A forgotten action series featuring Eric Dane has become a hit on streaming months after his tragic demise. Having amassed a robust viewership, it has climbed the charts, outperforming multiple titles.
The Last Ship finds new life on Netflix
Eric Dane’s action drama The Last Ship has managed to find an audience on Netflix, becoming one of the top 10 series on the streamer. As of June 24, it is the #2 TV show on the platform in the United States according to FlixPatrol. Accordingly, it is behind Sam Worthington’s miniseries, I Will Find You, which maintains the top spot. Meanwhile, The Polygamist sits at #3 just below Dane’s show.
Also listed in the top 10 are Raw (#4), America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (#5), Oasis (#6), Sweet Magnolias (#7), Salish & Jordan Matter (#8), Outlast: The Jungle (#9), and Ryan Hamilton: This Just Hit Me (#10).
Created by Hank Steinberg and Steven Kane, the show is loosely based on William Brinkley’s 1988 novel. It premiered on TNT on June 22, 2014, and ran for five seasons on the network until November 11, 2018.
The series seems to have fared averagely with critics but more positively with audiences. On Metacritic, The Last Ship shows a “mixed or average” Metascore of 60 and a “generally favorable” user score of 7.0.
Set against the backdrop of a world ravaged by a viral global pandemic, which destroyed over 80% percent of the world population, the story follows the fictional USS Nathan James (DDG-151). This is a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer. Consisting of 218 crew members, unaffected by the pandemic, the large group goes on a journey to find a cure and save humanity.
In addition to creating the show, Steinberg and Kane served as showrunners. The pair also executive-produced alongside Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Jack Bender, Jonathan Mostow, and veteran filmmaker Michael Bay.
Dane starred in the lead role and also produced alongside Todd Arnow and Mark Malone. The supporting cast included Adam Baldwin, Rhona Mitra, Charles Parnell, and Bridget Regan, among others.
