A new addition to Netflix is already nearing the top spot.
Going back to the early days of streaming, it has often been the case that library titles perform better than streaming titles. This was true when Friends and The Office dominated streaming conversations in the early run. It was also true a few years ago when Suits reached numbers that relatively few streaming originals could help to.
But it is also true in the opposite sense. Some comedies and dramas, although developing a respectable audience, never quite broke out during their originals runs on cable and broadcast. But they ultimately find a fresh group of viewers when they quietly drop on Netflix. That was the case with NBC’s La Brea, with the sci-fi series climbing the Top 10 charts following its recent addition to Netflix.
The Last Ship, a five-season post-apocalyptic drama series, is currently the #2 in the U.S. It’s beaten only by the Harlan Coben twisty thriller I Will Find You. It comes ahead of other titles like the latest installment of WWE Raw and The Polygamist.
The sci-fi’s leap into the Top 10 comes mere days after the June 22 addition of The Last Ship to Netflix. The availability comes as part of an ongoing licensing pact between Netflix and Warner Bros. Television, the studio behind the mid-2010s series. Recent similar examples include TBS’ comedy Search Party and TNT’s police procedural The Closer, with each title sitting under the wider overall WB umbrella.
It’s worth noting that Warner Bros. Television is not the only studio to have a liscening deal with Netflix. La Brea hails from Universal, as does Suits. Netflix, in turn, benefits by getting an established series with broad appeal that can invite viewers to binge a large amount of episodes.
That’s true of The Last Ship, which runs for 56 episodes. It originally aired from June 2014 until November 2018. The story draws from William Brinkley’s novel of the same title, centering on the aftermath of a global pandemic that has killed 80% of the world’s population. The crew of an unaffected U.S. Navy destroyer find themselves having to confront the instability of this dangerous new world while trying to find a cure that can save humanity.
How Rachel Scott Exited The Last Ship (& Why Rhona Mitra Left)
Rachel Scott was a major character on The Last Ship for the first two seasons and here’s how the character exited and why Rhona Mitra left the show.
Created by Hank Steinberg, with Michael Bay and From‘s Jack Bender among the executive producers, The Last Ship‘s cast includes Eric Dane, Rhona Mitra, Adam Baldwin, Charles Parnell, Travis Van Winkle, Marissa Neitling, Christina Elmore, Jocko Sims, John Pyper-Ferguson, Bridget Regan, Bren Foster, Fay Masterson, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Hiroyuki Sanada.
Welliver was not one of the leads or supporting players, but he had a recurring role in the late season 1 and early season 2 episodes. He played Thorwald a former police detective who becomes a resistance leader once the world changes. It remains to be seen if the impressive ensemble and the intriguing premise will be enough to keep The Last Ship comfortably in the Top 10, albeit the adaptation is off to a good start.
- Release Date
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2014 – 2018-00-00
- Network
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TNT
- Directors
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Paul Holahan, Jack Bender, Peter Weller, Michael Katleman, Bill Roe, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Bobby Roth, Brad Turner, Greg Beeman, Jann Turner, Jonathan Mostow, Kenneth Fink, Mario Van Peebles, Michael Nankin, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Tim Matheson, Nelson McCormick, Reza Tabrizi, Anton Cropper, Mairzee Almas
- Writers
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Onalee Hunter, Jill Blankenship, Mark Malone, Hiram Martinez, Nic Van Zeebroeck, Katie Swain, Ira Parker, Cameron Welsh, Josh Schaer, Jessica Butler, Jorge Zamacona, Michael Sussman, Quinton Peeples, Anne Cofell Saunders
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Rhona Mitra
Dr. Rachel Scott