By Danielle Broadway

LOS ANGELES, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Although “The Night Agent” is already two seasons in, Gabriel Basso says TV audiences won’t see his character Peter Sutherland fully embrace the perilous title role -- a covert operative fielding real-time national‑security threats -- until the season arriving on Netflix this week.

For seasons 1 and 2 of the Netflix thriller series, Basso said Peter's growth was stunted by "having to ask permission" or needing help because he didn't get the proper job training.

"It just feels like to me, season 3 is the first season where Peter is sort of now allowed to be what he is," Basso told Reuters in an interview.

Season 3 of the series, created by Shawn Ryan and based on Matthew Quirk’s novel, arrives on Thursday and sends Peter back into perilous missions while he grapples with whom to trust.

In previous seasons, he was betrayed by prominent people in his life, including Vice President Ashley Redfield, played by Christopher Shyer, and his mentor and boss, Diane Farr, played by Hong Chau.

The first season became the third-most-viewed debuting series on NetflixNFLX.O in its first four days, and within a week the 2023 show was renewed for a second season.

"I think they're (audiences) invested from season 1," Basso said.

Basso said Ryan’s balance keeps the Netflix series bingeable and that Peter’s relentless pursuit of honesty is another core appeal.

"As the seasons are progressing, he's getting more and more desperate for truth. I think he's starved of it in his life," said Basso, known for his roles in the 2011 film "Super 8" and as JD Vance in the 2020 drama "Hillbilly Elegy."

"He does end up in these new places and in pursuit of that, but I think ultimately it's just driven by the fatigue of just 'tell me that you can just do the right thing?'" "The Kings of Summer" actor added.

(Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross; Editing by Howard Goller)

((Danielle.Broadway@thomsonreuters.com))