The Night Manager season 2 review: Hiddleston and Calva are TV's next hot couple

This review is based on the first two episodes of The Night Manager season 2, which were screened for critics.

Given both the legendary status of novelist John le Carré and the high esteem for David Farr's The Night Manager adaptation, the onus is on this belated sequel to prove it has a reason to exist. After two episodes, I'm still not sure.

Based on an original idea by returning screenwriter Farr, season 2 returns Tom Hiddleston as MI6 asset Jonathan Pine, now managing a fairly quiet intelligence unit in London under the assumed name Alex Goodwin.

In his unremarkable day-to-day, he comes across a worrying clue that the legacy of Richard Roper (season 1's Hugh Laurie) has been taken forward by another amoral entrepreneur – and it wakes the dormant undercover agent within him.

This time, the mark is an enigmatic Colombian arms dealer named Teddy Dos Santos (new addition Diego Calva), who Jonathan must ingratiate himself with under the guise of brash, alcoholic financier Matthew Goodwin.

Calva is a welcome breath of fresh air from his slick-yet-sinister introduction, striking up an electric chemistry with Hiddleston that borders on flirtatious, making each treacherous exchange between their characters a true delight.

Teddy shares Dicky Roper's ability to be calm and composed, yet terrifying, but he's able to channel a warmer demeanour than Laurie's character could ever muster; he's also very handsome, which is hardly a hinderance for disarming people.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if these two become social media's next homoerotic darlings, with enough sparks flying in just these two episodes to fill a thousand fan compilations – and I will, no doubt, watch many of them.

As of the second chapter's oddly intimate conclusion, Calva's supposed antagonist remains a tantalising mystery, which is particularly important for a season that feels overly familiar in other areas.

For starters, the Night Manager season 2 premise is strikingly similar to the first; another arms dealer with a similar modus operandi, working to achieve cartoonishly evil ends (we presume).

Rather than moving Jonathan further into Bond territory by throwing him at a different mission, The Night Manager plays more like one of Hollywood's recent 'legacy sequels' – dusting off disused characters for a story with clear reverence for the original.

Within this frame, certain other characters are yet to fully distinguish themselves from those who came before.

Camila Morrone's Roxane evokes Elizabeth Debicki's Jed (notably absent) as another captive – but rebellious – concubine, while Paul Chahidi's Basil has the down-to-earth charm of Olivia Colman's world-weary Angela Burr (back in a reduced role).

Jonathan's trusted new associate Sally (played by Hayley Squires) doesn't have a direct counterpart, but nor does she stand out in the first two episodes; there isn't much for her to do but keep the plot moving along in a flatly functional way.

Of course, any genre has its classic archetypes and espionage is no exception, but The Night Manager season 2 leans on them too readily, with the resulting ensemble shining less brightly than the first – but that was surely to be expected.

Season 1 had Hiddleston at the height of his Marvel fame and showing clear Bond potential (since faded); Laurie was returning to British TV after a decade away on House; plus, Colman and Debicki were both on the cusp of their own careers blowing up.

All things considered, The Night Manager caught lightning in a bottle with its casting, which they couldn't necessarily replicate here. But a bolder script from Farr might have helped them get closer, as opposed to one that prefers to remain in le Carré's shadow.

Points of greater divergence may present themselves down the line – we've still four hours to go – but even if this season winds up being a tribute act for the first, at least its homaging quality material.

After such a long absence, fans will hardly be sorry to watch The Night Manager again.

The Night Manager season 2 premieres on BBC One and iPlayer on New Year's Day 2026.

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