The 2016 television landscape was vastly different. Game of Thrones was still airing (and still actually good), Ryan Murphy was being lauded for his gritty depiction of the O.J. Simpson trial, and networks were airing productions of classic musicals live on TV. But some genres never age poorly, and one of the biggest shows of that year has recently returned to the airwaves after a decade-long sabbatical.
Bringing back some of its biggest stars and moving to a rich new location, it doesn’t skip a beat as it crafts a new tale of espionage and betrayal that goes bigger and better on every level.
In 2016, AMC and the BBC collaborated on The Night Manager, the story of Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston), a lowly hotelier who finds himself swept up in the wake of charismatic arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie) while working with Foreign Office agent Angela Burr (Olivia Colman). Season 1 took place mainly in Cairo, and included big names like Tom Hollander and Elizabeth Debicki.
Now, in 2026, Jonathan Pine is back, but he’s now a “Night Owl” working surveillance on the night shift and working under one in a long line of pseudonyms. However, a secret mission involving Teddy Dos Santos, a Colombian arms dealer looking to revive Richard Roper’s empire, drags Pine back undercover once again. With the help of his colleague Sally Price Jones (Hayley Squires), he establishes himself as rich banker Matthew Ellis.
In Colombia, he soon meets Roxana Bolaños (Camila Morrone), Teddy’s sidekick who he begins to get close with. Through a series of classic spy work, double crossing, and risky maneuvers, Pine gets close to Teddy’s operation... but discovers it’s not at all what he thinks.
Much like how Tom Hiddleston appears to haven’t aged at all, this story still feels as fresh as it did in 2016. The Colombian setting makes the series especially timely, and while the political atmosphere may be more egregious than it was before, it just makes it all the more realistic. Hiddleston makes more of a case for his work as a suave leading man, and Olivia Colman has evolved from worldly mentor to confident behind-the-scenes player.
It all leads to a shocking reveal that will change everything, and trust me, it’s something you’ll want to see completely unspoiled. Even if you didn’t watch Season 1 a decade ago, Season 2 is a pitch-perfect spy thriller wih a surprising amount of heart.
