Author/Editor of 'There'll Be Peace When You Are Done: Actors and Fans Celebrate the Legacy of Supernatural', 'Family Don't End With Blood', 'Fangasm Supernatural Fangirls' and many others
This show really knows how to start things off in a memorable way – this time it’s Mark Meachum doing pull ups on a beam in a barn, sleeveless tee and sweatpants and bare feet, juxtaposed with his adversary Volcheck working out by pummeling a heavy bag in a warehouse. Both men are sweating, grunting with exertion. The soundtrack is perfect, the lyrics ‘it’s a tick tick ticking time bomb’ foreshadowing their inevitable confrontation while also reminding us of the other time bomb – the one in Mark Meachum’s brain.
We’re clearly seeing them pitted against each other, more personally than we have before, with this intro. We also might be just sitting there kinda open mouthed watching Jensen Ackles do pull ups, not gonna lie.
Before we can recover from that, the scene transitions so quickly it’s disorienting from appreciating Meachum’s strength to watching him clutch his head after, vision blurring as he falls to the floor and curls up in agony.
The bars of the Countdown logo cage him in again, the tick tick tick of the clock counting down, as his phone rings, knowing he’s helpless to answer it.
There’s something about a big strong capable guy curled up in an almost fetal position on the floor that really leaves an impact. Ooof. Poor Mark.
Side note on this episode: As fandom works on a ship name for Oliveras and Meachum (I think Mamber is in the lead?), I’m loving that Finau calls Mark “Meach”.
Episode 6 of Countdown (A Needle Or A Bullet) is a realistic look at just how convoluted the pursuit of someone like Volchek really is, which I appreciated. Showrunner and writer Derek Haas has said that he values that realism – enough that he’s been candid about none of the characters being “safe”. It’s realistic, given the task force’s situation, that any of them could be killed at any time, and I like that the show has put that on the table (as much as I might hate seeing any more of them die!) It ups the stakes and increases the suspense, and that’s a major part of what makes ‘Countdown’ compelling.
This episode also deepens the relationship between Meachum and Oliveras in some unexpected ways, which leaves me very curious to see how things unfold going forward.
I also like that the tension doesn’t just come from the will-they-or-won’t-they-survive question. The ‘countdown’ clock in Mark Meachum’s head is also ticking more and more loudly, which gives an underlying urgency to the episode. I find that character-focused personal countdown more compelling than the ‘save LA’ one. It’s usually the characters and their individual dilemmas that draw me into a series, much more than the “big story”. So I appreciate that ‘Countdown’ is taking us a little deeper into the task force members’ personal challenges. There are a lot of them, so I still don’t know much about some of them, but I’ve gotten enough tidbits that I’m curious to know more.
We know Meachum the best at this point; Ackles was my entry point for the show, so that works for me so far. (Side note: We also got an Entertainment Weekly cover story featuring Jensen Ackles and Jessica Camacho this week, so it was a good week for Countdown fans!)
Side note: Dean Winchester homage? That would be just like Ackles.
We do get a tiny bit of backstory for Finau and Bell in this episode too. In Finau’s past, he found a kid with his head stomped in, from a gang initiation, and vowed to “bust up shit like that”. What they’re doing, he says, feels important. He’s so Mothers Milk coded!
Bell confides that there’s never been a black Deputy Director of the FBI – he’s going to be the first. That ambition is part of what’s driving him to throw his all into the mission.
The episode’s beginning and ending are both perfect – it starts with a bang. Literally.
We get Mark Meachum at the target range, protective shades making him look even more badass than usual, taking turns target shooting with Oliveras.
She challenges him and he coolly raises his pistol and hits all five targets one right after the other.
Meachum: Marksman, highest ranking. But I would never say that…
It’s interesting to see the evolution of their partnership in how she responds to his not-bragging-but-bragging. She doesn’t get annoyed; this time there’s grudging admiration and maybe even a bit of fondness. I mean, there’s no question that Meachum is endearing, is there?
(Or that he’s an expert marksman. Good thing his medical condition isn’t impacting his precision, even if that’s a little hard to believe. Procedural memory (aka muscle memory) is pretty resilient, though, so I’ll go with it)
The fifth episode of Countdown sees the team closing in on Volchek – and Volchek very nearly closing in on them! That means there’s a high level of suspense throughout, with some Mission Impossible type capers that leave you biting your nails.
It’s also an episode that amps up a different kind of suspense – the question of how Mark Meachum is going to keep going as his pain and dizziness worsen. He’s kept himself isolated by not confiding in anyone, and that sense of isolation is becoming painful too – and dangerous. We care about him enough now to be worried as hell, and all of us can hear that countdown clock ticking away in Meachum’s head.
Shout out to Jensen Ackles for letting us see Mark Meachum and his struggles so vividly in this episode, from his anguish to his charm to his badass fighting-in-a-tux skills. If you weren’t a Mark Meachum fan before, this episode is probably gonna fix that!
The sense of danger also gets amped up in this episode because we get some more background on Volchek through flashbacks (spoiler alert, that’s not his real name) and the timeline of his descent into psychopath territory after his brother’s suicide. He’s a man ruthless enough to sacrifice people he claims to love to save himself, and one who’s motivated and consumed by revenge. In other words, he’s very very dangerous.
Which is exactly how you want the viewing audience to feel about the protagonists’ adversary! He’s not cartoonish, but he is scary.
Volchek is trying hard to figure out who the mysterious man is who broke out of prison with Durko’s nephew – it feels like only a matter of time before he figures out it’s Meachum. He already knows he wasn’t a “real” prisoner. (This episode is full of Volchek almost figuring it out, and then thwarted by the task force being one step ahead of him, especially when it comes to technology.)
That’s thanks to Evan, who had the foresight and tech skill to switch out the team’s photos on their law enforcement websites in case someone starts looking there to match up faces – which is of course exactly what Volchek is doing.
But Mark Meachum does not look like Jensen Ackles. Hah!
Finau when he sees his fake photo: But he’s white…
Evan to Meachum when he sees his new photo and gives her props: I accept all major credit cards, or Venmo if that’s easier for you…
I like Evan. I hope she’s not a mole. (There’s persistent speculation that someone is, but I like them all at this point!)
Meanwhile, Blythe calls in a favor from an influential friend to try to get the DA off their back with a persuasive speech.
“Nathan Blythe is protecting the citizens of this country, so leave him alone and stay out of the way. Have sense enough to pick good people to do what needs to be done and the self restraint to not meddle with them while they do it.”
We’ll see if the DA really does back off, but he wants his “train to keep on rolling”, so I’m guessing he will. Reluctantly.
Meachum and Oliveras Get to Know Each Other A Little Better
The relationship between Oliveras and Meachum stays strained even as they work together. He confronts her about keeping some of that brick of heroin.
Oliveras: I do what I have to do to save innocent lives.
Meachum: That’s bullshit.
Oliveras: The cartel doesn’t play by the rules, why should we?
Meachum then spits it right out, asking her if she’s using, saying he’ll ride or die but needs to know exactly where that edge is. She doesn’t answer, deflecting by accusing him of being an LA kid who probably dabbled. That’s how we finally find out some Mark Meachum backstory – the fandom has been eagerly awaiting that!
Meachum: For one, I’m not an LA kid. Victorville, a desert rat. Drove cars too fast, spray painted graffiti, swore I’d leave the desert and never come back or you end up working at a Citgo or a rubber factory and never leave town.
He also apparently dropped out of high school and was given a choice of what armed forces branch to serve in – he flipped a coin.
For her part, Oliveras knows something is up with Meachum too. As they’re heading out, he gets stabbing pains in his head and hides it from the team by saying he’ll take the stairs.
He then gets dizzy and falls down a flight and passes out!
By the time Oliveras comes looking for him, he’s up and insisting he forgot his keys, but she clearly doesn’t buy it.
Mark Meachum In A Hoodie!
Later we see Mark spin out in his bathroom. It’s one of those scenes that Ackles excels at, the strong unemotional guy with his walls down, vulnerable looking in a gray hoodie and bare feet, hair disheveled (not a complaint at ALL). The Supernatural fandom already has a weakness for injured-sick-suffering Ackles in a hoodie, so this scene really hit hard.
The cinematography for this show really works sometimes, and this scene is one of those. We see him from above, adding to the sense of vulnerability, in the middle of the small room, penned in, alone, time running out.
He’s on the phone begging his doctor for stronger meds.
Meachum: I fucking blacked out on the stairs today, I can’t come to see you, lives are at stake – I need you to write me a goddamn prescription for my fucking headaches!
The second Creation Supernatural con of 2025 was in Minneapolis, just a few weeks after Boston. I hadn’t been to a con in Minn for a while, so it was nice to be back. I have fond memories of past cons in Minneapolis, despite my lack of love for the “hamster tunnels” connecting the hotels and convention center back in the day.
This con was extra fun because my friend Mo Ryan was there too. Mo is of course a respected journalist and the author of bestseller “Burn It Down” – but she’s also a long time Supernatural fan who moderated some of the first SPN panels with the boys. We’ve had some fascinating conversations about the show and fandom and the industry over the years, and it was so fun to have her join me at my table so we could chat with people and share our books with them.
Everyone who came by to say hi or grab a book – thank you!
We joined some other friends for a fabulous drag show that was right across the street from the con and had a blast there too. Great weekend for hanging out with friends, which is one of the very best things about a convention!
photos by sabrina
It was also really nice to have Chad Lindberg back!
Chad is one of my favorite people in the universe. I was thrilled that he wrote a chapter in ‘There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done’ all about ‘The Magic of the Mullet’ and the character of Ash, who was so memorable in the early seasons of Supernatural.
He talked about some of his other memorable acting roles too, and working with some amazing people.
Chad: It’s hard to stay present when Kevin Costner is talking to you!
He said he got to introduce his mom to Costner. He held her hand and she was so flustered that she doesn’t even remember, it was so intense (as many of us can relate…)
Right now, he’s enjoying filming the new series ‘The Burbs’.
Perhaps his most memorable role is on The Fast and the Furious. He said he initially turned it down because he didn’t want to be always playing the computer nerd.
He definitely does not regret Supernatural though, saying it has changed his life.
Chad: And I thank you for that.
Chad told the story of that time Jensen Ackles taught him to shotgun a beer – you can read the whole story and a lot more bts from Sueprnatural in his chapter in ‘There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done’.
The first Creation con of 2025 took place in April in Boston. There was a long break between Supernatural Creation cons (the last one was in early December) so everyone was beyond excited to be back together again. There were many hugs and emotional reunions – I had missed my fellow fans and vendors as much as I’d missed the best cast in the world.
I love Boston. I’ve been there quite a few times and it’s a great city, with fabulous food and a lot of history. So I was excited that there was going to be a Supernatural con there for the first time in like a decade. The con was in April so I was hopeful for some lovely spring weather too.
My short flight (we went up and down so fast they didn’t have time to serve us a soda) let me out in what felt like a shocking return to winter, alas, and it didn’t get much better all weekend. What did I see of Boston this time? The lovely con hotel.
Oh well. It was pretty lovely.
Matt Cohen and Gil McKinney are on the tour this year and they’re two of my favorite people, so that was a treat. When I joined their panel, Matt was planning to put some guyliner on Gil that night. Why didn’t we get photos???
They both talked about how special it was to work on Supernatural, because everyone makes you feel so comfortable.
Matt on meeting Jared and Jensen for the first time: There was so much man!
I know that feeling.
Gil: Supernatural was a blessing. My favorite thing I’ve ever done.
They both believe the show, in some form, will eventually be back.
Matt: There’s too much support for Supernatural for it to dissipate.
He also pitched a Hallmark movie called “All The Johns” (which definitely does not sound G rated) starring him, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Drake Rodger and Gil – that’s a lot of John Winchester!
Matt’s actual new project is the animated series ‘Public Domain’, starring tons of SPN Family. If you’re not following and supporting, check it out!
Episode 4 is the most emotional episode yet, which in my book is a good thing. We needed a few episodes to start caring about the task force team. With an ensemble cast, it takes time to know anyone well enough to care if they live or die, so the show needed the first three episodes to establish who they are – and why we should be rooting for them. This episode is the payoff for spending some time doing that. It might have been even more effective later, but Countdown is nothing if not fast paced. The team is working against the clock, and the narrative needs something more to galvanize them. Something personal, not just ‘save the world’ – because humans actually respond more to threats to someone they know and love than to ‘do it for humanity’. Forgive the Supernatural reference, but that show was brilliant in anchoring Sam and Dean’s ‘saving people hunting things’ mantra to their own family from the jump.
This episode kicks off with the aftermath of Drew’s shocking shooting. Nothing raises the tension more than knowing that nobody is safe in a fictional show. It’s a reflection of reality – what they’re doing is dangerous, and that means in real life people get hurt and people get shot and people die. We need to know this early on so we can feel that the danger is real, instead of reassuring ourselves that “oh he’s part of the team, he’ll be okay”.
Who knows?
That realism makes the difference between a heart pounding sense of danger and a pass-the-popcorn complacency.
We already know enough about Damon (Jonathan Togo) to be rooting for him to be okay, which amps up the tension. After all, he’s lost a son and we’ve seen some of his struggle to cope with that unimaginable loss. So another tragic loss? Too much.
cap kdrama_ahjumma
We see Drew’s emotional importance to the team through Mark Meachum, riding in the ambulance leaning over Damon with his hand pressed over his chest to frantically try to stop the bleeding. I’m a seasoned Supernatural fan, so I get a bad feeling when there’s that much blood – and also when a character played by Jensen Ackles keeps reassuring, “I’m right here, we’re gonna fix you up, okay? I’m right here…” Oh yes, we’ve been there before, and it usually ends up breaking my heart.
The episode doesn’t rush it too much, slowing the clock down as it were, the team waiting for news of the emergency surgery. Meachum again is our entry point for their emotions, looking devastated and lost in the hospital corridor, helpless to do something to save his friend.
cap acklesism
Ackles has had a lot of experience portraying grief thanks to fifteen years as Dean Winchester, and he can really make you feel the gravity of it. It’s those human touches that keep Countdown from being just another procedural show with lots of car chases and shootouts.
His acute awareness of his own mortality just adds to the gravity of the moment. How long, he must be wondering, before it’s me who’s lying there fighting for my life?
I haven’t watched past episode 4, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the task force team become very important to Meachum as he continues to have more symptoms – everyone needs people who care enough to gather in the hospital waiting room and hope for you to make it. Everyone needs to feel a sense of belonging, especially in those times. Mark has pushed a lot of people away, and I wonder if the task force will fill that gap for him. I hope so.
The title card brilliantly is juxtaposed over a stricken Meachum, the letters appearing first almost like bars caging him in, as we pull out to spell out ‘Countdown’. Ackles can say more with his eyes than most people can say with an entire speech.
I’m four episodes in to the new Prime Video show ‘Countdown’, and three of those have aired for everyone. That means it’s been enough time for Tumblr to have a plethora of gifs for fans of Jensen Ackles to appreciate, as only Ackles fans can. I’m counting myself in there, so no judgment!
I’ll have a review of episode four coming up once it’s aired, but before that happens, I wanted to write a bit more about Mark Meachum. He’s already a fan favorite, and that’s no surprise.
(Spoilers for ‘Countdown’ Episodes 1 – 3)
There’s a reason why fans follow Ackles from show to show – some have been watching him since his first acting gig on the soap Days Of Our Lives! I didn’t discover his talent until Dean Winchester swept me off my feet on Supernatural, but I dutifully went back and watched most of what I’d missed, though I confess not all of his run on Days and a few other very early guest appearances. Since Supernatural, we’ve seen him portray Dean Winchester again on ‘The Winchesters’, Russell Shaw on ‘Tracker’, Beau Arlen on ‘Big Sky’ and Soldier Boy on ‘The Boys’. A lucky fandom indeed!
Even four episodes in, we’re already seeing Mark Meachum as a fully faceted character, thanks to both Derek Haas’ script and Jensen’s acting talents.
The Many Facets of Mark Meachum
So, what do we know about Mark Meachum?
He’s cocky and confident, at least on the surface. He’s also very attractive, so he clearly gets away with it – in fact, we love to see it.
In part we love to see it because we also get to see him get the piss taken out of him repeatedly, and he takes it with grumbling good humor. He may be cocky, but he’s not a narcissist, which makes him likable in spite of his brashness.
It also makes him funny! Ackles is so good at comedy, every expression or gesture playing up the humor but subtle enough to be realistic. I laughed out loud at Oliveras letting the door slam on him.
He’s got guts – probably too many if he wants to stay alive long term, but of course we know that’s not what he’s counting on. He careens headlong into danger like he doesn’t give a damn, a big damn hero. That too is very attractive.
Yes, I will repeat this phrase a few times, be prepared.
He’s also got a sensitive side.
It’s not one that he wants anyone else to see, so it’s extra compelling when we first see Mark take down some of his walls and be vulnerable. He does that literally, stripping off layers of clothing and armor to confront himself and his own mortality in the mirror, not hiding his pain for once.
The new streaming series ‘Countdown’ premiered in the wee hours of the morning on Prime Video, much to the delight of scores of waiting fans. If you haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, there are no big spoilers in this review, but there is some description of the characters we’re introduced to and the events of the first three episodes. Which I loved!
‘Countdown’ follows an LAPD officer who is recruited to a secret task force to solve a murder. In the process a sinister plot to take down the whole city is uncovered, upping the stakes considerably. The show is a high energy, suspenseful rollercoaster ride, with all the epic chase scenes and fight scenes and explosive surprises that you might expect from this kind of show. Its characters, however, are unexpectedly complex, badass but also surprisingly vulnerable (as much as they try to hide it). The cast are as interesting a group as the task force itself, all of them talented enough to pull the complexity off.
‘Countdown’ stars Jensen Ackles as Mark Meachum, a rebel of an LAPD officer who isn’t afraid to go undercover (like, seriously undercover) and is a veteran of another task force with a similarly challenging mission. I’ve been a fan of Jensen Ackles for twenty years, ever since Supernatural’s Dean Winchester captured my heart, so I couldn’t wait to meet his new character.
And what a meeting it is!
Meachum is a badass with probably too much courage and bravado for his own good. When we meet him, he doesn’t look on the side of the law in any way, long haired and scruffy in prison scrubs (which totally works for Ackles because of course it does. I mean, Soldier Boy, ahem…)
He’s also holding his own in a brawl in the yard. And let me tell you, there’s nothing Ackles fans love more than watching his character go absolutely feral, kicking and snarling and showing off his fighting prowess.
Fandom: Who’s that actor and how’d he get that job?
Ackles isn’t afraid to get (literally) down and dirty, manhandled and thrown to the ground and athletically kicking anything and everything in range even as he’s held back by some burly guards. (His stunt double of course did some of this, but that was Ackles getting thrown around at some points too – much to his delight!)
I don’t like to spoil anything in reviews, so I’m saving the details for Countdown’s actual release day, but here’s the bottom line – you’re going to want to watch this show!
A brief synopsis: ‘Countdown’ follows an LAPD officer (Jensen Ackles) who is recruited to a secret task force to solve a murder. In the process a sinister plot to take down the whole city is uncovered, upping the stakes considerably.
Yes, as many reviews have said, it’s a high stakes action packed procedural that’s going to have wide appeal. It’s a roller coaster of a suspense ride, filmed so that you feel like you’re right there in the midst of the action, dodging bullets and bad guys and barely escaping with your life just like the task force members. It’ll get your adrenaline pumping and keep you on the edge of your seat, and that is just plain FUN.
But is that all?
I’ve read some reviews that the suspense and action are its strength and that Countdown falls short in between the chase sequences and shoot outs, but I disagree. That’s never enough for me to keep watching a show – it has to grab me by the heartstrings, and ideally by the analytical part of my brain too. This show does that. Every character is unique, and all have something going on that they’d rather not talk about – something underneath the uber competent personas they show on the surface. We find this out little by little, as (to put it how the actors love to put it) they peel back the layers so we can see that none of them are as put together as they want us (or each other) to believe.
Shout out to Derek Haas’ writing, but the cast are also talented enough to make these reveals believable, and allow themselves to show enough vulnerability that we care about their challenges. I was rooting for all of them by the end of the first episode. Full disclosure, I’m a long time Jensen Ackles fan, so I knew he could make Mark Meachum a nuanced character – and I’m here to tell you that he does. Once we know what Mark is facing, there are innumerable little moments when a subtle change in expression lets us know that he’s struggling before he quickly covers it up again. That’s the kind of acting that does justice to a character written to be complex. He can be a cocky asshole, and then two scenes later a vulnerable human being facing the most human of struggles.
The ensemble cast – every member of the task force – is capable of the same nuanced acting. Someone owes the casting agency a big fruit basket!
We also get to see Ackles play action hero of course, jumping off moving vehicles and rolling around in the dirt and wrestling bad guys (kudos to the stunt actor too, but apparently Ackles got to do some of that himself, much to his delight).
I wasn’t familiar with Derek Haas’ previous very successful shows, but his writing is solid here in creating these characters and beginning to weave relationships between them. The show has a very “real time” feel to it, so it feels like those relationships are developing organically, with us witnessing them.
There’s a dark backstory full of tragedy that’s also at its core very human, a mystery that slowly reveals itself as the task force realizes what they’re actually dealing with. It was confusing at first, but that gave me an Aha moment that was satisfying when I realized what (and who) (and why) they were up against.
The production value of Countdown is impressive. I am always pulled in by a show that’s visually appealing, and this one is. It’s obvious right away that this isn’t just a show filmed in LA – LA herself is a character in the show. Both its iconic touristy locations (the Hollywood sign looming in the background) and its lesser known neighborhoods, from the quirky to the quaint to the gritty, are lovingly featured. I always felt like Vancouver was almost a character in Supernatural, its beauty enriching the show, but in Countdown, LA isn’t standing in for anywhere else – she gets to be herself. And the directors know how to show her off and incorporate her unique personality into the show.
One more thing – and this is something that amplifies what I’ve already pointed out as positives – the music in the series is awesome. I had a brief conversation with Ackles trying to characterize it, with neither of us really succeeding, but it’s effective in part because it’s an eclectic mix – there’s grunge and alternative and good old rock n roll, and most of it is not something that will be instantly familiar, but it’s always something that works with the scene. The action sequences are already heart-pounding, but the rapid pace of the music chosen amps the adrenaline up even more – and in those quieter scenes, amplifies the emotionality that the actors are already bringing.
I can’t wait to tell you more! Countdown premieres on June 25 with the first three episodes. The remaining ten release weekly on Wednesdays on Prime Video.
I’ve been a fan of Jensen Ackles for a long time, ever since Supernatural’s Dean Winchester appeared on the screen twenty years ago and captured my heart. Ackles has been in quite a few series since then, including his memorable turn as Soldier Boy in ‘The Boys’ (returning in 2026), but I am loving how much buzz there is for the new show he’s starring in, ‘Countdown’. The internet has been so full of Countdown content that it’s been difficult to keep up – which is definitely NOT something I’m complaining about!
Even the TV Guide which still gets delivered to our house old school featured Ackles and company on the cover, much to my great delight.
In fact, it seems like Jensen Ackles and Countdown are everywhere.
If you were in New York City, you were treated to a billboard!
Thanks to Prime Video kindly sending me the advance screeners, I’ve been able to watch the new series (the first four episodes so far) and I am now even MORE excited for everyone to see them too. While we wait for the series to kick off on June 25 so I can post all my thoughts on the first three episodes that I’m absolutely bursting to share, here’s why we are all so full of anticipation. (No spoilers!)
One reason for all the excitement? Derek Haas is not only the showrunner, but wrote ALL the first season episodes.
The first thing Jensen Ackles said to me about ‘Countdown’, back when the show was announced, was how excited he was to be working with Derek Haas. Haas created ‘Chicago Fire’ and wrote over 200 episodes of that show and its various spinoffs, impressing a lot of people along the way – including Ackles.
And Amazon.
And guess who else has been impressing Amazon (and Haas) along the way? That’s right. Ackles. That makes Countdown an absolute love fest, with all three feeling lucky to be working with the other two. And it shows!
Ackles, Haas and Dane on the carpet
During the press day last week, Haas told GiveMeMyRemote.com that after he pitched Countdown to Amazon, one of the execs called him and said “you’ve got to meet this guy, Jensen Ackles.” The two went to lunch, discovered they grew up in the same hometown, and totally hit it off. “From that moment on,” Haas said, “I was thinking about and writing Mark Meachum in Jensen’s cadence. He’s so funny and nice and up for anything, and that kind of infused the character as we went.” In another chat with The Wrap, Haas remembered the genre shows he’d loved growing up, like Raiders, Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, and said “Thankfully, I got Jensen Ackles – he could have been in any of those movies.”
Add to that an ensemble cast who are both talented and apparently just plain wonderful to work with, and you’ve got a recipe for success. I confess I didn’t know Haas or his work, but I’ve followed Ackles and his work for twenty years as a passionate Supernatural and The Boys fan. Hearing him talk about the great atmosphere they had on the Countdown set, the cast playing games or playing guitar in between takes, is what makes me most excited about the show. When there’s that genuine chemistry in real life, it translates to the screen – anyone who watched Supernatural knows that!
Ackles has talked many times about how important it was to him to set a tone on the set of Supernatural that made going to work fun, with the cast and the crew joking around until they called Action, including in his chapter in ‘There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done’. He brought that ethos to Countdown. The behind the scenes photos shared during filming and taking a break from press day make that clear.
Ackles admitted to ExtraTV that he tried hard to break everyone and make them laugh, both cast and crew.
Ackles: I think it sets a tone on set that is – you forget we’re making entertainment here sometimes – I like to have fun doing what I do. It should be fun, you should enjoy it. I like that kind of environment to create in.
There’s a reason Supernatural ran for 15 years, after all.
At the premiere party for Countdown last week in LA and in the press day interviews, the mutual love fest that Jensen Ackles and costar Eric Dane have going on was also clear. Dane was recently diagnosed with ALS; Ackles was a steadfast and supportive friend at his side for much of the press day and Dane had nothing but praise for Ackles as both a friend and an actor.
Frazer Harrison via Getty Images
Ackles shared with People that Dane’s command of scenes and his quiet leadership were something that came through onscreen but were also influential on set, calling Dane “a total stud”. Dane, like ‘The Boys’ Antony Starr, was hoping mutual acquaintances would give him some dirt on Ackles, but nope. “I love you,” Dane confided to Ackles in an interview with TooFab. “Shut up,” Ackles retorted fondly.
All the actors complimented each other in the press day interviews. That translates into lots of chemistry between them onscreen, which sets Countdown apart from your standard procedural.
‘Countdown’ follows an LAPD officer (Ackles) who is recruited to a secret task force to solve a murder. In the process a sinister plot to take down the whole city is uncovered, upping the stakes considerably. That sounds like relatively standard procedural fare, but the show stands out in more ways than one.
First, Ackles and Haas have expressed their excitement for the format of Countdown – like many streaming shows, it will release some episodes simultaneously, in this case the first three. But like more traditional network shows, the rest of the episodes will release weekly, giving fans time to dissect and discuss and hypothesize and do what fans do best. Instead of six or eight episodes, Countdown has thirteen, giving its audience more time with the characters to get to really care about them. As a psychologist who studies fandom, I think that both of those strategies make a difference. Every show dreams about building a fanbase as loyal, long-lasting and passionate as Supernatural’s, but it’s difficult to do with a limited number of episodes that all drop at once, precluding the anticipation that’s an agonizing and pleasurable part of fandom and not providing enough content and backstory to nourish fans’ discussion and creativity in expanding its canon.
Countdown aims to remedy both those problems. Of course, you still have to have a well written and conceived show with compelling characters to capture fans’ attention – but guess what? Countdown has managed to do that too!
Second, the show is as suspenseful as its ticking stopwatch title card suggests. It pulls you in and grabs hold of you and just doesn’t let you go. From its first frames, the series knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat with its well choreographed action scenes and epic chases. The filming angles make you feel like you’re right there in the midst of the action, the music is so good it’s an integral part of telling the story, and the fast pace gets your adrenaline pumping. Do not drink a big cup of caffeine while you’re watching this show!
It’s not just the action and suspense that draws you in, though, it’s the people. Countdown also introduces its ensemble cast of characters slowly enough that you feel like you get to know them a little before the team is assembled – and you even start to care about them. I have A LOT more to say about the characters, but I’ll save most of that for the 25th. I will say that the chemistry Ackles keeps saying was created “in disgusting amounts” is very much in evidence.
Third, the series (at least the four episodes I’ve watched so far) is remarkably consistent. Haas wrote all the episodes of this first season and is also the showrunner, so it’s a tight narrative – something that’s rare in a 13 episode series! Haas is a gifted writer, creating characters who each stand out in their own way. He shows them to us gradually, letting us form a first impression just like their fellow team members do, but then giving us glimpses of what’s underneath – which often contradicts their surface presentation just enough that we’re left going hmmmm…
Sure Mark Meachum is a badass full of bravado and snark – a cowboy who doesn’t fit the mold and doesn’t care. But we find out quickly that he does care about justice, especially when it’s the powerful hurting the less powerful. And he’s not afraid to put his own future on the line to do what he thinks is right. The other characters are similarly complex, all facing challenges they’d rather the rest of the team not see. Nathan Blythe is the team leader, the anchor keeping them in check as well as the calm presence who keeps them grounded, and Eric Dane is the perfect actor to bring him to life. Every character is unique, with a backstory that’s relatable enough that we want to know more.
From Derek Haas on Bluesky
Jensen Ackles fans are split as to whether there should be any parallels drawn to Ackles’ iconic role as Dean Winchester in Supernatural – Ackles himself, who loves Dean as much as any of us do, has been happy to make those comparisons, saying that the Mark Meachum character will be familiar
Any character who says (with great sincerity) like Mark Meachum does “If I’m going out, I’m going out saving something” would have a hard time not reminding me of Dean Winchester! In my book, that is far from a bad thing.
Both Eric Dane and Jensen Ackles know what it’s like to be known for playing a long-running character on a popular show (like Grey’s Anatomy or Supernatural).
Ackles: If you get put into a box in this industry, maybe from a working actor’s perspective it’s debilitating, but I don’t view it as that. I view it as the fact that we actually made it into a box and there is a playground in which we can play. I’m happy to play in that as long as this industry will let me. If it wants to see me in somewhere else and play in a different playground, I’m happy to do that too. I don’t have to do this, I get to do this. As long as I get to keep playing with amazing people like this and telling amazing stories like Derek has created, put me in a box all day.
Eric: I love him.
Interviewer: I love you both.
Me: I love everyone in this video!
And I do really appreciate Jensen’s genuine gratitude and enthusiasm for the profession he loves and the characters he plays. And how he looks in that green shirt.
TV Line gets my award for interview question that most amused Ackles: Would you say that Mark Meachum has BDE – Big Dean (Winchester) Energy?
Ackles: Yeah I think you could definitely say there’s a familiarity there. I don’t know about similarity, but there’s a familiarity in that they’re a little cavalier in the way they attack the dark forces.
And that is very very fun to watch! (Of course, as he pointed out, the dark forces Meachum is going after are mortal, not ghost and vampires. Hence he only needs a pistol instead of a whole trunk full of weapons).
Mark and Dean are not the same in many ways, but the things that are familiar are things that I enjoy in a character – things that make a fictional character human. That make us care about them. Ackles excels at showing us that nuance and reluctant vulnerability in a character, and I am already intrigued by Mark Meachum as a result.
Are you enjoying all the buzz as much as I am? You can catch Jensen Ackles tomorrow on Jimmy Fallon talking Countdown – and then catch the premiere of the first three episodes on June 25 streaming on Prime Video.
