Review: 'The Night Agent' and 'Agent Elvis': A double dose of spies

Since Sean Connery lit a cigarette at a chemin de fer table and first introduced himself as "Bond, James Bond" in "Dr. No," spies have rarely been far from the big or little screen, coming in all shapes and sexes, served straight or as spoofs. Within the space of a week, Netflix has premiered two such series: the straightforward conspiracy thriller "The Night Agent" and the cartoon "Agent Elvis" — a "double Agent" bill, you cannot stop me from saying.

Created by Shawn "The Shield" Ryan and based on a 2019 novel by Matthew Quirk (an Atlantic reporter turned thriller machine), "The Night Agent" is no worse than workmanlike but, also, workmanlike. It's nothing special, nothing awful and exactly what many want from television, with action for its own sake — twists