Netflix Locks Down ‘Night Agent’ Creator Shawn Ryan With Increasingly Rare Overall Deal

Producer Shawn Ryan has signed a four-year overall deal valued in the “eight figures” to transition his talents from longtime home Sony Pictures Television to Netflix, according to the Penske showbiz trades.

Notably, Ryan is the creator/EP of The Night Agent, a Sony-produced series that was Netflix’s most-watched show last year. Season 2 of The Night Agent will drop later this year, with a third season about to enter development.

In 2017, Netflix made a splash by tying up producer Shonda Rhimes to a multiyear deal valued at between $100 million and $150 million. A year later, the streaming giant struck a five-year overall pact with Ryan Murphy valued at a reported $300 million.

These deals have been accretive for Netflix, with Rhimes creating Netflix hits Bridgerton and Inventing Anna, and Murphy overseeing Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. All three titles are among the most watched in Netflix history.

But in streaming’s new age of austerity, these kinds of huge multiyear payouts are harder to get.

With Murphy in the house, however, Netflix can more closely control the franchise expansion of The Night Agent.