The Last Ship (TV series)

Last updated

The Last Ship
LastShipSeriesIntertitle.jpg
Genre
Created by
Based on The Last Ship
by William Brinkley
Starring
Theme music composer Steve Jablonsky
ComposerNathan Whitehead
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes56 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Cinematography Lukas Ettlin
EditorKen Blackwell
Running time45 minutes
Production companies
  • Channel Road Productions
  • Platinum Dunes
  • TNT Original Productions (seasons 1–3)
  • Studio T (from season 4)
Original release
Network TNT
ReleaseJune 22, 2014 (2014-06-22) 
November 11, 2018 (2018-11-11)

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.

Contents

Premise

After a global viral pandemic wipes out over 80% of the world's population, the 218-person crew of an unaffected U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the fictional USS Nathan James (DDG-151), must try to find a cure and save humanity. [1]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 10June 22, 2014 (2014-06-22)August 24, 2014 (2014-08-24)
2 13June 21, 2015 (2015-06-21)September 6, 2015 (2015-09-06)
3 13May 30, 2016 (2016-05-30)September 11, 2016 (2016-09-11)
4 10August 20, 2017 (2017-08-20)October 8, 2017 (2017-10-08)
5 10September 9, 2018 (2018-09-09)November 11, 2018 (2018-11-11)

Cast

Series' cast and crew, Season 3 (2016) The Last SHip cast 2016.jpg
Series' cast and crew, Season 3 (2016)

Development and production

In July 2012, TNT ordered a pilot episode for a potential series based on William Brinkley's 1988 novel The Last Ship . [9] Hank Steinberg and Steven Kane wrote the pilot script, and Jonathan Mostow directed the pilot. [10] [11]

The show was filmed at a number of locations across San Diego, including the museum ship USS Iowa (located in San Pedro), used in filming to represent a Russian Kirov-class battlecruiser; [12] [13] and aboard the USS Russell (DDG-59), USS Halsey (DDG-97), and USS Dewey, standing in for the show's fictional USS Nathan James. [14] The series was produced by Channel Road Productions and Platinum Dunes, with Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, Andrew Form, Steinberg, and Kane. [15] All seasons of the show were shot at the Culver Studios, in Culver City.

The former Atlantic liner RMS Queen Mary, now berthed at Long Beach, was also used extensively. [16] [17] [18] [19]

In May 2013, TNT placed a 10-episode order for the series. [3] The series premiered on June 22, 2014, at 9:00 pm EDT. [20] [21] On July 18, 2014, The Last Ship was renewed for a 13-episode second season. [22] The second season started airing on June 21, 2015. [23] On August 11, 2015, The Last Ship was renewed for a 13-episode third season, slated to premiere June 12, 2016. [24] The season-3 premiere was postponed following the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting because the episode also included a mass shooting in a nightclub. [25] On July 31, 2016, The Last Ship was renewed for a 10-episode fourth season, which premiered on August 20, 2017. [26] [27] 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. [28] [29] [30] The final episode aired on November 11, 2018.

Reception

On Metacritic, the first season has an average score of 60 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [31] Rotten Tomatoes gives the show 83% over the five seasons. 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." [32]

In July 2015, Entertainment Weekly 's Ray Abdur 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." [33]

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References

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