The Jensen Ackles-led Countdown has finally overtaken its top genre streaming competition – for now.
Per Collider, Amazon Prime Video’s Countdown starring Jensen Ackles has officially overtaken its closest streaming competition, the hit Bosch spinoff series, Ballard. As of the time of writing, Countdown stands firmly in the number two position on the chart of top streaming series on the platform, although both it and Ballard are still far behind the number one show on the list, The Summer I Turned Pretty, which is currently in the middle of its third season.
Created by showrunner Derek Haas, Countdown stars Ackles as LAPD Detective Mark Meachum, one of several highly qualified and specialized agents brought in from numerous law enforcement agencies to form a crack squad in the wake of the assassination of a Department of Homeland Security Officer. The series’ ensemble cast includes appearances by Elliot Knight and Violett Beane as FBI Agents Keyonte Bell and Evan Shepherd, Jessica Camacho as DEA Agent Amber Oliveros, Uli Latukefu as narcotics officer Lucas Finau, and Euphoria’s Eric Dane as Homeland Security Special Agent Nathan Blythe. Countdown premiered on June 25, and has since garnered generally favorable reviews from critics.
Ackles previously discussed his time on Countdown, noting that he and Haas “hit it off right away” before he “got a clear sense of what he wanted to do.” Ackles continued, ” I was like, ‘Oh, this is not only in my wheelhouse, it’s the stuff I grew up being attracted to.” Ackles also went on to sing high praises of the rounded cast of characters and the series’ approach to its team-dynamic in how it allows viewers to “really get a sense of who these people are… Not just together as the team, but individually. That lets the audience invest in the characters and not just the story.”
How Do Fans and Critics Feel About Ballard?
A spinoff of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy starring Titus Welliver, Ballard stars Maggie Q in the role of the titular detective, who is moved to the LAPD’s newly-minted Cold Case Unit after a major professional downfall. Ballard includes numerous fan-favorite stars in its leading cast, such as Courtney Taylor, Michael Mosley, Victoria Moroles, Amy Hill, and John Carroll Lynch. As of the time of writing, Ballard boasts a perfect 100% “Fresh” rating via review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, as averaged across 19 critical reviews of the series. Ballard’s user-generated “Popcornmeter” sits somewhat lower, yet still at an overall positive 77% approval rating.
Source: cbr.com