The Recruit Series Review: Netflix’s Legal Spy Drama Is Smarter Than It Looks

What happens when your first job out of law school throws you straight into the CIA? The Recruit Series on Netflix answers that question with surprising wit and genuine thrills. This Netflix series proves there’s life beyond superhero spies and globe-trotting assassins.

TMJ Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿/5

What You Need to Know about Netflix Series The Recruit

Owen, our newly graduated CIA lawyer

Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo) is a rookie CIA lawyer tasked with the mind-numbing job of sorting through “graymail” (letters from people claiming to have classified secrets they’ll expose unless their demands are met). Most are garbage, but one letter from Max Meladze, a Russian woman, catches his attention.

When Owen pushes his superiors to let him investigate, he discovers Max isn’t bluffing. She knows things she shouldn’t, and her threats pose a real danger to national security.

Max

From there, Owen gets pulled into agency politics, field operations, and international chaos beyond what any first-year lawyer should handle. Season 2 sends him to South Korea, where he’s helping a local spy rescue his kidnapped wife while dodging fresh threats from inside the agency.

The show’s genius lies in keeping Owen human; he takes hits, makes mistakes, and faces real consequences even when reality bends a little.

Let’s Talk About Noah Centineo

I’ve been watching Noah Centineo since Austin & Ally, and I loved him in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

The Recruit marks a stark contrast to his previous rom-com roles, but the guy delivers. This isn’t the dreamy Netflix heartthrob we’re used to. Owen is awkward, out of his depth, and constantly getting his ass kicked. And that’s precisely what makes him so compelling.

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Centineo brings genuine likability to a character who could easily be annoying. Owen doesn’t suddenly develop superhuman abilities or become a smooth operator (anyone else thinking about Carlos Sainz?). When he’s in a fight, he’s usually on the losing end, and that’s how it should be. The humor comes naturally from his fish-out-of-water situations rather than forced comedy beats.

Some people felt Centineo couldn’t pull off this character, but I might be biased here, considering I love the guy.

Action at the baggage claim?

That said, if they had to recast, Dylan O’Brien would nail the scrappy, quick-witted energy that made Stiles in Teen Wolf so memorable. Tom Holland might be a reach, but can you imagine how well he’d handle Owen’s chaotic blend of charm and panic? And Harris Dickinson would bring that perfect mix of wit and understated toughness.

What Makes It Different

The Recruit stands out from shows like The Night Agent because it focuses on the legal and bureaucratic side of spy work. Instead of nonstop shootouts, the show digs into office politics and the CIA's corporate environment.

Noah and his boss

It’s less about elite field agents with endless resources and more about the new guy trying to survive in an agency where knowing the law doesn’t guarantee safety. This is so relatable. It’s almost exactly how I felt on the first day of high school, and then university (twice).

The dialogue is really good.

Sure, it gets messy in the middle, and there are loose ends, but the character interactions feel real. The show captures the absurdity of office politics in a place where everyone’s trying to cover their ass while dealing with national security.

Office politics in The Recruit

Season 2 only has six episodes instead of eight, and it works. The pacing is tight, and every episode moves things forward. The South Korea storyline gives Owen a personal mission, which adds emotional weight. However, a romantic subplot with someone from Owen’s past feels rushed and needed more time.

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My biggest frustration is how seasons end with massive cliffhangers and loose threads.

Season 1 left too many questions unanswered, making it feel incomplete. Season 2 improves on this, but still feels like it’s missing at least one more episode for proper closure.

Action and Direction

Too much action for a CIA lawyer

Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow) directs several episodes, and his experience shows. The action scenes are well-choreographed and brutal without being over-the-top. Owen rarely wins a fight or even lands a punch, making the violence feel realistic rather than fantastical. The show doesn’t miraculously heal its characters when episodes end.

Owen looking ruffled

Owen looks progressively worse for wear as the series progresses, and you can see how everything he encounters takes a toll on him.

My Final Verdict

The Recruit is smart, fun, and genuinely engaging. If you’re into action, legal drama, office politics, or spy thrillers, this show has something for you. I turned it on as background noise and within 20 minutes was completely hooked (that’s good storytelling!).

Should You Watch it? Hell yes! 

It’s a refreshing take on the spy genre that focuses on brains over brawn and real character development over flashy action. The bad news? Netflix canceled the show after Season 2, because, of course, they did. At least we got two solid seasons that work as a complete story.

What did you think of The Recruit? Did Noah Centineo’s dramatic turn work for you? Let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget to subscribe to The Movie Junkie for more reviews of hidden streaming gems.