Acclaimed TV mainstay Jensen Ackles continues to rack up small-screen hits thanks to his new crime drama series, Countdown. Despite the Prime Video series ending on a controversial cliffhanger, it remains a solid streaming hit months after its premiere.
Per Flix Patrol, Countdown remains one of Prime Video’s most popular shows globally. The Jared Hess-created series ranked third on the Prime Video chart, as of Sept. 5, only trailing The Terminal List: Dark Wolf in second and The Summer I Turned Pretty in the top spot.
Starring the Supernatural star alongside All Rise’s Jessica Camacho, Bad Boys: Ride or Die’s Eric Dane and The Flash actor Violett Beane, Countdown centers around Ackles’ central character, Mark Meachum. Ackles’ character is a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) detective and former Army Ranger who joins a covert task force after a Department of Homeland Security officer is murdered in plain sight. Meachum rallies the task force, which includes undercover agents from several law enforcement agencies, to track down the killer. However, during the investigation, Meachum uncovers a dark conspiracy that sparks a frantic race to save millions from a tragic fate.
Although its premiere was well-received, Countdown garnered less attractive numbers from critics over time. The action series has a 35% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. However, fans have been much more forgiving of the series, which boasts a 72% score on Rotten Tomatoes’ audience-focused Popcornmeter. The show previously topped the Prime Video charts this summer, though that run was short-lived.
Despite being a fan-favorite, audiences were left frustrated by Countdown’s cliffhanger ending in the season finale, “Your People Are in Danger,” especially since there is no definitive word about a potential renewal at Prime Video. Hass defended his decision to leave Countdown on a cliffhanger, something he’s done with previous shows like his Chicago franchise, “I want the audience’s reaction to be, ‘I hate this guy.’ You’re going to want that guy caught. And I want them screaming, ‘No way can you end it like that!’ That, to me, is the best feeling.”
Will Countdown Get a Season 2?
Jensen Ackles as Meachum and Jessica Camacho as Oliveras discussing relationships in Countdown ‘Your People Are in Danger’
Image via Prime Video
Though the future of Countdown remains unclear, Hass seems optimistic that Prime Video will bring it back for a second season. He recently told Bleeding Cool, “I know there are a lot of fans over at Prime who really champion the show, so I’m hoping for great news, but not sure when the timing will be. Tell everyone who has been holding out for binging, now’s the time!” The show has been constantly in the Top 10 since its June 25 premiere, which might help its odds.
Meanwhile, Ackles, best known for his run on Supernatural, will return for another Prime Video show as he’ll feature in the fifth and final season of the hit satirical superhero series, The Boys, reprising his role as Soldier Boy. The Boys Season 5 will feature a Supernatural reunion, with Ackles sharing the screen alongside Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who played John Winchester, Misha Collins, who played Castiel, and Jared Padalecki, who portrayed Ackles’ Dean’s brother, Sam Winchester.
Meanwhile, Ackles’ Soldier Boy is the central character in the upcoming The Boys spinoff, Vought Rising. Ackles will star alongside Aya Cash’s Stormfront. Branded as a “coming-of-age story,” the upcoming murder mystery series chronicles Vought International’s early beginnings in the 1950s.
Fans can stream every episode of Countdown Season 1 on Prime Video.
Release Date
June 25, 2025
Network
Prime Video
