The Night Manager Season 2 Is Too Slow a Burn—But Incandescent Once It Finally Ignites

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While not the most complex or insightful spy story, and not even the best John le Carré adaptation on AMC from the 2010s (that honor goes to The Little Drummer Girl), The Night Manager truly shone because of its cast and production. The miniseries, directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Susanne Bier, featured a fantastic ensemble playing complex characters in a visually stunning, international setting. Tom Hiddleston starred as a charming former soldier working as a hotel night manager, tasked by British intelligence with getting close to Hugh Laurie’s wealthy and dangerous arms dealer. The cast also included Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Debicki, and Tobias Menzies – all of whom would later become known for their roles as royals on The Crown, and Colman before winning an Oscar for The Favourite – alongside Tom Hollander, a master at playing small but villainous characters.

With so many older shows being revived, Prime Video and the BBC have brought back the original series with a new season, despite the first season having a clear conclusion. It’s notable that AMC, which might have handled a show like this in the past, isn’t involved now, reflecting the changes in the streaming landscape. While David Farr, the original creator, wrote the new season, the visual style is different, as Georgi Banks-Davies directed, toning down the original’s flair. Many of the actors who stood out in the first season are either missing or have smaller parts this time around. The release schedule is unusual – three episodes debut on January 11th, then one episode each Sunday after that – but it fits the show’s pacing. It takes a few episodes for the story to really gain momentum, which is a bit slow, but once it does, the new season is just as exciting and enjoyable as the first.

Many popular TV shows have been following the same characters for years, but The Night Manager smartly recognizes that its actors have aged. The story begins with Hiddleston’s character, Jonathan Pine, reuniting with Angela Burr (Colman) in Syria four years after the events of the first season. They’re there to identify the body of the villain they previously defeated, Richard Roper. (If you need a refresher on how Roper went down, you can read about it here.) After that’s settled, the story jumps to present-day London. Pine now has a cat, a neighbor who’s interested in him, a new identity (though he doesn’t keep it for long), and a quiet desk job overseeing a late-night MI6 surveillance team. Despite being skilled at undercover work, he claims he doesn’t want to do it anymore. In fact, he seems lost and without a clear purpose, and the show repeatedly emphasizes this, with characters often urging him to reveal his true self.

Pine snaps out of his slump when a standard Night Owls mission unexpectedly leads him to someone connected to Roper, a past adversary. He’s quickly back in action, working with his unconventional team (a nod to the Slow Horses crew), and finds himself involved in an international chase. The investigation takes him to Medellín, where he begins tracking Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva), a charismatic Colombian businessman whose seemingly charitable work hides potentially dangerous connections – a pattern that feels all too familiar.

Season 2 introduces Roxana Bolaños, a beautiful and mysterious businesswoman played by Camila Morrone, who takes on a role similar to the complex character of Jed from Season 1. Like Jed, Roxana becomes both a potential love interest for Pine and someone he can’t quite trust. They’re forced to rely on each other, and much of their time together is spent pretending to be a couple while secretly scheming and arguing about who’s manipulating whom. While this dynamic is meant to be playful, reminiscent of a James Bond movie, it unfolds before viewers have a strong understanding of Roxana, ultimately slowing down the beginning of the season.

Roxana risks being overshadowed by Jed, though Morrone delivers a strong performance. While Teddy is well-played by Calva, he doesn’t have the same impact as Roper. Roper was a uniquely chilling villain, expertly articulating the hateful ideologies of a bygone era of British imperialism, and Hugh Laurie brilliantly portrayed that arrogance. Laurie and Hiddleston’s characters were perfectly matched – one motivated by greed, the other by a desperate need to stop him. Unlike Season 1, which clearly focused on the exploitation of the Arab Spring by opportunistic actors and Britain’s declining influence, Season 2 initially lacks a clear central theme. We also don’t become deeply engaged in the storylines involving Pine’s new team, despite good performances from Indira Varma, Hayley Squires, and Paul Chahidi.

The show really finds its footing after a major reveal in Episode 3 – a reveal that arguably could have happened even earlier. In the days when more people watched shows as they aired, these first three episodes could have worked well as a single, longer premiere. Even though the twist isn’t particularly surprising, it allows the characters to develop in interesting ways. Teddy becomes more complex, his relationship with Pine gains nuance, and Roxana emerges as a captivating and unpredictable character. Angela takes a more active role, although fans might wish there was more of her on screen. Pine returns as a compelling hero, favoring clever tactics over physical strength. And the show’s shift in focus – from arms dealing in the Middle East to larger interventions in Latin America – feels particularly relevant and unsettling. In fact, the season’s timeliness might be a bit too much for some viewers to handle.

If you’re up for keeping up with the news, this show eventually makes up for its slow start. Feel free to watch the first half while doing chores or chatting with someone interesting – someone who might just change your life for better or worse. But after that, give it your full attention and put your phone away.

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2026-01-09 22:06