Warning: Major spoilers for The Night Agent season 2 below!The Night Agenthas often been compared to classic real-time thriller24- and those similarities are only going to be amplified by the upcoming third season.The Night Agent’sseason 2 endingset up a whopper of a cliffhanger, as Peter (Gabriel Basso) learned he was directly responsible for helping a puppet President get elected.The upcomingNight Agentseason 3will thus see Peter heading undercover with sinister “intelligence broker” Monroe (Louis Herthum)to discover just how deep his ties to the new POTUS go.
WhenThe Night Agentdebuted, it was labeled as Netflix’s answer to24. It was easy to see the comparisons too, with both featuring relentless heroes battling political conspiracies, in addition to featuring shocking deaths and plot twists. The biggest differences come down to the personalities of their leads. Kiefer Sutherland’sJack Bauer is a seasoned vet who will cross moral lines to save lives, while Peter is often wrestling with the ethics of his actions. This givesThe Night Agentan extra layer of tension, as audiences hope Peter won’t lose his moral code for the job.
The Night Agent Season 2’s Final Hagan & Monroe Scene Explained By Showrunner: “It Portends Great Conflict”
The Night Agent showrunner explains Hagan and Monroe’s partnership in season 2 finale, hinting at chaos and conflict for Peter in season 3.
The Night Agent Has A Lot In Common With 24
It’s hard to think of a plotline 24 didn’t cover at some point
The original series of24ran for eight seasons, so combined with 2014’s limited revivalLive Another Dayand spinoffLegacy, the show covered a lot of ground. The accelerated pacing of the thriller meant it burned through plotlines quickly, with Jack often facing multiple threats over a single day.The Night Agentseason 1 saw Peter and Rose (Luciane Buchanan) preventing the assassination of the President - a task Jack himself performed more than once.
The Night Agent’sPresident Travers is played by Kari Matchett, who also played Lisa Miller during24season 6.
The driving threat ofNight Agent’ssecond year involves a lethal gas dubbed K.X., which the villains plan to unleash inside the UN headquarters. Nerve gas was one of the big threats of24season 5, while the UN headquarters played a major role in the final series.Both shows also feature their heroes having to go rogue to get things done- though Peter usually does this as a last resort, while Jack seems to prefer working that way.
Action is also a driving element for24andThe Night Agent, and it’s rare for an episode to go by without a shootout or a foot chase. Most of these comparisons are surface level though, and could apply to any number of spy series or movies. Still,it’s easy to see how Netflix’sNight Agentis filling a void for24devotees.
The Night Agent vs. 24 - Which Show Is Better
Who wins when it comes down to Kiefer Sutherland vs Peter Sutherland?
The Night Agenthas become one of Netflix’s most watched programmes, and reviews for both seasons have largely been positive. The show is certainly an absorbing thriller, but doesThe Night Agentbeat out24? Considering the latter began back in 2001, it can look and feel dated to modern eyes - especially in terms of tech or its usage of torture as a plot device. The show could also get pretty ludicrous at times, especially in later series. Still, the real-time format, its intensely cinematic feel and the great cast - led by Kiefer Sutherland - mean24is the superior show.
It’s one of the best thrillers that has ever aired on televison, and while the quality could be inconsistent, even its lesser seasons are incredibly watchable.The Night Agentlacks24’sharsher edges and doesn’t have the same sense of urgency. For instance,the nerve gas plotline in24felt like a driving threat, whereas the K.X. only becomes a problem duringNight Agent’sfinale.Even then, it’s resolved fairly easily. Again, having Peter at the start of his spy career makes for a unique contrast to24, andNight Agentfeels like a spiritual prequel in some ways.
The Night Agent’s Comparisons To 24 Will Only Get Worse In Season 3
It’s Peter and Night Action vs The White House
The big twist ofThe Night Agent’sseason 2 finale has upped the stakes immensely. President Hagan (Ward Horton) is in the pocket of Monroe, who will now have unlimited access to classified information. Using Hagan, Monroe will get to shape the nation’s agenda - which can only mean bad things.Having Peter and Night Action going against the White House is only going to invite further comparisons to24though, since Jack’s battles with President Logan (Gregory Itzin) made up one of the best seasons of the show.
Rob Heaps
Tomas Bala
The difference is that24withheld the reveal that Logan was the main villain for most of season 5, whereasThe Night Agentis making it clear Hagan is corrupt right up front. This setup could make for the most stressful season ofThe Night Agentyet since Peter’s new foe is literally the most powerful man in the country. As24proved, it’s still a fight that can be won.
The Night Agent
Cast
The Night Agent is a suspenseful thriller in which a dedicated FBI agent becomes embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy after answering an emergency line call. Set against the backdrop of political intrigue, the agent uncovers a mole within the White House, posing significant risks to national security.
24: Legacy
A spin-off of the original drama-thriller series on Fox, 24: Legacy follows a new protagonist, a former Army Sergeant named Eric Carter, who has returned from duty only to discover that a terrorist organization is hunting down him and his team. Having taken a flash drive with sensitive criminal information from them, the cell will stop at nothing to get them back. To survive and stop a colossal incoming threat, Carter reaches out to the CTU, the agency Jack Bauer worked for, to help him complete his new mission.
