Following the cliffhanging finale in Countdown Season 1, fans wait with bated breath regarding the fate of LAPD Officer Mark Meachum (Jensen Ackles) and DEA Agent Amber Oliveras (Jessica Camacho). The popular police procedural created by the Chicago P.D. and FBI: International showrunner Derek Haas has remained among the three most-watched Prime Video shows since its premiere on June 25th. More often than not, when Haas creates a new TV series, it tends to stick around for well beyond the first season.
While the events of the Season 1 finale will have some bearing on the future of Countdown, Haas has recently stated that he’s begun plotting new storylines for Season 2 and beyond. Although Prime Video has yet to renew the show, given Haas’ successful track record, high viewership, and Ackles’ starry turn, a Countdown renewal seems more inevitable than unlikely.
What Is ‘Countdown’ About?
Jensen Ackles with his gun in Countdown
Amazon Studios
From creator, writer, and showrunner Derek Haas comes Countdown, a police procedural crime drama that premiered on Prime Video on June 25, 2025. With all 13 episodes written by Haas, the focused narrative concentrates on maverick LAPD detective Mark Meachum (Ackles). When a Department of Homeland Security agent is murdered in broad daylight, Meachum is recruited by the Robbery-Homicide Division to go undercover and track down the killer.
A former US Army Ranger with multiple tours of duty under his belt, Meachum is known as a talented undercover detective and a reckless wildcard who often bends the rules and exacts vigilante justice. Meachum’s Wild West behavior usually rubs others the wrong way, including various law enforcement officials from the agencies working together to find the killer.
Upon accepting the assignment to find the killer, Meachum joins a task force that includes DEA Special Agent Amber Oliveras (Jessica Camacho), FBI cybercriminologist Evan Shepherd (Violett Beane), FBI terrorist expert Keyonte Bell (Elliot Knight), LAPD Narcotics officer Luke Finau (Uli Latukefu), and supervising FBI Agent Nathan Blythe (Eric Dane). Learning who to trust becomes paramount for Meachum when a vast inter-agency conspiracy is discovered.
‘Countdown’s Reception & Impressive Viewership
Countdown Stars Including Jensen Ackles
Amazon Studios
More often than not, a TV show’s renewal boils down to viewership. In this regard, Countdown has its best case for continuing past Season 1. Since its premiere in June, Countdown has remained firm among the five most-watched Prime Video TV series, often cracking the top three. As of this writing, only The Summer I Turned Pretty and The Terminal List: Dark Wolf rank higher.
Given Countdown’s successful viewership, coupled with Haas’s proven ability to sustain a TV series for several seasons, a Countdown renewal would seem to be an inevitable no-brainer. However, there are other factors to consider. The first is the lackluster reviews for Countdown that have been pouring in since its premiere, with many critics claiming the show grows duller as it progresses.
Also lambasted for being too derivative, Countdown holds an underwhelming 35% Tomato Meter score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 44 Metascore. Such low critical marks don’t usually bode well for a TV series seeking renewal, but Countdown has fared much better among non-critics. The series holds a 72% Popcorn Meter score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 6.8 IMDb score, indicating broader appeal among crime drama enthusiasts.
Between the high viewership and low critical grades, Prime Video’s decision has become tougher than expected. But there’s another determining factor that must be considered. Countdown’s central premise and protagonist are very similar to those of Prime Video’s hit series Ballard, which was designed to replace Bosch, and has drawn much better reviews and ratings than Countdown has thus far.
The powers that be at Prime Video must decide to continue to invest in Countdown or put its resources into Ballard’s second season. So far, Ballard has the edge. Even so, that isn’t stopping Derek Haas from planning and plotting events for Countdown to extend past 13 episodes.
So, Where Does That Leave ‘Countdown’ Season 2?
Given the dramatic story pause that ended Season 1, it would be a shame for Prime Video to cancel Countdown before fans are given satisfying closure. Prime Video has yet to announce a decision one way or the other, but Haas is moving forward as if Season 2 will be made. Season 1 concludes with Todd (Grant Harvey), the sniper who has been targeting politicians, being revealed as an FBI Agent who kidnaps Oliveras in the intense final moments.
While it may be a bit shortsighted to end Season 1 in such a manner, knowing Season 2 has not yet been commissioned, Haas made a calculated risk he hopes will pay off with an official renewal. With lofty plans to conduct multiple missions in Season 2 of the Prime Video detective show, Haas spoke with TV Line about the fate of Countdown and said, “I want to do multiple missions in Season 2, not just this plus one. So I don’t want to tell the audience when this would wrap up because I think that was a good shocker on [Episode] 10, and this one, I don’t think it’s easy from here.”
Without spoiling Oliveras’s precarious fate, Haas added that he wants to see all the primary actors return for Season 2, adding:
“If she [Oliveras) survives, what’s going to happen after this scene in that triangle is going to make for some really interesting episodes to come, if we get a Season 2. I want everybody back.”
If Haas gets his wish and everybody returns, one priority in Season 2 is to develop Keyonte Bell’s character arc and include more of his family life. Haas states:
“If we get a Season 2, I’d like to meet his father. I don’t have a cast idea in mine, but his father obviously looms over him shadow-wise. I think it’d be an interesting thing to see.”
Haas also teases what he has in store for Mark Meachum and his superior, Nathan Blythe, in Season 2:
“I think you would see some more Blythe’s family. And then I think the biggest thing I want to do personal-wise in Season 2 that will get the audience very curious, is cast and have as a character Melinda Bates, the woman left at the altar by Meachum that Oliveras knows and knows her sister. I have a whole plan that will not just be a personal story for that character.”
Marrying personal and professional plotlines is something Haas has excelled at for years with One Chicago, albeit never for a streaming service. While his plans for Countdown Season 2 are conjecture, Haas’ recent statements are slightly more optimistic than the update he gave in August.
Release Date
June 25, 2025
Network
Prime Video
Directors
Jonathan Brown, Avi Youabian, Lisa Robinson, Chris Grismer, Eric Stoltz, Tess Malone, Nina Lopez-Corrado
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