Countdown (2025) Series Review: Pie, Pistols, and Political Correctness
- Dan Brooks
- Jul 3
- 4 min read
An LAPD officer joins a secret task force to investigate a suspicious murder, but uncovers a sinister plot that requires the team to unite and save millions in the city.
Alright folks, buckle up - because Prime Video just hit the streaming streets with Countdown, a series that feels like it was born out of a three-way car crash between The Shield, Bad Boys II, and your local HR diversity training video. This isn’t your daddy’s cop show. Hell, this isn’t even your cop show unless your idea of thrilling drama includes emotionally constipated alpha males, camera operators with the shakes, and villains so secretive even the writers aren’t sure what their plan is.
So what’s it about? Jensen Ackles plays Officer Meachum, an LAPD renegade with more swagger than a bourbon-soaked Sinatra impersonator at a Palm Springs dive bar. He gets pulled into a secret task force investigating a “suspicious murder” that - shocker - turns out to be a breadcrumb in a sinister plot threatening millions of lives. Because if there’s one thing Hollywood has learned from 24, it’s that subtlety is overrated when you can just say “millions of lives” and call it a day.
Now, before I start tearing this thing apart like a conspiracy theorist on a grainy moon landing video, let me say this: Jensen Ackles is the reason to watch. The man oozes that Dean Winchester brand of cocky charm that makes you think he could fistfight a terrorist while baking an apple pie and still find time to flirt with a hostage. And speaking of pie - yeah, it’s his favorite food in real life. That makes two of us, Jensen. Maybe there’s still hope for humanity.
Joining him is Jessica Camacho, who’s basically the team’s no-nonsense moral compass with cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass. She’s got presence, grit, and enough emotional range to make you wonder what she’s doing in a show that occasionally mistakes "depth" for "depression." Then there’s Eric Dane as the shadowy boss figure, delivering orders like he’s still trying to forget his Grey’s Anatomy days. The whole ensemble has chemistry - like a volatile compound that occasionally explodes into something entertaining.
The problem? Oh, where to begin. Let’s start with the camera work. If I wanted to watch a guy jog with a GoPro duct-taped to his chin, I’d subscribe to some underground TikTok fitness cult. Every time the action ramps up, the cinematographer apparently has a seizure. Look, shaky cam was edgy in The Bourne Identity. Now it’s just… lazy. Someone get these folks a gimble before I develop vertigo.
Then there’s the writing. Apparently, someone in the writers’ room took a seminar called “How to Undermine Masculinity in 10 Easy Steps.” It’s like every time Meachum takes command or displays even a hint of testosterone, the narrative hits him with an emotional reckoning, a flashback trauma, or a reprimand from HR. Remember when heroes used to not cry every three episodes? I want my 80s action icons back - flawed, sure, but mostly stoic, mostly unbothered, and mostly shirtless for some unexplained reason.
And don’t get me started on the moral gray areas. It’s as if Countdown is trying to tell us that being a good cop is impossible without a tortured soul, an estranged child, and a borderline drinking problem. At some point, I half-expected the bad guy to be revealed as systemic oppression itself, wearing a hoodie and vaping in the corner.
But I digress. The action, when it’s not shot like a documentary on whiplash, is actually decent. Explosions are on cue, gunfights are frequent, and there’s enough stylized slow-mo to make Zack Snyder blush. The soundtrack? Surprisingly good. Whoever picked the needle drops deserves a raise - this show has a pulse when the music kicks in, even if the plot occasionally flatlines.
As for the tone - well, it’s trying to be everything at once. One minute it’s buddy-cop banter, the next it’s moody political allegory. It’s like A-Team got trapped in an episode of This Is Us and no one brought a map. And while that sort of genre mash-up can work (see also: The Boys, which ironically also starred Ackles and Knight), Countdown doesn’t quite stick the landing.
Still, if you're a fan of Jensen Ackles doing Jensen Ackles things - cocky grin, leather jacket, throwing punches while probably thinking about dessert - then this is your jam. He’s Meachum to the max, and honestly, the show lights up when he’s in full command. Add a few good side characters, some stylish visuals, and a plot that doesn’t completely insult your intelligence (just flirts with the idea), and you've got yourself a decent binge.
Would I watch a second season? Yeah. But only if they steady the damn camera and give Ackles a slice of pie after every mission. Priorities, people.
Final Verdict: Countdown may not save television, but it just might save your weekend. It's a decent ride bogged down by modern moralizing and a jittery cameraman who clearly needs to be sedated. But hey - Jensen’s still got it, the soundtrack slaps, and sometimes, that’s enough.
Ranking: 7.0/10
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