Though network television’s May cancellation bloodbaths are still on the horizon, that doesn’t mean everything else on the small screen is guaranteed safety. Case in point: Netflix has pulled the plug on one of its higher-profile releases on the 2025 TV schedule, with Noah Centineo’s spy thriller The Recruit now going the way of the wooly mammoth. At least the axe dropped after fans got two full seasons though, which is a sentiment that creator Alexi Hawley shared in his response to the decision.
Co-Star Colton Dunn Reveals The Recruit Cancellation News
Studios, networks and streaming platforms are rarely quick and eager to go public with cancellation reports, and so it’s probably no surprise that The Recruit’s downer of an update didn’t come straight from the source, but from one of the show’s stars. Colton Dunn took to Threads to not only pass along the message, but also to amusingly cast a wide net for his next potential gig. In his words:
The Recruit has been cancelled yall. Such a bummer. I’ll share some pics and fun memories on IG but just wanted you to hear it from me. Thanks if you watched. I’m AVAILABLE NOW! Hire me for you tv story!!
Understandably, hearing the bad news from one of the actors does kind of make it all the more heartbreaking, since you just know he's feeling worse about it than any of us who watched from home are. But fans still shared their shocked and disappointed comments in the comments.
In fact — and this wasn't relegated to just the comments on Dunn's post — the Recruit fanbase has made a point of pointing fingers at Gabriel Basso's The Night Agent and saying that Netflix screwed the pooch by releasing sophomore seasons for two of its core government thrillers too close together. And it presumably didn't help that Night Agent's second season didn't spark nearly the same amount of positive criticism as the first.
Fan Reactions To The Recruit's Cancellation
- This was so much better than Night Agent!!! - @poisauce
- That is so NOT okay!!! Why does @netflix cancel all the amazing shows? So, we just never have any closure. What happend to Hannah. If he grows up or quits! This makes me society level angry! Yet , we pay $25 a month for Netflix now to watch old shows they bought from other networks. Cool. Actually, it is BS! Put me in charge! - @leannlay09
- Are you effin kidding me?!?! This show is brilliant! I’m sick and tired of them sucking us in to these amazing shows and then just cutting the cord out of nowhere Netfix - @hairbyerinmichelle
- That’s a bummer. Just watched the 2nd season last week! Season 2 didn’t miss a beat and was great pacing the whole time. Good luck to all impacted. - @icemasterberry
Creator Alexi Hawley Shares Emotional And Positive Response To Cancellation
As a creative behind Nathan Fillion's beloved crime procedural Castle, Alexi Hawley has some experience with highly disappointing TV cancellations, and losing The Recruit will certainly stack up high on that last throughout his career. When the show premiered in 2022, it was popular enough to knock Wednesday out of the #1 spot, but its stay on the streamer's Top 10 list was shorter for Season 2, which no doubt influenced the execs' decision to cancel it.
Hawley jumped onto BlueSky to share a lengthy and impassioned message with both the fans who watched and the talented people who helped make the show a success for its two seasons. He shared a truncated history of the project's journey from being pitched to USA to Centineo joining and Netflix picking it up, to the first season's difficult filming schedule and the second season's easier (though strike-delayed) production.
He summed it all up by saying he would love to have the chance to continue telling stories with these characters, and by continuing to promote the series as a good time for anyone who still hasn't yet given it a shot. As he put it:
Along the way, we shot inside the CIA, the State Department, and a nuclear submarine. We laughed on multiple continents and supported each other when crying was more appropriate. Is two seasons and a movie a thing? Cause we'd all be there in a heartbeat. If not, man, we left it all on the field. For those who haven't yet watched, dive in. I swear to God you'll enjoy the ride. In an age of shows that feel like homework, The Recruit is a blast that has stakes and humor and hardcore action which will keep you leaning forward.
At this point, it doesn't sound like any other streaming services or network studios have stepped up to potentially pick up The Recruit for a third season, but anything can happen.
Everyone with a Netflix subscription can still watch both seasons of The Recruit now just like Alexi Hawley asked, even if those in charge may not be paying that much attention to viewership numbers anymore. Sigh.
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