Last Resort's Andre Braugher
Last Resort comes over to the UK tonight, and we’ve got a full preview of what many critics in the States are naming as their favourite new drama of the autumn 2012 crop.
Co-created by Shawn Ryan, the man behind the amazing, brutal cop drama The Shield, Last Resort has had many people comparing it to Lost. Don’t worry, there’s no a smoke monster or polar bears here, just a whole bunch of political intrigue and tension.
The show’s premise is easily the most interesting of the new line up of American shows. Last Resort focuses on the crew of a nuclear submarine that refuses to follow through orders to fire it’s payload at Pakistan. Now an enemy of its own country, the submarine’s attacked, forcing it to surface and limp its way to a nearby island, where only the deadly weaponry at the captain’s fingertips keeps them safe from attack.
This is a series which is anchored by the fantastic performance of Andre Braugher as the ship’s captain Marcus Chaplin. The magisterial and always magnificent Braugher is the perfect fit as the complicated and deep captain.
He might be the standout, but he’s not the only actor bringing their best, as this is a very good ensemble cast, with Robert Patrick his typically excellent self and even Scott Speedman, who’s usually not the most charismatic presence manages to pull of the commanding Kendal.
The show also manages to be interesting on more than just a performance level though, as the show carries far more intrigue and guile than most of this year’s American network debutants. The mysteries of the island and its residents (we’re veering dangerously close to Lost territory again), the politics of a surprisingly plausible situation and a very well judged tone all put in a compelling case for Last Resort.
The tone of the show might just be the crucial point, with Last Resort feeling rather close to the gripping re-make of Battlestar Galactica, although not quite to the same levels of bleakness as the epic sci-fi series.
In a new group that’s not given us many stand-out series, and even then none that will become your new favourite, Last Resort is one of the highlights so far.
Last Resort starts tonight at 8pm on Sky1
FemaleFirst Cameron Smith
Tagged in American TV