'The Agency' Adds More to "Central Intelligence"

It's challenging to stay positive in today's entertainment climate. Between the industry's streaming war hangover, budget cuts stemming from being on the backside of Peak TV, and all the other current unpleasantness, it's easy to blame those being decimated by the industry's migration to online streaming for their own demise. However, no company has made it harder to be sympathetic than Paramount Global, which has made some ugly choices to ensure the merger with Skydance is completed by the end of 2025. While most observers are currently wringing their hands over the tarnish to the CBS brand, they should perhaps also consider how it will affect Paramount+.

Paramount+ is unlikely to remain a viable concern in its current iteration for much longer; the new ownership will likely take action, although whether that involves shutting it down, selling it, or merging with a partner remains to be seen. However, it does have several hit shows which come via the broadcast network CBS, including Watson. Moreover, it has now managed to launch two ratings magnets, MobLand and The Agency; despite critical panning, both have done very well for the streaming service.

MobLand has not yet announced if it will return, but The Agency will, now appended with Central Intelligence to help it fit in with CBS's CSIs, FBIs, and NCISes. It's also adding six new faces to the cast who deserve for this show to continue to be a hit, something that will be difficult if its parent company continues to risk its existence to placate the unappeasable.

Billed as "a fresh take on the critically acclaimed hit French drama The Bureau (Le Bureau des Légendes)," The Agency Season 2 does not yet have a synopsis, nor any indication if the series plans to follow the overall plot of the original Le Bureau Series 2.

However, Season 2 will feature British actor Raza Jaffrey (The Serpent Queen) as one of the season's main guest appearances, playing Craig, a data analyst on the Iranian Desk. The rest of the new faces are American, including Christian Ochoa Lavernia (The Diplomat) as Grandma, an undercover agent, and Grandpa's principal associate. 

Tessa Ferrer (Catch-22) also joins as Robyn, an American nurse living in Suffolk; Keanush Tafreshi (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) plays Hassan Zamani, a young hot head with the Iranian envoy and Medalion Rahimi (Hacks) is his girlfriend (who is the niece of a powerful Mullah, natch!). Finally, Clayne Crawford (Rectify) rounds out the newbies as a possible season antagonist, Viking, wanted by the CIA in connection with a dangerous military group. 

Season 2 will bring back Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave), Jodie Turner-Smith (Anne Boleyn), Jeffrey Wright (Westworld), and Richard Gere (Pretty Woman) as the series' core four. Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts), Ambreen Razia (Starstruck), and John Magaro (The Umbrella Academy) are also set to return. The supporting cast from Season 1 who will also continue with the series includes Harriet Sansom Harris (Atlantic Crossing), India Fowler (The Nevers), Andrew Brooke (Criminal Record), Saura Lightfoot-Leon (Hoard), Reza Brojerdi (SOKO Wismar), and Alex Reznik (Babylon). 

Showrunners Jez & John-Henry Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow) once again pen all eight episodes of Season 2, inspired by Eric Rochant's The Bureau (Le Bureau des Légendes); with directors Neil Burger (Inheritance) and Grant Heslov (Catch-22) helming episodes. The Butterworths, Wright, and Fassbender continue to executive producers along with George Clooney & Grant Heslov via their Smokehouse Pictures; Keith Cox & Nina L. Diaz of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios; David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin & Bob Yari of 101 Studios; Alex Berger for TOP-The Originals Productions; and Ashley Stern & Pascal Breton for Federation Studios/Federation Entertainment of America.

The Agency: Central Intelligence Season 2 is slated for a late 2025 release on Paramount+. Both Season 1 and all five seasons of the French language original are available to stream on Paramount+.