TV Pick of the Week: The Night Agent - Review by Yvette Huddleston

Gabriel Basso plays FBI agent Peter Sutherland who, after thwarting a terrorist attack on a subway train is assigned to the post of ‘night agent’ at the White House. At first it seems to him like a bit of a demotion – his task is basically to sit in an office through the night and man a phone that may or may not ring. If it does ring, it means that an undercover operative is in trouble and the team will have to come to their aid. Most of the time, however, there is no phone call and Peter is seen diligently doing his paperwork. It’s probably not the kind of work he was expecting to be doing when he signed up to the FBI but his boss at the White House, the president’s steely chief of staff Diane Farr (Hong Chau), insists that working for night action is a good career move.

Then one night the phone rings and on the other end is a young woman called Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan) who has been instructed to call that number by her aunt and uncle shortly before they tackle an armed intruder who seems intent on killing them. It transpires that unbeknown to Rose, her beloved kind, mild-mannered middle-aged relatives were actually international spies. As Rose caught sight of the assassin, her life is now in danger and Peter is assigned to protect her as an important witness. Senior officials in the FBI and at the White House are all very keen to speak to Rose but she tells Peter in confidence that she overheard her aunt and uncle saying that they thought there was a mole in the White House.

So, nobody is to be trusted and Peter and Rose are pretty much on their own, out on a limb, on the run and trying to untangle several twisty plot strands while evading the two ruthless hired guns who are on their trail and may have links with a very senior figure in the US government. The high-calibre action set pieces are well executed, there is a nice chemistry between Basso and Buchanan and the slick script delivers plenty of surprises.