A bullpen filled with desks. A dimly lit interrogation room complete with a two-way mirror. White boards covered in pictures of suspects. Talk of “computer forensics.” Sitting on the set of Countdown, Prime Video’s new series from co-creator of the One Chicago franchise Derek Haas, you’ll recognize a lot of the cop show staples. But this isn’t about a local police station. Rather, Countdown follows a task force comprised of law enforcement professionals from many different organizations.
The idea came to Haas during his time on Chicago P.D. “When I was working on Chicago P.D., there was an actress who was leaving the show and whenever that happens you’re always like, ‘Okay, where could we send them?'” Haas recalls, likely referencing Erin Lindsay’s (Sophia Bush) arc on the show. “I went to our technical advisor, and I’m like, ‘Where could she go?’ And he was like, ‘Well, do you want her to come back?’ ‘Yeah. And I want it to be heroic.’ He’s like, ‘She’s got to join a task force.'”
As Haas learned more about task forces, he says, “I found out it’s kind of like an all-star team and it’s got people from a bunch of different agencies. 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.”
That brings us to Countdown, where this specific task force is made up of Mark Meachum (Jensen Ackles), Nathan Blythe (Eric Dane), Amber Oliveras (Jessica Camacho), Keyonte Bell (Elliot Knight), Evan Shepherd (Violett Beane), and Lucas Finau (Uli Latukefu). Although we can’t give too many details about their roles just yet, they will have to work as a team if they want to succeed.
“Putting this disparate group together and then emphasizing different strengths is what makes the show,” Haas says. “And watching as they come together as a team. I think that’s what the viewers are going to find really interesting.”
Coming together as a team was a breeze for the cast, led by Supernatural and The Boys star Jensen Ackles. “It’s like every ingredient for a perfect dish. Everybody blends well together,” Ackles says of the cast. “Everybody’s so giving and happy to do whatever it takes for the team.”
Speaking of Supernatural, Ackles knows fans love to see nods to his demon-fighting former character, Dean Winchester, and let’s just say he doesn’t think Meachum will disappoint. “There’s probably going to be some familiarity from that fandom with this guy,” he says. “It’s not like I’m going so opposite spectrum with this character. He’s going to be a familiar taste, which is good. I like doing that. I mean, I played Dean for 15 years. I loved playing that kind of a character. And I think this guy is in the vein of that, just with a completely different set of circumstances.”
Specifically, Ackles describes him as a “rogue L.A. detective, wrong-side-of-the-tracks kind of guy” who perhaps “takes risks that most people wouldn’t take.” And that leads us to the action.
Fans can expect what Ackles calls “a fair amount” of action from the series and his character in particular. “I actually just did some ADR the other day for an action sequence,” Ackles says. “I was watching it and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m getting my Tom Cruise on here. This is some full-on action stuff.'”
But there’s more to the series than full-on action.There’s also some romance, as Meachum finds himself in a bit of a will-they-won’t-they. “It’s not going to be just one,” Haas says when asked about a will-they-won’t-they relationship. “I love the triangle. It’s my favorite shape. And we’re going to have a few of those.”
Countdown premieres June 25
Source: ew.com