The Last Ship (TV series)
The Last Ship is an American action-drama television series, loosely based on the 1988 novel of the same name by William Brinkley. The series premiered on TNT on June 22, 2014 and concluded after five seasons on November 11, 2018.
Premise
After a global viral pandemic wipes out over 80% of the world's population, the crew of a lone unaffected U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the fictional USS Nathan James, must try to find a cure, stop the virus, and save humanity.Episodes
Cast
- Eric Dane as Admiral Tom Chandler, the former Commanding Officer of and Chief of Naval Operations, and instructor at the United States Naval Academy.
- Rhona Mitra as Dr. Rachel Scott, a paleo-microbiologist who created the cure for the virus. She was killed in the second season finale after successfully curing the Red Flu.
- Adam Baldwin as Admiral Mike Slattery, the former Executive Officer and later Commanding Officer of Nathan James and Chief of Naval Operations. Originally from Chicago, he previously served as a homicide detective with the Chicago Police Department. Slattery's son was killed by the virus, and as of Season 4, his wife Christine and his daughters were still MIA.
- Charles Parnell as Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Russell "Russ" Jeter, who previously served as Nathan Jamess senior enlisted sailor and unofficial chaplain.
- Travis Van Winkle as Lieutenant Daniel Joshua "Danny" Green, leader of the Naval Mountain Warfare Special Forces Unit aboard Nathan James. In Season 5, Danny was a member of Delta Team, a four-man covert action team.
- Marissa Neitling as Commander Kara Green, who started the series as a Combat Information Center Officer on Nathan James before being promoted to Tactical Actions Officer after the death of LCDR Barker. During Season 3, Kara worked in St. Louis as Deputy Chief of Staff to President Michener. In Season 4, she returned to duty onboard Nathan James as the Tactical Action Officer. In Season 5, she became Commanding Officer of Nathan James.
- Christina Elmore as Lieutenant Commander Alisha Granderson, an Officer of the Deck on Nathan James. In Season 5, she is serving at Naval Station Mayport under Admiral Meylan. In season 5, episode 4, she is stabbed to death by her girlfriend.
- John Pyper-Ferguson as Ken "Tex" Nolan, a private security/military contractor and former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who joined the crew at Guantanamo Bay. In the season 2 finale, he tracked down his daughter, but learned that his ex-wife was killed by looters. In the third-season finale Tex was killed, stopping Allison Shaw.
- Jocko Sims as Commander Carlton Burk, head of Nathan James visit, board, search, and seizure teams. In Season 5, he is promoted to Executive Officer of Nathan James.
- Kevin Michael Martin as Chief Gunner's Mate Eric Miller, a member of the ship's VBSS teams who has worked his way up the enlisted ranks..
- Bren Foster as Chief Petty Officer Wolf "Wolf-Man" Taylor, a member of the Royal Australian Navy CDT 3 attached to the US Navy Special Warfare Joint Operations Training Program. In Season 5, Wolf is a member of Delta Team, a four-man covert action team..
- Bridget Regan as Sasha Cooper, a former Navy Intelligence Officer now operating under diplomatic cover in China for the newly reformed US government who was once romantically involved with Tom Chandler. In Season 5, Sasha is a member of Delta Team, a four-man covert action team.
- LaMonica Garrett as Lieutenant Commander Cameron Burk, the brother of CDR Carlton Burk and the Tactical Actions Officer of the USS Nathan James in Season 3. In Season 4, LCDR Burk is wounded in action during an attack on Naval Station Rota, Spain which took him off active duty.
- Fay Masterson as Captain Andrea Garnett, Commanding Officer of the USS Jeffrey Michener. CAPT Garnett previously served as Chief Engineer and later Executive Officer of the Nathan James.
- Emerson Brooks as Admiral Joseph Meylan, former commanding officer of USS Hayward, who joins Nathan James after his ship was severely damaged by the Chinese Navy. He briefly takes command of Nathan James ordered by the St. Louis White House to place Captain Chandler under arrest. In Season 4 he replaces Andrea Garnett as the Executive Officer of USS Nathan James under Captain Mike Slattery. In Season 5, he is assigned to Naval Station Mayport as a flag officer..
- Jodie Turner-Smith as Sergeant Azima Kandie, she served in the Kenyan Navy for two years, she is part of the VBSS teams on Nathan James during season 4. In Season 5, Azima is a member of Delta Team, a four-man covert action team.
Development and production
In May 2013, the cable network TNT placed a 10-episode order for the series. The series premiered on June 22, 2014, at 9:00 p.m. EDT.
On July 18, 2014, The Last Ship was renewed for a 13-episode second season. The second season started airing on June 21, 2015. On August 11, 2015, The Last Ship was renewed for a 13-episode third season, stated to premiere June 12, 2016. The season 3 premiere was postponed following the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting because the episode also included a mass shooting in a nightclub.
On July 31, 2016, The Last Ship was renewed for a 10-episode fourth season, which premiered on August 20, 2017. On September 8, 2016, TNT renewed the series for a 10-episode fifth and final season, which was filmed immediately after season four and premiered on September 9, 2018. The final episode aired on November 11, 2018.
The series is produced by Channel Road Productions and Platinum Dunes, with Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, Andrew Form, Steinberg, and Kane. All seasons of The Last Ship were shot at The Culver Studios, in Culver City, CA with their last season ending around late 2018.
Reception
On Metacritic, the first season has an average score of 60 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Rotten Tomatoes gives the show 65%, with an average rating of 6/10 based on 29 reviews, as of October 2015. The website consensus states: "Movie-sized action sequences and a pretty cast provide smooth sailing for The Last Ship, though it's not anything that hasn't been seen before."In July 2015, Entertainment Weeklys Ray Rahman said of the second season, "The story is getting more interesting as we get an on-the-ground sense of how the pandemic-ravaged US has fared."