Noah Centineo Addresses ‘The Recruit’ Cancellation

Noah Centineo is speaking out about The Recruit’s cancellation.

Netflix canceled the spy drama in March, just weeks after Season 2 dropped.

Centineo starred as CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks, and he told The Hollywood Reporter, “It is what it is,” in regards to the surprising cancellation. “Netflix, they have a certain mandate that they need to fill, and I’m very proud of the show, very grateful to our audience,” he said. “We have a pretty strong cult following. And with Netflix, it just didn’t really fit what it was that they needed, I suppose. And so onto the next, I guess.”

“I mean, I learned so much from Season 1 to Season 2. I really got to see behind the curtain of how a show gets made, and that to me was probably the most educational part of it, without a doubt,” Centineo continued. “And also having such a great cast.”

Created by Alexi Hawley, The Recruit centered on Owen Hendricks, who becomes involved in massive international conflicts after an asset tries to expose their relationship to the agency. Season 2, which cracked Netflix’s Top 10 TV chart, didn’t end on a cliffhanger, which was nice following Season 1’s cliffhanger. But that doesn’t mean that Hawley didn’t have plans for a third season. Although he didn’t share much, he told PopCulture.com he “definitely” has plans for a third season.

“Cliffhangers are bold choices, especially in the television landscape,” he explained. “I like the idea of ending the season with a feeling of satisfaction, whereas Season 1 was, which doesn’t mean that there’s not some stuff outstanding going into, hopefully, Season 3. But, yeah, cliffhangers are a lot, and especially in the streaming world, they’re just they’re dangerous because the last thing you wanna do is end up with your audience not seeing what happens next.”

Also starring Laura Haddock, Aarti Mann, Colton Dunn, Fivel Stewart, Daniel Quincy Annoh, Kristian Bruun, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Kaylah Zander, Maddie Hasson, Angel Parker, and Teo Yoo, The Recruit premiered in December 2022. Netflix renewed the series for a second season a month later, which premiered in January. A reason for the cancellation is unknown, but both seasons had strong reviews and ratings, but in this day and age, no show is safe no matter how popular and successful.