The Night Agent Fans Will Love This Short-lived Crime Drama Series Streaming On Hulu

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Apart from being Netflix's breakout hit in 2023, "The Night Agent" is also one of the best spy thrillers on TV right now. Created by Shawn Ryan and based on Matthew Quirk's eponymous novel, "The Night Agent" is a propulsive tale that is chock-full of political intrigue — the kind that keeps you hooked with a time-tested formula. The plot centers around FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso), whose efforts to save civilians from a bomb on a train are unexpectedly used against him. Demoted to a thankless desk job, Peter becomes a night agent, which requires him to provide assistance to agents who run into dire emergencies. As Netflix almost turned down the show when Ryan's pilot script was first presented, we're lucky that "The Night Agent" is still going strong with a fourth and final season on the way.

If you adore "The Night Agent," or are a fan of crime drama in general, you'll like FX's crime comedy series, "Terriers." While Ryan isn't the showrunner for "Terriers," he acted as a writer and executive producer for the show, which was unfortunately canceled after a single season. "Terriers" follows ex-cop Hank Dolworth (a brilliant Donal Logue), who teams up with bestie/ex-criminal Britt Pollack (Michael Raymond-James) to open an unlicensed private investigation agency. A recovering alcoholic, Hank does his best to turn a blind eye to his flaws and throw himself into any detective work that crops up in Ocean Beach. There's a lot of room for laughs, but "Terriers" keeps its lighthearted tone balanced with the directionless arcs of its central duo, who are a delight to watch.

"Terriers" is a one-season wonder that ended way earlier than it should've. Here's why you should check it out on Hulu, where you can stream its first and only season.

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Spoilers for "Terriers" to follow.

There's a buddy cop-like feel to Hank and Britt in "Terriers," but the show doesn't stick to a defined genre to sell its familiar premise. Yes, two unconventional protagonists choose detective work to run from their respective pasts, but "Terriers" effectively plays around with elements of neo-noir, comedy, and action drama. There are compelling cases to solve across the show's 13-episode run, but "Terriers" is more preoccupied with Hank and Britt's inner lives, and how they become each other's anchors. Logue and Raymond-James' naturalistic chemistry is complemented by Ryan's whip-smart dialogue, which allows the show to bask in the beauty of quiet moments shared between two dear friends.

The mystery aspect of "Terriers" isn't terribly important, as they're used as vehicles to reveal more about the characters that inhabit this world. For instance, a person who claims to be falsely accused of murder offers Hank and Britt an exorbitant amount of money in exchange for stealing bearer bonds, but this storyline reveals more about the way our protagonists choose to deal with stress and conflict. The crimes aren't the focus here, as Hank and Britt are flawed characters who have to sit with their brokenness when they're not busy leveraging get-rich-quick schemes or disposing a body together because of reasons.

There's also no case-of-week pattern that is followed, as "Terriers" uses the natural progression of a linear narrative to unpack its merits. The darkly comic worldview of the show flits between humorous and heartbreaking, leaving us hungry for more. "Terriers" might be unlike anything you've seen on TV before, which is why you should give this wonderful, short-lived crime drama a chance. Maybe, just maybe, we might get a "Terriers" revival in the near future.