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American military drama television series

Last Resort
Genre
Created by
Starring
ComposerRobert Duncan
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producers
ProducerJean Higgins
Production locationOahu, Hawaii
Cinematography
Editors
  • Amy M. Fleming
  • Erik Presant
  • Justin Krohn
  • Kevin Casey
  • Angela M. Catanzaro
  • J. Kathleen Gibson
Running time42 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 27, 2012 (2012-09-27) –
January 24, 2013 (2013-01-24)

Last Resort is an American military drama television series that aired on ABC from September 27, 2012, to January 24, 2013.[1] The series was created by Shawn Ryan and Karl Gajdusek, and produced by Sony Pictures Television. On November 16, 2012, ABC announced that the series would not be picked up for another season, and the show finished with its original 13 episodes.[2]

Plot

[edit]

When the crew of the U.S. Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, the USS Colorado (SSBN-753),[N 1] pick up a U.S. Navy SEAL team off Pakistan's coast, the Colorado receives an order to launch nuclear ballistic missiles at Pakistan.

Colorado's Commanding Officer, Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher), asks for confirmation of the firing order because the orders were received through a legacy Cold War secondary communication channel, only to be used in the event that Washington, D.C., has already been destroyed. After confirming Washington's continued existence and refusing to fire the missiles until the command is sent through the proper system, Chaplin is relieved of command by the Deputy Secretary of Defense William Curry (Jay Karnes), and the Colorado's second in command, Lieutenant Commander Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman), is given command instead. When Kendal also questions the orders and asks for confirmation, the vessel is fired upon by the Virginia-class attack submarine USS Illinois (SSN-786). Two nuclear missile strikes are subsequently made on Pakistan by other U.S. submarines.

Realizing they have been declared enemies of their own country, the Colorado seeks refuge on the island of Sainte Marina (a fictional French island located in the Indian Ocean) and commandeer a NATO communications and early missile warning facility. When a pair of B-1 bombers is sent to attack the submarine and island, Chaplin launches a Trident nuclear missile towards Washington, D.C., to impress upon the national leadership that he's serious.[4] The B-1s turn away at the last minute, but Chaplin (who has altered the missile's final target coordinates) allows the missile to visibly overfly Washington, D.C., and explode 200 miles (320 km) beyond in the open Atlantic, the explosion clearly visible from both Washington and New York City. Via a television feed to the media, he then declares a 200-mile exclusion zone around Sainte Marina.

Now, the crew must find a way to prove their innocence and find out who in the U.S. government has set them up, so they can finally return home.[5]

As the series progresses, Chaplin finds himself having to become a reluctant ally with China, while trying to keep his own crew, led by Chief of the Boat Joseph Prosser (Robert Patrick), from rebelling against him. He must also combat the schemes of the local drug lord Julian Serrat (Sahr Ngaujah). The series also follows the efforts of Kylie Sinclair (Autumn Reeser), a weapons designer back home who allies with Christine Kendal (Jessy Schram), the wife of the Colorado's XO, to discern the truth behind the nuclear attack on Pakistan and the Colorado's fugitive status. An ongoing subplot involves a Navy SEAL named James King (Daniel Lissing) who, wracked with guilt over his role in the events leading to the nuking of Pakistan, cultivates a romance with one of the island's residents (Dichen Lachman) while surreptitiously aiding the XO.

The series concludes with a series of mutinies, ending with the Colorado destroyed with Chaplin still on board, the surviving crew returning home to the United States, the President assassinated, and the full story made public when Kylie Sinclair arranges for proof of the president and his administration's traitorous activities to be handed over to the press.

Cast and characters

[edit]

Main

[edit]
  • Andre Braugher as Captain Marcus Chaplin, Captain of the USS Colorado who questioned orders to fire nuclear weapons and promptly was declared a fugitive. He is a widower who lost his wife Angela to cancer; he has two sons, one of which he is estranged from and the other, Jeffrey, was a Marine who was killed in action the week prior to "Captain". At the end of the series, CAPT Chaplin went down with his ship, scuttling the Colorado to keep it out of the hands of the Chinese.
  • Scott Speedman as the Executive Officer (XO), Lieutenant Commander Sam Kendal
  • Daisy Betts as Lieutenant Grace Shepard, boat's navigator and daughter of Rear Admiral Arthur Shepard (a longtime friend of Captain Chaplin). An Annapolis graduate and sexual assault survivor, LT Shepard remains loyal to CAPT Chaplin and the Colorado up until its destruction. At one point, she had a one-night stand with SO1 King.
  • Robert Patrick as Command Master Chief Petty Officer Joseph "Joe" Prosser, Chief of the Boat (COB) of the USS Colorado. He attempted to mutiny against CAPT Chaplin in order to return home, but was double-crossed by his own men who sought to sell the Colorado.
  • Camille De Pazzis as Sophie Girard, French commander of the NATO Communications Facility. She is romantically pursued by Julian Serrat while harboring her own feelings for LCDR Kendal.
  • Dichen Lachman as Tani Tumrenjack, owner of Sainte Marina Bar, with whom SO1 King strikes up a relationship.
  • Daniel Lissing as Special Warfare Operator 1st Class James King, a United States Navy SEAL who was on the mission in Pakistan that went south. While on Sainte Marina, he occasionally found himself working with the Colorado crew, particularly LT Shepard (with whom he had a one-night stand) and LCDR Kendal.
  • Sahr Ngaujah as Julian Serrat, the local despot on Sainte Marina
  • Autumn Reeser as Kylie Sinclair, a Washington lobbyist for her family's weapons manufacturing company
  • Jessy Schram as Christine Kendal, wife of Lieutenant Commander Sam Kendal

Recurring

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  • Michael Ng as Chief Sonar Technician Cameron Pitts
  • Jessica Camacho as Petty Officer 1st Class Pilar Cortez, a member of the crew who is later revealed to CAPT Chaplin to be an embedded CIA operative put in place just in case a nuclear sea captain goes rogue.
  • Will Rothhaar as Petty Officer 3rd Class Josh Brannan, a crew member who serves as CAPT Chaplin's inside man during a crew mutiny; he is killed protecting the Captain.
  • Daniel Bess as the Communications Officer, Lieutenant Chris Cahill
  • Michael Mosley as Senior Chief Nuclear Machinist's Mate Hal Anders, the senior nuclear engineer aboard the Colorado until he is relieved of duty and dismissed from service for raping a native girl. He later leads a mutiny with the end goal of selling the Colorado to the Chinese and is shot dead by CAPT Chaplin.
  • Michael King as Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin Hawkes, a sailor aboard the Colorado who deserted the ship, returned, and was party to Hal Anders' mutiny.
  • Omid Abtahi as NATO surveillance technician Nigel
  • Bruce Davison as Rear Admiral Arthur Shepard, Lieutenant Grace Shepard's father
  • Jay Karnes as Deputy Secretary of Defense, later promoted to Secretary of Defense William Curry
  • Ernie Hudson as Speaker of the House Conrad Buell
  • Jay Hernandez as U.S. government lawyer Paul Wells
  • Gideon Emery as CIA operative Booth
  • David Rees Snell as Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Barry Hopper, a member of SO1 King's SEAL Team who made his way stateside to provide proof of the conspiracy.
  • Chin Han as Chinese envoy Zheng Min
  • Michael Gaston as Bennett Sinclair, Kylie's industrialist father
  • Tyler Tuione as Chief, Tani's father
  • Kasim Saul as Seaman Lawrence

Development and production

[edit]

ABC greenlit the pilot in January 2012, allowing filming to begin.[6] The show was filmed in Oahu, Hawaii,[7] and produced by Sony Pictures Television. Thirteen episodes were ordered,[8] and on October 19, 2012, ABC ordered two additional scripts for the series.[9]

On November 16, 2012, ABC announced that they would not be taking on Last Resort for a full season, but would air the 13 episodes that had been produced. They also passed on producing the two additional scripts that had been ordered.[2]

On November 21, 2012, the producers revealed they had been given sufficient notice of the network's cancellation plans so they could "tweak" the final episode to function as a series finale and give the fans some closure.[10]

Episodes

[edit]
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release dateUS viewers
(millions)
1"Captain"Martin CampbellKarl Gajdusek & Shawn RyanSeptember 10, 2012 (2012-09-10) (online)
September 27, 2012 (2012-09-27) (ABC)		9.31[11]
2"Blue on Blue"Kevin HooksKarl GajdusekOctober 4, 2012 (2012-10-04)8.00[12]
3"Eight Bells"Michael OfferEileen MyersOctober 11, 2012 (2012-10-11)6.89[13]
4"Voluntold"Steven DePaulPatrick Massett & John ZinmanOctober 18, 2012 (2012-10-18)7.06[14]
5"Skeleton Crew"Michael OfferDavid WienerOctober 25, 2012 (2012-10-25)6.53[15]
6"Another Fine Navy Day"Christopher MisianoRon FitzgeraldNovember 8, 2012 (2012-11-08)5.98[16]
7"Nuke It Out"Michael OfferNick Antosca & Ned VizziniNovember 15, 2012 (2012-11-15)5.68[17]
8"Big Chicken Dinner"Gwyneth Horder-PaytonJulie SiegeNovember 29, 2012 (2012-11-29)5.20[18]
9"Cinderella Liberty"Lesli Linka GlatterMorenike BalogunDecember 6, 2012 (2012-12-06)5.44[19]
10"Blue Water"Billy GierhartEileen Myers & Julie SiegeDecember 13, 2012 (2012-12-13)4.94[20]
11"Damn the Torpedoes"Clark JohnsonPatrick Massett & John ZinmanJanuary 10, 2013 (2013-01-10)5.81[21]
12"The Pointy End of the Spear"Paris BarclayRon FitzgeraldJanuary 17, 2013 (2013-01-17)5.07[22]
13"Controlled Flight Into Terrain"Michael OfferKarl Gajdusek & David WienerJanuary 24, 2013 (2013-01-24)5.48[23]
[edit]

In Canada, the show was simsubbed on Global.[24] Sony's AXN channel aired the show in Asia from October 2, 2012.[25] Within Oceania, Australia aired the series on the Seven Network from February 20, 2013,[26] and debuted in New Zealand on Four on May 14, 2014.[27] Last Resort aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland by Sky1 from October 30, 2012.[28][29]

Home video release

[edit]
Episodes Originally aired DVD release dates
Series premiere Series finale Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
13 September 27, 2012 (2012-09-27) January 24, 2013 (2013-01-24) July 2, 2013[30] July 1, 2013[31] July 4, 2013[32]

Reception

[edit]

Critical response

[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 79% with an average score of 7.3 out of 10 based on 42 reviews. The website's critical consensus is, "Last Resort is a top-notch conspiracy thriller, with cinema-quality production and riveting action sequences."[33] On Metacritic, the series has a score of 74 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[34]

[edit]
Award Category Recipient(s) Episode Result
Visual Effects Society Awards[35] Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in a Commercial or Broadcast Program Matt Von Brock, Bruce Coy, Junaid Farooq, Aldo Ruggiero "Captain" Nominated
Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program Matt Von Brock, Jason Fotter, Aldo Ruggiero, Brian Williams "Captain" Nominated

Cancellation and future plans

[edit]

In an interview on Kevin Pollak's Chat Show, Shawn Ryan expressed disappointment but acknowledged that the cancellation of Last Resort was not a huge surprise. He said, "Our ratings had been on the cusp, or really below the cusp, for a few weeks now. It didn't come as a huge shock." He pointed out the tough competition, stating, "We're up against The Big Bang Theory, The X Factor, NFL games... it's a brutal time slot." He also explained the strategic placement of the show in the 8 p.m. Thursday slot, stating, "They thought [Last Resort] was a big, bold concept that would attract people." However, he added, "The addition of weekly NFL games... may not have been fully accounted for."[36]

Regarding the future of the series, Ryan revealed that they had ambitious plans for the second half of the season. The last nine episodes were set to shift from survival to exploring how the island became a symbol for a certain group of people. New characters, such as Marcus's surviving son, would have played key roles. Ryan mentioned, "We had definite plans on where we were going to go," with storylines like Christine's rescue and the discovery of valuable minerals on the island. These developments would have expanded the narrative into more complex territory.[37]

Andre Braugher also expressed his frustration with Last Resort's abrupt cancellation, saying, “It ended abruptly, and we had to scramble to create order where none existed.” While disappointed, he added, “Better to end like that than just be told to go home and leave it incomplete.” He also acknowledged, “I had a lot of hopes for that series, but it never came together as it should have.”[38]

Notes

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  1. ↑ In 2008, the U.S. Navy awarded a construction contract for a Virginia class attack submarine to be called USS Colorado. The official naming ceremony was in April 2012.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Porter, Rick (July 26, 2012). "ABC fall 2012 premiere dates: 'Revenge' and 'Modern Family,' plus 'Suburgatory' gets a new timeslot". Zap2it. Retrieved July 26, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. 1 2 Hibberd, James (November 16, 2012). "ABC cancels '666,' 'Last Resort'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Navy Secretary to Host USS Colorado Naming Ceremony". . June 21, 2012. Archived from on September 20, 2012.
  4. Nemetz, Dave (September 9, 2012). . Yahoo! TV.
  5. Andreeva, Nellie (February 3, 2012). "Andre Braugher To Star In Shawn Ryan's ABC Drama Pilot 'Last Resort'". Deadline. Hollywood. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  6. ↑ "It's Official: ABC Greenlights Shawn Ryan's Drama 'Last Resort' To Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. January 6, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Casting For ABC Pilot "Last Resort" In Hawaii". Kitv.com. February 10, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2012.[permanent dead link]
  8. ↑ "Shows A-Z – last resort on abc". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  9. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (October 19, 2012). "Last Resort and 666 Park Get Additional Script Orders; Mindy Project's Season Extended". TVLine. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  10. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (November 21, 2012). "Exclusive: Last Resort, 666 Park Avenue Tweaking Final Episodes to Give Fans Closure". TV Line. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  11. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (September 28, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Bang Theory', 'Grey's Anatomy', Adjusted Up; 'Parks & Rec.', 'Up All Night', 'SNL: Weekend Update', 'The Office', 'Glee', 'Scandal', 'Rock Center' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  12. ↑ Bibel, Sara (October 5, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The X Factor', 'Last Resort', '30 Rock', 'Grey's Anatomy', 'The Office' Adjusted Up; 'Two and a Half Men', 'Person of Interest', 'Scandal', 'Elementary' 'Rock Center' & 'The Next' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  13. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (October 12, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' and 'Two and a Half Men' Adjusted Up; 'Up All Night', 'Beauty and the Beast' and '30 Rock Adjusted Down; No Adjustment for 'The Vampire Diaries'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 26, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  14. ↑ Bibel, Sara (October 19, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Vampire Diaries', 'The Big Bang Theory', 'Grey's Anatomy' & 'The Office' Adjusted Up; '30 Rock', 'Up All Night' & 'Scandal' Adjusted Down Plus Final Baseball Numbers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  15. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (October 26, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Bang Theory', 'Grey's Anatomy', 'Vampire Diaries' Adjusted Up; 'Parks & Rec', 'Up All Night', 'Rock Center', '30 Rock', 'Person of Interest' & 'Beauty & the Beast' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 29, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  16. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (November 9, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', 'Vampire Diaires' & 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up, 'The Office', 'Parks & Rec', 'Scandal' & 'Rock Center' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  17. ↑ Bibel, Sara (November 16, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', 'Vampire Diaries', 'Grey's Anatomy' & 'The Office' Adjusted Up; 'Last Resort' & 'Scandal' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 19, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  18. ↑ Bibel, Sara (November 30, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' & 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up; 'The Vampire Diaries', 'Two and a Half Men' & 'Beauty and the Beast' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  19. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (December 7, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The X Factor', 'The Vampire Diaries' and 'Glee' Adjusted Up; 'Two and a Half Men', 'Elementary', 'Person of Interest' and 'Big Bang Theory' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 9, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  20. ↑ Bibel, Sara (December 14, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Vampire Diaries' Adjusted Up; 'Last Resort', 'Two and a Half Men', 'Person of Interest', 'Grey's Anatomy' & 'Scandal' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 17, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  21. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (January 11, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', '30 Rock' & 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up; No Adjustment for 'Scandal'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  22. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (January 18, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up; 'Rock Center' Adjusted Down, No Adjustment for 'American Idol'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  23. ↑ Bibel, Sara (January 25, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'American Idol' Adjusted Up; 'Glee' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Last Resort". GlobalTV. Archived from the original on September 23, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  25. ↑ "Last Resort". AXN Asia. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Last Resort". Yahoo!7 TV. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Last Resort". FOUR. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  28. ↑ Munn, Patrick (October 17, 2012). "Sky1 Closes Deal To Acquire UK Rights To 'Last Resort'". TVWise. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  29. ↑ Munn, Patrick (October 17, 2012). "Sky1 Sets UK Premiere Date For 'Last Resort'". TVWise. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  30. ↑ "Last Resort: The Complete First Season (3 Discs)". Amazon. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  31. ↑ "Last Resort: Season 1". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  32. ↑ "Last Resort: Season 1". Ezy DVD. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  33. ↑ "Last Resort: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  34. ↑ "Last Resort: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  35. ↑ "11th Annual VES Awards". visual effects society. March 23, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  36. ↑ Ng, Philiana (November 19, 2012). "'Last Resort' Co-Creator Shawn Ryan on Cancellation: 'It Wasn't a Huge Shock'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  37. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (January 25, 2013). "'Last Resort' Series Finale: What Could Have Gone Differently?". ScreenCrush. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  38. ↑ Bernstein, Abbie (September 17, 2013). "Interview: Andre Braugher runs the BROOKLYN NINE-NINE". Assignment X. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
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