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Movie and television's history with cop dramas and spy thrillers is patchy, to say the least, with many of the genre's 21st Century outings releasing to mixed reviews both publicly and critically. Despite this, detective-based thrillers have an almost unbreakable bond with screen culture, dating back to the noir capers of early Hollywood that set the precedent for many movies to come. In 1941, John Huston released the now legendary The Maltese Falcon, which is widely considered the first major noir film. This film showed just how successful the genre could be, all whilst working with a small budget which made it particularly attractive to production companies and executives. Nevertheless, the history of crime thrillers is looked back on more fondly than it seems to be received today, making it one of the hardest genres to break into with critical success. Network procedurals like S.W.A.T. have become the norm within the genre in recent years, although shows like The Killing and films like the Bourne series are showing what can be done technically to bring back some of the crime genres' early successes.
One of these shows tipped to bring critical acclaim back to the genre is The Recruit. Having impressed conceptually before it had even been titled, production companies battled fiercely back in April 2021 in an attempt to acquire the rights to it. Netflix won this battle, and soon named it The Recruit and pinned it as one of the crime genre's leading lights as we near the end of 2022. With all that being said, and understanding just how excited fans are for this release, here is a comprehensive look at exactly everything we know about The Recruit.
Editor's Note: This article was last updated on December 9.
Is There A Trailer For The Recruit?
All good shows will often have a great trailer and, fortunately, The Recruit seems no different. Netflix has a fantastic track record when it comes to releasing tantalizing trailers for their upcoming shows and, as can be seen below, The Recruit’s trailer hits all the right notes.
With a score, composed by Jordan Gagne (The Rookie), that uses staccato strings like panicked blinks of terror, the trailer oozes a sense of tension that is crucial to this genre of storytelling. Despite this and somewhat surprisingly, an exceptional element of the trailer is its witty dialogue. Even in moments of real danger, Noah Centineo’s Owen Hendricks seems the epitome of suaveness, illustrated in his hilarious response when questioned, “You do know bullets go through metal, right?”. Fans, before this trailer had been released, were already excited for The Recruit’s debut, but it seems now the anticipation is hotter than ever.
During Brazil's Comic-Con Experience (CCXP) 2022, a new clip from the show was released as well, which you can see below:
Where And When Can I Watch The Recruit?
It will come as no surprise to learn that a Netflix show will be released on Netflix, and it seems this will be the only platform that the episodic adventure can be streamed on. That being said, many of these limited series will receive box-set releases once the show has been out for a short time, so fans who don't have Netflix need not be too alarmed. There has been plenty of speculation surrounding the release date for the series, however, Netflix has since confirmed that it will hit their platform on the 16th of December 2022. Although nothing to do with Christmas, this may just make the perfect present for the countless fans who can't wait for the show to launch.
How Many Episodes Will The Recruit Be?
When delving deep into a tense and gripping series, fans can often feel like they don't want it to end and, when it inevitably does, it can feel like the end of the world. So, in order to prepare for this moment, it is important to know exactly how many episodes there will be. It has been confirmed that the limited series will receive a total of eight hour-long episodes. Eight hours of Noah Centineo is sure to get the fire burning inside of those who were already excited about this release.
What Is The Recruit About?
The official logline for the show reads:
"(The Recruit) follows a lawyer at the CIA who gets entangled in dangerous international power politics when a former asset threatens to expose the nature of her long-term relationship with the agency."
This logline sounds exactly like the sort of plot expected from a show within this genre, and that is a recipe for success in the eyes of fans. Combine this with the tense plot threads teased in the trailer and the brewing anticipation for this show could be about to boil over.
Who Is In The Recruit?
A common theme that runs through most of Netflix's most successful series is a strong ensemble cast that endears themselves to audiences. This will seemingly be no different when The Recruit finally airs. As mentioned previously, the show is fronted by Noah Centineo (The Perfect Date). Noah is having quite the 2022, also playing Atom Smasher in the recently released DC Comics blockbuster Black Adam starring alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Of course, although a brilliant performer, on his own Centineo, wouldn't be able to bring this show to life, and, luckily, the rest of the cast is just as strong. Also starring in the series are Laura Haddock (White Lines) as Max, Aarti Mann (Never Have I Ever) as Violet, Daniel Quincy Annoh (Americanah) as Terence, and Vondie Curtis Hall (Harriet) as Walter Nyland. The cast list doesn't end there, with a plethora of acting talent all taking part in what is shaping up to be one of Netflix's most unmissable shows of December.
Who Is Making The Recruit?
With shows that are so genre-specific, it is often crucial to not just get the cast right, but also the crew, and to curate a team that has experience within said genre. Sometimes when makers of other genres transition into a new one it can have a detrimental effect on the overall quality of the piece, but, thankfully, in the case of The Recruit, the show is in safe hands. Creator Alexi Hawley has a fantastic filmography, having been a producer and showrunner on the likes of The Rookie, The Following, and Castle. As well as this, series director Doug Liman has a myriad of successful credits to his name, having worked on the likes of Edge of Tomorrow, Suits, and The Bourne Identity. With such great names and many others working on this series, and with a strong cast having been assembled, it seems almost definite that this show is going to not just meet the expectations of fans but possibly exceed them.