Jensen Ackles and Jessica Camacho are top cops trying to prevent a deadly cataclysm in high-octane thriller Countdown
Aficionados of action-packed, adrenaline-pumping thrillers should buckle up for Countdown, a gritty new drama starring Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles and All Rise alum Jessica Camacho as high-operating police officers assigned a deadly task that could save millions of innocent lives.
Helmed by Derek Haas, the creator behind hit shows such as Chicago P.D. and FBI: International, the debut season of Countdown is a 13-episode thrill ride that brings viewers into the heart of the danger while smoothing the tension with a healthy dose of comedy — a combination with which fans of Supernatural are well acquainted.
Likewise, those who have dabbled in Haas’ other work will already know that he is no stranger to comedy-punctuated action himself, as he often leans toward gritty heroes who love their jobs — danger and all.
“I grew up loving action movies like Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Rush Hour and Beverly Hills Cop,” Haas told Men’s Health, adding, “so those wild character-based, set piece-based action thrillers are always in the back of my mind. I like it when the heroes have a bounce in their step and love their jobs, versus the depressed, I‘m-haunted-by-what-I’ve-seen type of characters.”
Ackles’ character, Mark Meachum, certainly falls into that character category. Described by Ackles as a “rogue L.A. detective, wrong-side-of-the-tracks kind of guy [who] takes risks that most people wouldn’t take,” Meachum is recruited alongside other edgy, top-performing law enforcement officers to end an imminent terrorist threat that could wipe out a large portion of the city of Los Angeles. Referred to as a “Chernobyl-level event” and “another 9/11,” the endgame plan sees many false starts throughout its 13 episodes. However, a question remains: will the team of superstar agents be enough to stop a well-designed attack on one of America’s largest cities?
Joining Meachum in a string of metropolitan heroics is Amber Oliveras, a female agent toughened by years of having to prove herself on the force, played by All Rise and Taken star
Jessica Camacho.
Also on the team are Keyonte Bell (Elliot Knight), Evan Shepherd (Violett Beane), Lucas Finau (Uli Latukefu) and Nathan Blythe (Grey’s Anatomy alum Eric Dane), the lead officer who recruited the other agents based on their track records.
“When an officer with the Department of Homeland Security is murdered in broad daylight, LAPD detective Mark Meachum (Ackles), is recruited to a secret task force, alongside undercover agents from all branches of law enforcement, to investigate,” notes the series’ synopsis. “But the hunt for the killer soon uncovers a plot far more sinister than anyone could have imagined, kicking off a race against time to save a city of millions.”
The idea for a task force-based series reportedly came to Haas while he was working on Chicago P.D. Per Entertainment Weekly, it was the arc of Chicago P.D. character Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush) that kickstarted Haas’ fascination with task forces — namely their creation and structure.
“I found out it’s kind of like an all-star team and it’s got people from a bunch of different agencies,” Haas told EW. “So you got DEA or NSA — or you could have somebody from the coast guard, secret service, detectives from local police departments, feds — and they’re on a particular mission.”
In the same interview, Haas shared that the dynamic between the agents is really what drives Countdown and sets it apart from other procedural action series.
“Putting this disparate group together and then emphasizing different strengths is what makes the show,” said Haas. “And watching as they come together as a team, I think that’s what the viewers are going to find really interesting.”
Countdown begins streaming on Wednesday, June 25, on Prime Video