Has ‘The Recruit’ Been Renewed for Season 3?

With a gap spanning more than two years between its first and second seasons, The Recruit finally returned to screens with its sophomore season on January 30, 2025. Although the season had been intended to release much earlier, Hollywood’s strikes and Netflix’s post-production process delayed the release of the season. However, this delay only contributed to steadily building fan anticipation for Season 2. Especially given that Season 1 ended on the most thrilling cliffhanger, audiences were eager to see where The Recruit Season 2 would take them.

Noah Centineo reprises his role as young CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks, the titular character of the series. Centineo is joined by both familiar and unfamiliar faces, with some of the former including Vondie Curtis-Hall as Walter Nyland, Aarti Mann as Violet Ebner, Colton Dunn as Lester Kitchens and Maddie Hasson as Nichka Lashin. The new season, which sees Owen become entangled in a dangerous game of international politics, was well-received by both critics and viewers. The series boasts a proud 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, and holds a 77% audience rating.

Has ‘The Recruit’ Been Renewed for Season 3?

Given the success of Season 2, and the gripping note that the latest season concluded on, all signs indicate that The Recruit may be renewed for yet another season. However, at the time of writing, Netflix has not provided any official confirmation regarding a third season for The Recruit. Nonetheless, it should be noted that it has been less than a month since Season 2 was released, and Netflix has a penchant for analyzing viewership data over several weeks or months before committing to a renewal.

Spelling more good news for The Recruit, series creator Alexi Hawley has also expressed that he has plans for yet another season and is feeling “super positive” about the show being renewed for Season 3. Speaking to Deadline, and answering a question regarding the potential for a third season, Hawley said:

“We’re waiting for Netflix to officially do their thing with it. There’s a lot of goodwill inside Netflix towards the show and towards Noah; I think they very much feel like Noah is a homegrown star, which he is. So, I’m feeling super positive about it, as positive as you can feel in this town at this time.”

What Could ‘The Recruit’ Season 3 Be About?

The Recruit Season 2 saw Owen push himself to the limits. The stakes were much higher for the character, with his primary mission being to save the life of Nan Hee (Sanghee Lee), the wife of a Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent, Jang Kyun (Teo Yoo), who was kidnapped by the Yakuza. The rescue mission sees Owen truly come into his own, developing as a character and indicating that a future season may give audiences a different, more mature Owen.

The season also delivers its fair share of plot twists and cliffhangers. Corrupt CIA agent Dawn Gilbane is killed. Nichka turns on Owen at the last moment, selling him out. However, Owen manages to outmaneuver her and also rescues Jang Kyun and Nan Hee, just as they had given up all hope. The end of the season also signifies the beginning of relationships, including the friendship between Jang Kyun and Owen and the relationship between him and Yoo Jin Hee. The events of Season 2 set up promising avenues for a potential third season to explore.

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Hawley has also indicated that he developed certain events of Season 2 in a manner that sets up for Season 3. For instance, the final scene of a smiling Owen on top of the submarine with the smile then disappearing is geared to set up Owen’s future with the CIA in the third season. The series’ creator has also indicated that he would like to see Jang Kyun and his wife down the road, indicating that the duo may be a part of an upcoming season. Audiences can also expect to see Owen in a whole new setting and environment in a potential Season 3. As per Hawley:

“It would be definitely nice [to film abroad]… I’m not sure exactly where I want to go yet. I feel like we’ve done Russia, we’ve done Korea. So maybe Latin America, Africa would be exciting. The American audiences don’t get exposed to Africa a lot in our storytelling for lots of reasons, but I think that would be really interesting.”

The Cast of ‘The Recruit’ Season 3 May Have Many Familiar Faces

If the series does return for a third season, it is likely that viewers will see plenty of familiar faces. There is a high possibility that Centineo will be joined by series regulars Aarti Mann, Colton Dunn, Fivel Stewart, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Maddie Hasson and Kristian Brunn.

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Moreover, Hawley has also expressed that he would like to bring back series newcomer Teo Yoo in a future season. “He’s definitely someone I want in our arsenal,” said Hawley in an interview with TVLine. However, given the character’s existence from the NIS, it remains to be seen if the return of Jang Kyun would benefit a future storyline.

If The Recruit is renewed for Season 3, it is quite likely that the season will make its premiere sometime in 2026. Although Season 2 faced delays, a teaser shared on social media announced that the season was initially destined for a 2024 release, indicating that Netflix requires a production cycle of roughly 12 to 18 months for The Recruit. Given this, if a third season is confirmed, audiences could likely expect the new season in the spring or summer of 2026.