Tom Hiddleston is back in spy mode with the second season of The Night Manager, which debuted with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score ahead of the release of its first new episode in a decade. Based on the 1993 novel by John le Carré, but delivering a brand new story based on the characters seen in the novel, The Night Manager has been one of Hiddleston’s most anticipated releases, and it seems that the wait has been well worth it.
The Night Manager aired its first season in 2016, with Hiddleston playing former British soldier Jonathan Pine, who goes deep undercover to take down international businessman Richard Roper (played with cunning and menace by House star Hugh Laurie) who is believed to have formed an alliance with secret arms traders. Over the course of six episodes, Pine was required to risk his life to infiltrate Roper’s inner circle in order to help bring the dangerous man to justice.
The series was well received, scoring 91% and 89% from critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes and immediately leading to fans asking when the next season would be following. After several years, it appeared that with no second novel to base the story on, The Night Manager would remain a limited series. In 2023, though, it was announced that two new seasons has been ordered as a joint venture between the BBC and Prime Video, with Hiddleston and costar Olivia Colman both returning.
The Night Manager Season 2 also sees the return of Alistair Petrie, Noah Jupe, Douglas Hodge and Michael Nardone reprising their roles from the first series, while Camila Morrone, Diego Calva, Indira Varma, Paul Chahidi and Hayley Squires joined the cast. Laurie is not listed to appear in the new season, but is still part of the series as an executive producer.
‘The Night Manager’ Season 2 Has Delivered a Perfect Debut
BBC/Prime Video
There are very few TV shows that can manage to please critics completely, and while there are some small grumbles among the 14 reviews currently tagged against the second season, the show has still secured a 100% rating so far. The only real issue everyone seems to have is that the series took so long to make its return to screens.
As Olly Richards of Empire Magazine said, “Fast-paced and tons of fun, this return makes you wonder why nobody thought to make a sequel years ago.” This opinion was backed up by Daily Mail’s Christopher Stevens, who praised Hiddleston’s “new depths” that he has acquired since his last outing, that allows him to “convey pain and doubt in his eyes without any flicker of facial expression.” Probably most importantly, Digital Spy’s review by David Opie adds that “Season 2 builds on the original story in ways you’d imagine (and hope) John le Carré would have approved of.”
It has been a long wait for fans of Hiddleston’s James Bond replacement series, but the wait is now almost over. The Night Manager debuted in the U.K. on January 1, and debuts on Prime Video internationally on January 11, and it seems that every fan of the original series needs to be sat down ready to watch or miss out.
- Release Date
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2016 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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BBC One
