The Night Manager Season 1 (2016) Review

One of the biggest releases of 2026 is the new season of the acclaimed show, The Night Manager. I am a bit late to the party, so I thought I would finally watch the first season of the show before catching up on the new season. I have now done this and here is my review for thee first season of The Night Manager. The premise of the show sees a Hotel Manager, recruited by MI6 to infiltrate an arms dealers operations. 

Main Character

Tom Hiddleston plays Jonathan Pine and he is fantastic. He is so smooth and has so much charisma in this show, he has real depth and you aren't quite sure what side he is on and Hiddleston is great at making the audience care about this character. 

Supporting Characters

Hugh Laurie plays Richard Roper and he is also amazing in this show. He plays this evil weapons dealer and he revels in it, oozing charisma and cockiness. The chemistry between him and Hiddleston is excellent and for me was the best part of the show. 

Olivia Colman plays Angela Burr and she is the handler of Pine's mission and she is just great as Colman usually is. She is giving it her all and she just fits the role really well, she really nails it and is a great addition. 

Elizabeth Debicki plays Jed Marshall and she is really good. She is the younger wife of Roper and she adds plenty of mystery and intrigue to her role. You can tell she was going to be a big deal after this show. 

Tom Hollander plays Lance Corkoran and he is full of great moments and intense scenes. He has the biggest rivalry with Jonathan Pine and their scenes together are really good and adds some real intensity to the show. 

There are some other great performances and the whole cast really knock it out of the park here. 

Story

The story is really interesting, we see Jonathan Pine making friends with all of these arms dealers and whether he is enjoying it and what exactly his plan is. There is plenty of espionage and some great character moments to keep you invested throughout. However, I did think the storyline involving MI6 wasn't as interesting and came across as pretty generic. Also the ending felt a bit too clean and a bit abrupt. 

Script

The script is great, there is a lot of quick off the cuff dialogue that made these feel like real people. It is clearly meant to be sending a message and I thought it did it pretty well, there is a great blend of drama and dark humour that just really worked for me. 

Style 

This show is a very international affair and it is very cool to see this show travel all over the world and the characters getting into these situations under different backdrops. The show is paced really well and it certainly had me gripped throughout and wanting to watch the next episode. 

Overall

Overall, The Night Manager Season 1 is a Fantastic Show that really stands out from other crime shows. A great cast, great writing and great visuals make it a show that should be watched. 

Rating - 9/10