Jensen Ackles was again on the small display screen over the summer time of the 2025 TV schedule, however not for an additional return to the world of Supernatural or The Boys. He stars within the action-packed Countdown, hailing from Chicago Hearth creator Derek Haas and in addition starring Gray’s Anatomy‘s Eric Dane, Jessica Camacho, Violett Beane, Elliot Knight, and Uli Latukefu. The drama is simply days away from the Season 1 finale because of Countdown releasing episodes weekly as an alternative of suddenly to binge. Now, after the penultimate episode, Ackles’ feedback about how Countdown compares to his different initiatives and needing viewers to “care” are paying off.
I used to be lucky sufficient to talk with Jensen Ackles and the remainder of the Countdown group earlier this summer time earlier than it was obtainable to stream with an Amazon Prime Video subscription. Having seen Ackles in Supernatural, The Boys, and even Massive Sky, I requested how he would pitch the present to any person who knew him finest from different initiatives. On the time, he shared:
If I am talking to individuals who have seen different reveals that I’ve performed, I might say for those who appreciated the motion, the suspense, the comedy, the drama, and also you appreciated all of that mixing into one present, this has all of that. It could not have a style factor to it, per se, nevertheless it actually is excessive stakes, excessive motion, and there is plenty of character improvement too. And I do not suppose you get plenty of that, we have spoken about that, that possibly plenty of these procedurals, you do not actually get to peel again layers of those characters from their private views, and we get to do this on this present.
There aren’t any literal demons in Countdown like he confronted on Supernatural, and definitely no “Herogasm” occasion like what occurred on The Boys, so Countdown is a departure from the style initiatives that Ackles is finest identified for. The excessive stakes have been clear from the beginning, nonetheless, and the penultimate episode of Season 1 ending with the identities of the duty drive members uncovered to a killer units the stage for a harmful finale. The actor went on to share what he and showrunner/creator/author Derek Haas (previously of a number of reveals within the Dick Wolf TV universe) talked about earlier than making the present:
Derek and I talked early on, and I stated, ‘Pay attention, the viewers has to care about these folks if we’ll ask them to go on this journey with us.’ That was an vital factor to him and to me and to Eric and to everyone concerned. We needed to be sure that the viewers cared about these characters to ensure that them to actually be a part of this journey. And I believe we did that. I believe that was actually a tent pole in what we constructed right here I believe that that interprets, most likely from a few of the work that I’ve performed previously, and there is plenty of parts, I believe, that you’re going to discover on this present that I’ve gotten to play previously.
Admittedly, casting after which killing off Milo Ventimiglia was a fairly nice solution to instantly make audiences care in regards to the present, with so many TV followers loving him for his work on This Is Us. However as any person who has watched plenty of crime TV reveals in my day, I wasn’t solely offered on whether or not the present might make me deeply care in regards to the characters. Benefit from the motion and journey? Certain.
The cliffhanger on the finish of Episode 12 final week was sufficient for me to appreciate that, sure, I’ve someway change into much more invested within the survival of the characters that I might realized. Though the episode ended with out anyone’s life in imminent hazard or explosions or bullets flying within the last moments, the cliffhanger was sufficient to get me on the sting of my seat forward of the finale.
Many of the process drive was lured right into a scenario by a killer who might predict their each transfer, and their lives are in critical hazard now that he is aware of who they’re. Not each member was there, however on condition that it is a present that has killed folks off previously, not a lot appears off limits for the finale. Do I believe it’s going to be a blood bathtub with many of the characters useless? No, however I am invested find out. Congratulations to Jensen Ackles and Derek Haas, as a result of mission achieved no less than with me – I care about these folks.
The primary twelve episodes of Countdown can be found streaming with a Prime Video subscription now, with the Season 1 finale releasing on Wednesday, September 3. Derek Haas did not debunk the opportunity of a second season after we spoke earlier in the summertime, so we are able to solely wait and see if Jensen Ackles and Co. return for a Season 2. That assumes everyone survives the upcoming finale, anyway!