As the year winds down, Netflix is still dropping major pieces of content. Just last week, the service dropped the new title The Recruit, a spy dramedy series starring Noah Centineo. The show has received mostly positive reviews from critics, and audience scores on certain aggregator sites are trending upward as well. This past weekend, the program even managed to hit the top of the streamer’s Top 10 list. Of course, Twitter can serve as a major gauge of viewer engagement, and fans have unsurprisingly taken to the platform to share their honest thoughts on the freshman series.
If the company isn’t already, Netflix will probably be pleased to know that a sizable number of the Twitter posts aimed at The Recruit are skewing positively. That has to be a relief for those involved in the production because, when something doesn’t doesn’t connect with an audience, they have no qualms about sharing negative feelings. But check out the positive sentiment that this one user shared:
Okay, this show is so good man. Just finished watching #TheRecruit, really impressed. 9/10 pic.twitter.com/lWRmSOnMkwDecember 16, 2022
The show, which was created by Castle and The Rookie producer Alexi Hawley, centers on Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo), a newly installed CIA lawyer. The well-meaning young man’s professional life quickly kicks into high gear after he crosses paths with an asset who wants to be exonerated from the agency. He’s subsequently thrust into a wild adventure that requires him to make difficult choices. As far as can be seen, not too many people have significant problems with the general premise. However, one user did pose a question about the pilot:
I wanna know how they trusted this 24 year old to handle this level of stuff on his first weeks on the job 😭 #TheRecruitDecember 18, 2022
That’s a fair question, but the storytelling decision doesn’t seem to have thrown off too many people. And something that doesn’t appear to be in question at this point is the performance of Noah Centineo. The actor has had a relationship with Netflix for several years now, as he starred alongside Lana Condor in the To All The Boys trilogy. Those films gained Centineo so much notoriety that one time, fans tracked his flight and followed him home. The reaction from one fan on Twitter opted to admire the star from a distance:
Noah Centineo looks finer as a CIA agent than he ever did as a high school heartthrob so thank you Netflix for setting him free #TheRecruitDecember 18, 2022
The 26-year-old actor is definitely one the come-up. Just a few months ago, he suited up as Atom Smasher in DC’s Black Adam and is set to appear in Jackie Chan’s The Diary. Many are clearly here for his rise in Hollywood and his work on the new show, as you can see in this next post:
the recruit was crazy crazy crazy noah centineo best man on earth i don’t make the rules pic.twitter.com/wdWxeWy0dQDecember 16, 2022
If there’s any common critique that some commentators do have about The Recruit, it’s the season finale. We won’t discuss spoilers here but, as you can imagine, the series treats viewers to a few last-minute surprises. As a result, some have apparently been left gathering their thoughts, like this one user:
the reveal at the end of the recruit pic.twitter.com/UwFL8RhGENDecember 17, 2022
It remains to be seen as to whether Netflix will renew the show. The strong critical performance and apparently steady viewership would have one assume that the future is bright. But then again, it’s hard to say what this cancellation-heavy streaming platform has up its sleeve. I suppose, in the meantime, both fans and the creatives behind the program will just revel in the positivity surrounding this inaugural season.
You can stream The Recruit by grabbing a Netflix subscription, and check out CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule for info on shows that are arriving in the coming year.
