Illustration by Eric Faison/The Daily Beast/Getty Images/Netflix

The action genre has long been filled with femme fatales and shirtless men, but in recent years, the inherent sexyness of the genre has been stripped away. One of the most popular current action series, Netflix’s The Night Agent, is one of the worst culprits. In fact, out of all the political dramas and conspiracy thrillers available to stream, this show seems particularly terrified of the aspects that once made this genre so enthralling.

The palpable chemistry between The Night Agent’s two leads is intensified tenfold in Season 2. Despite this, the show seems adamant that Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) and Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan) must not outwardly show how sexually attracted they are to each other, although Basso and Buchanan try their hardest to translate this from page to screen. The show’s sexlessness does a huge disservice to the actors’ steamy chemistry, especially since the relationship between Peter and Rose was one of the only things that made an otherwise dull first season salvageable.

Their romance is a slow burn once again in Season 2, where Peter and Rose haven’t spoken in nearly a year after he officially became a Night Agent. Despite being drawn to each other, Peter’s job makes it dangerous for him to be with Rose. They spend their newfound time together glancing in each other’s direction and hysterically losing their minds whenever the other is in danger. However, while the characters hook up once again this season, we don’t get to witness more than a kiss from them.

It leaves the audience (myself included) wanting, especially considering the fact that this show exists within a genre that in all media it’s found in, has previously been ridiculously sexy. They fight for each other, and often fight to reach the other when they’re split up. The palpable tension between Peter and Rose has all the ingredients needed to make them one of the sexiest on-screen couples of the year. Instead, these elongated gazes never amount to much of anything. While yes, the emotions are there, after a year of heightened sexuality on screen, The Night Agent leaves more than a little to be desired.

The Night Agent. Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland in episode 203 of The Night Agent.Christopher Saunders/Netflix

Both players in this game are stunning. Rose has grown from the intimidated woman she was in Season 1 to a powerhouse of a spy herself, and wields this new power with a confidence aptly played by Buchanan. And then, there’s Peter. He’s everything a modern action hero should be; tall, muscular, with kind eyes that reveal a soft inner core. In the first episode of Season 2, he also dons the beard he had in Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2, which if I was on the jury, would immediately change my verdict to “not guilty.”

While these two look great on their own, together they are one of the sexiest heterosexual couples on television. I know it, the viewers that made Season 1 one of Netflix’s most watched shows of all time know it, but for some reason, the writers are incapable of understanding this. They keep both Peter and Rose in outfits that feel almost confining, strangely conservative for an action show set in the present day. From the costume design to the show’s at times stilted dialogue, it’s clear that there’s a dissonance between how Bassco and Buchanan play their characters, and the rigid lens that these writers view sexual chemistry through.

The Night Agent. (L to R) Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland, Arienne Mandi as Noor, Luciane Buchanan as Rose Larkin in episode 205 of The Night Agent.Christopher Saunders/Netflix

For a show that uses such prominent romance tropes (like Only One Bed, and the Bodyguard Crush), The Night Agent is unbelievably unsexy. It’s a shame too, considering Season 2 is one of the best sophomore seasons in recent history, but this foundational conservatism stops the series from being truly great. For this show to truly reach its potential, Peter and Rose need to somehow crawl their way out of the conservative hole the show’s writers have pushed them down, shedding their ill-fitting clothes and their inhibitions along the way. This is a plea to the head honchos in charge: for the love of all that is holy, please let the action genre be sexy again.