Netflix just canceled 'The Recruit' after 2 seasons and I'm stunned

(L to R) Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks, Maddie Hasson as Nichika Lashin in "The Recruit"

(Image credit: Courtesy of Netflix)

Netflix just canceled "The Recruit" in a stunning move.

Cast member Colton Dunn broke the news on Threads revealing that the spy show was canceled despite a stellar season 2. "You can’t cancel the memories," the Lester Kitchens actor declared while sharing some behind-the-scenes photos from the show's two-season run.

For those who had followed the show like myself, this was a shocking announcement. "The Recruit" season 2 has been widely praised. I recommended it in my review for Tom's Guide and it scored a 92% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

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Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks in "The Recruit" — (Image credit: Courtesy of Netflix)

It also seemed to be a commercial success. The show spent three weeks in the Netflix Global top 10, peaking at No. 2 the week it came out (Jan. 27-Feb. 2).

Unfortunately, it seems that the spy show world is just as cutthroat as the real world of espionage, and "The Recruit" might have been killed by a fellow Netflix show.

One week before the second season premiere of "The Recruit," Netflix debuted the second season of "The Night Agent," the other spy show on the streaming service. It unsurprisingly took the No. 1 spot the week it debuted on Netflix, but it then kept the No. 1 spot a week later when "The Recruit" season 2 was released.

(L to R) Shin Do-hyun as Yoo Jin Lee, Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks in "The Recruit" — (Image credit: Courtesy of Netflix)

It's not impossible that this was a more nuanced business decision. Neither show is directly produced by Netflix — "The Recruit" is produced by Lionsgate and "The Night Agent" is produced by Sony Pictures Television.

So perhaps it was Lionsgate that Netflix didn't want to continue working with for "The Recruit" season 3 rather than the show itself.

Regardless, I think had it beaten out "The Night Agent" in its debut week, we wouldn't be talking about its cancelation. Ultimately, this streaming service wasn't big enough for two third-party-produced spy shows when one was clearly more popular than the other.

The good news is there is a way to fill the hole in your heart that this cancelation news may have left. We've got a curated list of seven shows like "The Recruit" to watch after you finish season 2.

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Malcolm McMillan is a Streaming Editor for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it.

Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.