Summary
Gabriel Basso has seen a recent boost in fame after starring in Netflix’s hit political thriller,The Night Agent, but unfortunately, not all of Basso’s roles have been so well-received. In 2023,Basso took on the lead role of Peter Sutherlandin Netflix’s sixth-most-watched television show of all time,The Night Agent.The thriller follows an FBI agent who, after receiving a mysterious phone call, gets pulled into a dangerous political conspiracy. At the moment, anticipation is high forThe Night Agentseason 2, yet Basso is also trending for another less exciting reason.
BeforeThe Night Agent,Gabriel Basso enjoyed a fairly consistent acting career. In 2009, Basso starred in the indie film,Alabama Moon,which set him up to take on roles in other notable films, such as J.J. Abrams’Super 8andThe Kings of Summer.Basso also made a name for himself in television by appearing in Showtime’sThe Big Cfrom 2010 to 2013. However,Basso’s on-screen projects have not always been winners. In fact, Basso’s last project before playingPeter Sutherland inThe Night Agentis a particularly poor representation of the actor’s filmography.

10 Things That Need To Happen In The Night Agent Season 2
As anticipation for The Night Agent season 2 grows there’s great speculation about what it will be about, and certain plots that must appear.
Gabriel Basso’s Hillbilly Elegy Recently Experienced A Resurgence On Netflix
Why Hillbilly Elegy Is Making A Comeback
Recently, a poorly received Gabriel Basso movie started gaining popularity on Netflix. The movie is 2020’sHillbilly Elegy.Based on a memoir by J.D. Vance,Hillbilly Elegyfollows Vance through his childhood in poverty-stricken Appalachiaand his journey to becoming a lawyer and escaping his traumatic past. In the movie, Basso starred as Vance.Hillbilly Elegy’scast also included stars like Glenn Close and Amy Adams. Despite this, the movie didn’t do well with critics, who gave it 25% on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie has been panned for feeling false and including problematic caricatures of poor Americans.
For her role as Mamaw inHillbilly Elegy,Glenn Close was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress.

The reason whyHillbilly Elegyreturned to the spotlight four years after its release is because of the memoir’s author. In July 2024,J.D. Vance was named as Donald Trump’s running matein the upcoming 2024 election. In this way, audiences were eager to learn more about Vance, and in doing so, began watching his memoir-turned-biopic. Unfortunately, its poor reviews have also broughtHillbilly Elegy’scast, including Gabriel Basso, into the limelight, but not exactly in a good way. This is a shame becauseHillbilly Elegyis certainly not a strong example of Basso’s best work as an actor.
The Night Agent Was A Much Better Received Netflix Project For Gabriel Basso
The Night Agent’s Success Explained
For those who want to see a better side to Gabriel Basso’s acting career,The Night Agentis the ideal project to check out. WhereHillbilly Elegyfailed with critics and audiences,The Night Agenthas succeeded. The show earned a 74% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, along with 78% audience score. Overall,The Night Agenthas been praised for its quick storytelling, exciting twists and turns, and its interesting plot, which kept audiences invested until the very last moment. Basso not only benefited fromThe Night Agent’ssuccess, but played a major role in it.
A number of details aligned to makeThe Night Agentso successful. As previously mentioned,The Night Agentoffered a simple yet engaging plotthat any viewer could easily follow. On top of that, the show’s overarching mystery was incredibly intriguing, which kept audiences watching from episode to episode. Furthermore,The Night Agent’sromance plot and dynamic characters gave the thriller an edge of humanity. Audiences were steeped in the plot, but also found a sense of relatability and emotion through the characters.

Basso’s Peter Sutherland Is One Of The Reasons Why The Night Agent Works So Well
Basso Is A Fresh Face
Aside from storytelling and action,The Night Agentis well-received because of Gabriel Basso. Basso gives a great performance as Sutherland. Peter Sutherland could very easily be a plain character with only one dimension, but Basso manages to offer different sides to him that make him all the more entertaining. Furthermore,Basso is the face ofThe Night Agent.He’s the eponymous agent. Therefore, audiences need to be enthusiastic about Basso in order to care about the show. Based onThe Night Agent’ssuccess, this seems to be true.
While John Krasinki helped boost the popularity ofJack Ryan,and Alan Ritchson perfectly embodied the protagonist inReacher,Basso has done a good job at taking on this next big role.

Overall,Gabriel Basso seems to be the fresh face audiences neededin their next big political thriller. While John Krasinki helped boost the popularity ofJack Ryan,and Alan Ritchson perfectly embodied the protagonist inReacher,Basso has done a good job at taking on this next big role. He is the up-and-coming star that viewers desperately need in this genre. Hopefully, despite Basso’s previous roles,The Night Agentcan continue making him a notable name in Hollywood.
The Night Agent
Cast
The Night Agent is a suspenseful thriller in which a dedicated FBI agent becomes embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy after answering an emergency line call. Set against the backdrop of political intrigue, the agent uncovers a mole within the White House, posing significant risks to national security.