A surprising thing has happened over the last few weeks: The Night Agent became one of the 10 most-watched Netflix series of all time. This isn’t a knock on the spy-thriller, which features the usual solid craftsmanship of The Shield creator Shawn Ryan, a brisk pace, and some likable lead performances. But it’s also a show without big stars (even if supporting player Hong Chau is a recent Oscar nominee) or an attention-getting premise designed to spread word of mouth. It’s just… a well-made example of a very familiar TV genre, and viewers apparently keep streaming it in droves.
Or maybe it shouldn’t be that surprising. As much as snobs like me get all excited about artsy, experimental series like Reservoir Dogs, Severance, and High School, the big streaming hits tend to be more straightforward crowd-pleasers. (See also: USA inexplicably abandoning its popular…
