The depiction of a secret operation in the basement of The White House anchors the grand conspiracy plotline of Netflix’s The Night Agent. Created by Shawn Ryan, the action thriller series is based on Matthew Quirk‘s novel of the same title. It presents a fictional account that explores the crisis within the U.S. Intelligence Community. The timely premise of the show and its convincing portrayal left viewers wondering if it’s all imagination or a story that exposes the FBI’s operations.
The Night Agent was green-lit for Season 2 within a week of its Netflix debut. Season 1 premiered in March 2023 to positive reviews, pulling a massive viewership. Starring American actor Gabriel Basso as the leading man, it is anticipated that Season 2 will continue to follow Sutherland while tying up the loose ends of Season 1. In the meantime, how true is The Night Agent’s FBI program depicted in the political conspiracy action-thriller?
The Real-Life Inspiration of The Night Action Program
The Netflix series mirrored the perceived contemporary state of America’s secret agencies and intelligence organizations. The author of The Night Agent novel revealed it began as news stories “and spun out a grand fictional conspiracy plot“. Quirk worked as a reporter for The Atlantic, covering beats ranging from international gangs to terrorism prosecutions and private military contractors. As such, he abundantly researched real-life events and operations of the FBI for his novel.
Quirk admits that some of the fictional plots he weaved out were quite close to the truth. Nonetheless, it remains a fictitious tale. In fact, he revisited the plot and employed his artistic imagination to create a unique fiction. This means a similar, real-life FBI program might have inspired the Night Action program of the series. However, there’s no way to confirm if the Federal Bureau of Investigation has that unit under its structure. It’s no secret the federal agency keeps certain information away from the public. If it has a unit akin to the Night Action program, it’s definitely not up for public discussion.
Is Peter Sutherland’s Night Agent Position Real or Imagined?
The Night Agent revolves around Gabriel Basso’s Peter Sutherland, who works with the FBI as a Night Action telephone operator. Sutherland is stationed in the basement of the White House, where he waits on a phone that hardly rings. The night it eventually does pulls the low-level agent into a treacherous conspiracy that involves the Oval Office.
While Sutherland’s position as a Night Action telephone operator isn’t real, it was inspired by Quirk’s friend who works in Washington, D.C., with the FBI. According to Quirk, this friend was part of a night watch tasked to monitor breaking crises. The Night Agent author also spoke with other FBI and CIA agents to get a better idea of what happens on night watches and the White House Situation Room during a crisis.
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