Netflix recently unveiled its top 10 streaming series for the week of June 22-28. While some shows appearing on list of the streamer’s most-watched shows were expected (Harlan Coben’s “I Will Find You,” for example), there was one show that proved to be a total surprise.
Landing at No. 3 on that list was a post-apocalyptic thriller that initially premiered in 2014, running for five seasons until being cancelled in 2018. Interestingly, the series’ star is a beloved actor who tragically passed away earlier this year.
‘The Last Ship’ Has Become a Global Streaming Sensation
Produced by Michael Bay (whose cinematic output includes “Armageddon” and the “Transformers” franchise), “The Last Ship” starred the late Eric Dane, who passed away in February at age 53 after being diagnosed with ALS.
Dane played the captain of a U.S. Navy destroyer that inadvertently becomes humanity’s last hope when a deadly pandemic eradicates 80% of humanity and they’re tasked with helping to find a cure. “Based on William Brinkley’s novel, the series follows the Navy destroyer U.S.S. Nathan James as its captain Tom Chandler (Dane) and crew navigate life following a global catastrophe that nearly kills off the world’s population,” noted the series’ official logline.
In addition to Dane, the series starred Adam Baldwin, Charles Russell and Travis Van Winkle. Notable actors who appeared in the series included Rhona Mitra, Jodie Turner-Smith, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (who would go on to further success with “The Bear”), Peter Weller, Alfre Woodard, and “Bosch” star Titus Welliver.
A New Life on Netflix
Originally airing on the TNT cable channel, “The Last Ship” was something of a cult hit. Despite running for five seasons, the series never really received the attention that fans felt it deserved.
After its cancellation in 2018, Danes went on to star in several other TV series. Among these was “Euphoria,” with the “Grey’s Anatomy” alum earning critical acclaim for his raw and powerful performance.
It’s a tribute to the late actor that “The Last Ship” is now attracting its biggest audience yet, nearly a decade after the series ended.
‘The Last Ship’ is Ideal for Binge-Watching
Back in 2014, the cast and producers appeared in a panel during the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour. As executive producer Hank Steinberg explained at the time, the plan was to end each episode on a cliffhanger — which, more than a decade later, has kept Netflix viewers on the hook by clicking ahead to each successive episode.
“That’s sort of a consistent thing that we’re trying to do with the show which is each episode will have its own beginning, middle and end, and it will have some kind of adventure, action‑oriented, suspense‑thriller element to it, whether it’s something that’s taking place with an internal drama on the ship or an adventure and mission off the ship,” he said. “But it also has, obviously, a serialized arcing nature to it because they have a mission.”
Eric Dane Described ‘The Last Ship’ As ‘Smart Popcorn’ Entertainment
Speaking at that 2014 panel, Dane credited the quality of the show to the writing. In his view, “The Last Ship” did a masterful job of balancing the action elements with its complex characters.
“I mean, you know, character study and action genre aren’t necessarily synonymous, and we’ve somehow found a way to handle the scope of this with the action but make it, you know, character‑driven and intelligent as well,” he said. “You know, it’s smart popcorn. It’s air‑popped.”
