The Night Agent Star Will Return in Season 3 After Surprising Absence

The Night Agent surprised fans by not bringing back most of the cast in season 2 — but after an unforeseen reversal, one star is set to return to the show in the near future.

Fola Evans-Akingbola, who plays Chelsea Arrington, is returning for season 3 after she was missing on screen in the most recent installment. Creator Shawn Ryan confirmed Evans-Akingbola’s return after season 2 only brought back lead Gabriel Basso and Luciane Buchanan. Most of the additional cast members didn’t appear at all.

Kari Matchett made a cameo as President Michelle Travers in the season 2 premiere, while Evans-Akingbola’s Chelsea briefly returned in the finale, which premiered on Thursday, January 23.

“I don’t view this the way that a lot of TV shows operate in that I think characters come and go and then come back to the show, depending on what the story line for that season is,” Ryan told Deadline on Friday, January 24 of Evans-Akingbola’s future on the show. “An example I would give you is that we really love the character of Chelsea in season 1, who was played by Fola Evans-Akingbola.”

Ryan recalled breaking the news to Evans-Akingbola, 30, about her season 2 absence.

“It really pained me to have to call her between seasons 1 and 2, and say, ‘Hey, the writers had been working for a few weeks, and we’re gravitating towards stories that I don’t think we have a role for you in,’” he noted. “’The story has just taken us here, and I’m so sorry, but we love you, and if there’s a chance to get you back on the show at some point, I would love to do it.’ She was wonderful about it.”

It remains unclear whether Evans-Akingbola is returning in a recurring capacity or as a series regular.

“As we got towards the end [of season 2], we found this opportunity to have this little cameo for her that will serve as a platform,” Ryan teased. “And I will tell you, she will be part of season 3.”

Based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Quirk, The Night Agent follows FBI agent Peter (Basso) as he gets thrown into the middle of a vast conspiracy about a mole operating at the highest levels of the United States government.

The series became the third-most-viewed debuting series on Netflix in its first four days, which scored it a renewal one week after it was released. Ahead of the second-season premiere, Netflix renewed the action thriller for season 3.

Earlier this month, Basso, 30, discussed how his commitment to the lead role resulted in him doing all of his own stunts.

“I think that can kind of get misconstrued into the world of like, I do it because I want to say I can do it, and it’s really not about that,” he said during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “To me it’s about audience immersion.”

Basso wanted the audience to fully buy into his performance, adding, “I don’t want the audiences watching the show, and then right as I’m about to get hit or hip tossed or thrown onto my back, you know. I feel like it’s a lie. I enjoy acting, I don’t like lying.”

He continued: “They like Peter [and] to watch him take hits is important, I feel like. And if that requires me to get tossed into a wall, then fine. It’s not the end of the world.”

The Night Agent is currently streaming on Netflix.