Spoilers forward for the collection premiere of Countdown, out there streaming now with a Prime Video subscription.
Countdown arrived on Prime Video within the 2025 TV schedule for viewers who had each cause to count on an action-packed new drama centered on fan-favorites Jensen Ackles and Eric Dane. So, the looks of none aside from This Is Us‘ Milo Ventimiglia undoubtedly got here as a shock, after creator Derek Haas managed to maintain his function a secret. However mere minutes after Ventimiglia debuted as Homeland Safety Agent Robert Darden, he was murdered, and that was that! Haas spoke with CinemaBlend about why he forged a beloved actor for such a fast and tragic function.
After all, saying “that was that” does considerably undersell how a lot Milo Ventimiglia delivered in his 5 minutes of screentime. Along with his few strains, he established Darden as a faithful and loving household man. Along with his motion sequence, he proved that he would have made an awesome member of the workforce that has to avoid wasting Los Angeles… if solely the dangerous guys hadn’t caught up with him and shot him by way of the center. R.I.P. Darden!
The actor, who was so beloved for This Is Us that the Crock-Pot firm needed to do harm management after an unlucky twist for his character, finally had a brief however intense function in Countdown to set the stage for the remainder of the story. Once I spoke with Chicago Fireplace vet Derek Haas throughout Prime Video’s Countdown press junket about Milo Ventimiglia’s shock look, the creator defined:
Milo Ventimiglia, I bought, actually, fortuitously forged, as a result of in 30 seconds, for those who’ve ever gotten to spend time with Milo, the actor, in 30 seconds, you simply love the man. I knew I had this restricted time you have been going to spend with Darden, and I needed you in that opening to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I already like this man!’
I really was lucky sufficient to talk with Ventimiglia when he was selling This Is Us again in 2021, and I went away with the impression of a considerate actor who went all-in on his performances. Throw in initiatives like Heroes and Gilmore Ladies for Ventimiglia, and Derek Haas actually succeeded find a lovable actor to forged after which kill off.
The truth is, for a quick second, it appeared like Countdown may unite two former CW stars, after Jensen Ackles’ Supernatural days and Milo Ventimiglia’s Gilmore Ladies period. Alas, Ventimiglia’s Darden died earlier than Ackles’ Mark Meachum even debuted. Derek Haas elaborated on why he was so fortunate to even briefly land the This Is Us vet:
After which I bought each side of it, as a result of he is such an awesome actor, emotionally, but in addition an awesome motion actor, which I wanted each of these two issues within the first 5 minutes of the present. So it was actually simply, I depend my fortunate stars that I started working with him.
On the entire, I am guessing that the loss of life of Darden will go away much more of an affect on followers with Prime Video releasing Countdown episodes weekly as a substitute of dropping them unexpectedly. Jensen Ackles and Eric Dane defined why they’re followers of the weekly launch format, which actually tracks with the primetime exhibits that shot them to fame. Binge-watching Supernatural on The CW and Gray’s Anatomy on ABC was by no means an possibility again within the day!
So, was Darden the primary of many good guys to be killed off on Countdown, or ought to we be assured for the remainder of the duty power’s survival? Nicely, for those who watched the entire first three episodes that launched on Prime Video on June 25, you might need a fairly good thought of how excessive the stakes are for the assorted workforce members. As a Chicago Fireplace fan watching Countdown, I did should chuckle a bit that the primary main loss of life from a Derek Haas present was named Darden.
New episodes of Countdown debut streaming on Prime Video on Wednesdays by way of early September. The duty power comprised of brokers from varied regulation enforcement companies are dealing with a ticking clock to avoid wasting Los Angeles, so remember to maintain tuning it for a stable summer time motion collection.