then complicated by the arrival of foreigners and the temptation of capitalism.
Despite no official word from Apple and it missing from Nielsen’s Top 10 streaming ranking, Buchanan is hopeful for a second season of Chief of War, according to Deadline.
“I love playing this character so much; there’s so much to be explored,” Buchanan told Deadline. “I think anyone who watched the show and has dug into the history will know that there are many, many more battles and betrayal and different things that happen in order for Kamehameha to unite these kingdoms. So there’s definitely more to be explored, and I am crossing my fingers. But at this point, I have no idea what’s going to happen.”
The season one finale of Chief of War arrives on Apple TV+ on Friday, September 19. Both seasons of The Night Agent are available on Netflix.