Move over superheroes, Hollywood’s new lazy trend is spies
There was Jon Snow, Simon Bassett, and now…Peter Sutherland.
It doesn’t sound as catchy, but that’s the current state of leading men, as the Netflix hit “The Night Agent” returns for Season 2 (now streaming).
In the recent past, leading men were fantasy heroes, romantic leads, or superheroes. They could even be a serial killer like Dexter, or a criminal like Jax Teller, but they were distinctive.
Today, three identical sounding thrillers are streaming, each starring the current version of a leading man.
There’s “The Night Agent” starring Gabriel Basso as a young FBI agent who finds himself in over his head amid the backdrop of far-reaching conspiracies.
There’s “The Recruit” starring Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks, a young CIA lawyer who finds himself in over his head amid the backdrop of far-reaching conspiracies (Season 2 returns Jan. 30 on Netflix).
And there’s “Prime Target” (now streaming on AppleTV+), following a mathematician, Edward Brooks (Leo Woodall), who…well, you get the idea.
TV critic Liam Mathews, who is the author of the Substack “Dad Shows,” told The Post, “These types of shows should be making Gabriel Basso, Noah Centineo and Leo Woodall into the movie stars of the future. And, it just doesn’t seem to be happening. Maybe some of that is that these shows are sort of interchangeable.”
Although the plots aren’t identical – Brooks doesn’t work for a spy agency – they’re all conspiracy thrillers with similar titles and character names.
But, Mathews said that the fact that these shows are interchangeable is also, “part of the appeal. They’re easy to watch; they’re familiar.”
“There’s something comforting about them. We’re seeing problems getting solved. They have this rhythm that we are familiar with, and these worlds that we’ve seen – the FBI, the CIA,” he explained.
He added that when audiences tune into these shows, “We know what we’re getting.”
As Mathews pointed out, these shows aren’t lacking in entertainment value – “The Night Agent” was enormously popular because Season 1 wasn’t reinventing the wheel, but it was a propulsive thriller.
But, it’s also low hanging fruit. Almost by design, the roles don’t feel distinctive, or able to launch these leading men to the next level of stardom.
This type of thriller is hardly new, as there have been other shows over the years like “Alias” and “The Americans” or even the recent Keira Knightley show “Black Doves,” but those had sharp points of view and memorable leads.
Now, with so many at once that all blend together, they’re as mundane as doctors or lawyers.
Kit Harington’s “Game of Thrones,” character, Jon Snow, was the quintessential leading man all through that show’s run from 2011-2019. He had an instantly recognizable aesthetic (the furs, the sword, the hair), catchphrases associated with him (“You know nothing, Jon Snow!”) and a quotable speech pattern.
Another leading man of the recent past, Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) in “Sons of Anarchy,” was impossible to mix up with any other TV characters, unlike “The Recruit” or “The Night Agent,” which has you asking, “Which guy is that, again?” As an outlaw biker with long blonde hair, leathers, and a swagger, Jax Teller cut a singular figure.
Sam Heughan, who has the ultimate leading man role as the Scottish highlander Jamie Fraser on “Outlander,” recently told the Post, “Jamie Fraser has been an incredible gift of a character, and iconic one.”
No one could call Peter Sutherland, Owen Hendricks, or Edward Brooks “iconic.” Even viewers who enjoy these shows would be likely to ask “who?” if promoted with their character names.
“The characters are not distinctive or well-drawn enough to be memorable. You enjoy them while you’re watching them, but then they don’t stick,” said Mathews.
“[These characters are] not exactly larger than life. They’re fairly ordinary people put in these scenarios. Their personalities are not like, ‘Wow, what a cool guy.’”
They do have aspirational qualities, as Peter Sutherland is in great shape and Edward Brooks has brains, he pointed out. But they’re not “strong personalities,” he said.
In fact, “The Recruit” is a step down for Centineo — since he previously entered the spotlight playing a rom com hero in 2018’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”
When that movie came out, the internet was abuzz. Audiences were saying his character’s name, Peter Kavinsky, as if they were invoking a superhero. Nobody is talking about his “The Recruit” character Owen Hendricks in that way. He blends into the indistinct sludge of similar shows with similar characters.
There’s nothing wrong with a mid-level conspiracy thriller. Nevertheless, it does feel like something is being lost from the previous era of stardom, where a leading man could make an impact with a unique memorable role.
