The Brink (TV series)

Last updated
The Brink
The Brink HBO.png
Promotional poster
Genre Political satire
Created by
Starring
Composer David Robbins
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Dave Holstein
  • Jack Black
  • Tim Robbins
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
  • Jerry Weintraub Productions
  • Everyman Pictures
  • Little City Iron Works
Release
Original network HBO
Original releaseJune 21 (2015-06-21) 
August 23, 2015 (2015-08-23)

The Brink is an American comedy television series created by brothers Roberto Benabib and Kim Benabib. [1] It focuses on a geopolitical crisis in Pakistan. Before cancellation, the show was conceived so that each season would follow a different crisis somewhere in the world involving the same main characters. The pilot episode was written by the Benabib brothers and directed by Jay Roach. [1]

Contents

The series premiered on June 21, 2015 on the American cable television network HBO. [2] The Brink was initially renewed for a second season while the first season was still airing. [3] HBO later reversed its order and cancelled the series after just one season. [4]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot" Jay Roach Roberto Benabib & Kim BenabibJune 21, 2015 (2015-06-21)1.60 [10]
2"Half-Cocked" Tim Robbins Roberto Benabib & Kim BenabibJune 28, 2015 (2015-06-28)1.26 [11]
3"Baghdad My Ass" Jon Poll Roberto Benabib & Kim BenabibJuly 5, 2015 (2015-07-05)1.17 [12]
4"I'll Never Be Batman" Michael Lehmann Dave HolsteinJuly 12, 2015 (2015-07-12)0.99 [13]
5"Swim, Shmuley, Swim" J. Michael Muro Jack KukodaJuly 19, 2015 (2015-07-19)1.06 [14]
6"Tweet Tweet Tweet"Michael LehmannSam FormanJuly 26, 2015 (2015-07-26)0.97 [15]
7"Sticky Wicket" Scott Winant Aasif Mandvi August 2, 2015 (2015-08-02)1.00 [16]
8"Who's Grover Cleveland?"Michael LehmannWes JonesAugust 9, 2015 (2015-08-09)0.89 [17]
9"Just a Little Crazy Talk" Adam Bernstein Roberto Benabib, Kim Benabib & Dave HolsteinAugust 16, 2015 (2015-08-16)0.94 [18]
10"There Will Be Consequences"Michael LehmannRoberto Benabib, Kim Benabib & Dave HolsteinAugust 23, 2015 (2015-08-23)0.87 [19]

Reception

The Brink received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season a rating of 53%, based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Brink avoids disaster thanks to the game efforts of a talented cast, but they - and viewers - deserve political satire with a sharper bite." [20] Metacritic gives the first season a score of 52 out of 100, based on reviews from 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [21]

IGN reviewer Amber Dowling gave the entire first season an 8.0 out of 10 'Great' score, saying that "after a rough first couple of episodes the actors settled into their characters and viewers grew more comfortable with the tone. Quick and surprising plot twists coupled with strong on-screen pairings eventually resulted in a fun summer romp with plenty of potential." [22]

International broadcast

In India, the series aired within 24 hours of the US premiere on June 22, 2015, on HBO Defined HD. [23] In Australia, the series premiered on July 7, 2015, on Showcase. [24] In Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East and North Africa, the series premiered on November 11, 2015, on Orbit Showtime Network (OSN).

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References

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  2. Pedersen, Erik (April 9, 2015). "HBO Launching Comedies 'The Brink' & 'Ballers' With 'True Detective' In June". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 9, 2015.
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  6. ship name revealed in episode "Half-Cocked," class determined by hull number of CVN-82
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  16. Bibel, Sara (August 4, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Rick and Morty' & 'Naked and Afraid XL', Win Night, 'True Detective', 'The Last Ship', 'Ballers', 'The Strain', 'Ray Donovan' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 6, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
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