The Recruit Season 3 Wishlist: 5 Things We Want To See Next In Noah Centineo’s Netflix Show

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The Recruit season 2.

The second season of Netflix's CIA action drama The Recruit saw many interesting developments and introduced several new characters, leaving further room to expand in a potential season 3. Although Netflix has yet to officially greenlight The Recruit season 3, it has been one of the most popular series on the streaming platform since its release on January 30, 2025, which makes its chances of renewal high. There was more than a two-year gap between The Recruit seasons 1 and 2, which surprisingly resulted in a shorter 6-episode season 2 of The Recruit compared to season 1's 8 episodes.

Given The Recruit's new season 2 characters and updated setting in South Korea, it appears that the popular Netflix series is taking more of an anthological approach, similar to other action thriller series like Amazon Prime Video's Reacher. While The Recruit's target demographic is younger than "dad shows" like Reacher, both follow a similar formula, which works for viewers who love it but not so much for viewers searching for variety. Switching the setting to South Korea in The Recruit season 2 was interesting but created an overstuffed season filled with new and old characters, which needs improvement next season.

5 Owen Should Train To Become A CIA Field Agent

Owen Hasn't Done Anything For The CIA In His Actual Field

The most natural fix for The Recruit season 3 is for Noah Centineo's Owen Hendricks to take the proper training to become a CIA field agent. The series seems to have forgotten that Owen's a lawyer who has just finished law school, instead sending him out to deal with dangerous graymailers and other international threats without proper authority or training.

Owen stumbles into most of his problems but at this point, he should just leave his lawyer pursuits behind.

While this happy-go-lucky eagerness is a likable part of Owen's character, something eventually has to give with the CIA letting an attorney with no field training run rampant under their banner. Owen stumbles into most of his problems but at this point, he should just leave his lawyer pursuits behind unless he wants to quit the CIA (which he won't do because then there would be no show).

4 Nathan Fillion's CIA Director Should Have A Bigger Role

He's One Of The Biggest Names But Has One Of The Smallest Roles

Nathan Fillion as CIA director In The Recruit season 2

After two seasons, Nathan Fillion's CIA Director Alton West remains one of the most underutilized characters in The Recruit. He was virtually absent from season 1, appearing briefly inThe Recruit season 1 finale, before taking on a marginally bigger role in season 2. However, he was still very much a supporting character and didn't add too much to the main story.

The Recruit Season 3 Story Tease Means The Show Risks Repeating Season 2's Critical Mistake

Early teases about The Recruit season 3 suggest that the hit Netflix thriller series could repeat the same big mistake as The Recruit season 2.

Posts

Given that Fillion is one of the most recognizable actors in the series, his larger role as the CIA Director in The Recruit would naturally make sense, as he would become one of the main faces of The Recruit's ensemble cast. Giving Fillion a bigger role and more screen time would be an easy fix for reducing the various supporting roles who work at The General Council, such as Violet, Nyland, and Amelia, whose storylines are less compelling and add clutter. Fillion could oversee Owen's field agent training, which would be a natural progression of his character.

3 Hannah & Terence Need To Be More Involved

Their Dynamic Was One Of The Best Parts Of Season 1 – For Us & Owen

Owen (Noah Centineo) and Hannah (Fivel Stewart) looking concerned in Netflix's The Recruit — Fivel Stewart as Hannah Copeland in Netflix's The Recruit

Owen constantly bumping into Hannah and Terence at their apartment was one of the best features of The Recruit season 1. They both grounded Owen as his life became instantly out of control since his first day at the CIA. The romantic tension between Hannah and Owen was enjoyable to root for, while Terence contributed with his positive energy and political connections. All of these attributes seemed to disappear in The Recruit season 2.

The Recruit Season 3 Must Do Justice To This Character That Season 2 Totally Failed

The Recruit season 3 needs to give one particular overlooked season 2 character a bigger platform after her key role in The Recruit season 1.

Posts1

The Recruit season 3 has to find a way to incorporate Hannah and Terrence into the main story naturally. Hannah's wealthy and influential family could become antagonists since there is already palpable tension there after her mom manipulated her for business gain. Hannah may even have to choose between her mother and Owen, which could be riveting if it's set up correctly. Whatever the circumstances, having less of Hannah and Terrence was one of the biggest letdowns of season 2. Hannah obviously had the Jae situation, but other than that, she's not pertinent to the story as is.

2 The Recruit Season 3 Should Take Place In The U.S.

Going Abroad Again Would Bring In Too Many Characters To Balance

One of the simplest fixes for a lot of The Recruit season 2's issues would be to set the majority of season 3 in the United States. Adding even more characters in season 3 will require cutting some losses, which I would argue should come from The General Council crew. For example, I still don't understand why Violet has it out for Owen and don't understand her overall purpose in the series.

Keeping The Recruit season 3 in the U.S. would naturally bring the characters into the equation and allow Terence and Hannah to be more involved.

It's unclear whether The Recruit season 3 will retain any of season 2's new Korean characters. Hanging onto Yoo Jin or Jang Kyun is fine, but there's not enough room for all the season 1 and 2 characters, especially if they switch up the location again. Keeping The Recruit season 3 in the U.S. would naturally bring the characters into the equation and allow Terence and Hannah to be more involved. It would also justify the General Council crew's relevance, who felt like outliers when they were left in D.C. while Owen was globetrotting throughout season 2.

1 Max Has To Return & Take Down (Or Save) Nichka

Max & Nichka's Backstory Has Not Been Explored Whatsoever

The Recruit season 2 got off on the wrong foot by not only killing Max but never explaining why Nichka killed her in the first place, leaving her death incredibly and intolerably ambiguous. The amount of unaddressed backstory between Nichka and Max could be enough to fill up a six-episode spinoff series. After Nichka's plan to betray Owen fails at the end of The Recruit season 2, she is taken by the KGB, which also makes her season 3 fate uncertain.

I Don’t Know How, But The Recruit Season 3 Needs To Bring This Character Back After How Season 2 Treated Them

The Recruit season 3 has to bring back a key character after abruptly discarding her without any explanation following The Recruit season 1's finale.

Posts1

The Recruit shouldn't drop Nichka's storyline in season 3, as she has a lot of potential and is already one of the best characters. Max very much appears to be dead but her body was never shown after The Recruit season 1, which leaves the slightest chance that she is somehow still alive and escaped.

Even if Max returned in extended flashback scenes, it could still fill in massive gaps in her backstory with Nichka.

More unrealistic things have happened in The Recruit – such as that U.S. Navy submarine emergence that came out of nowhere in the season 2 finale – than having Max return. Even if Max returned in extended flashback scenes, it could still fill in massive gaps in her backstory with Nichka and could finally explain why Nichka, aka Karolina, killed her mother without hesitation. The Recruit season 3 should bring Max back, leaving her and Owen to either take down or rescue Nichka from the KGB.