[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Episode 10 of Countdown.]
With episode 10 of thePrime VideoseriesCountdown, entitled “The Muzzle Pile,” the secret is officially out and Mark Meachum (Jensen Ackles) works to overcome his medical issues with the support of the task force behind him. While Amber Oliveras (Jessica Camacho), who was the only one previously aware of his brain tumor, and Meachum have undeniable chemistry, he decided it would be best until he completes treatment before they pursue anything further. Now, 10 months later, the task force is reuniting to hunt a new threat with Secret Service Agent Ryan “Fitz” Fitzgerald (Joe Dinicol) joining them.
During this one-on-one interview with Collider, creator/showrunner Derek Haas discussed cast chemistry, how a task force allows them to bring in new team members on a regular basis, making a big impression from the start of the series, weaving in the humor, howThe Last of Usshowrunner Craig Mazin ended up guest starring in episode seven, the way that improvised moment on the porch between Ackles and Camacho evolved, that there will be more to come between Meachum and Oliveras, and having a clear plan for a possible Season 2.
Cast Chemistry in ‘Countdown’ Is Real Both On-Screen and Off-Screen
“These actors were all meeting each other for the first time and coming together as a troupe.”
Collider: This series has those aspects of a cop show that we’re used to and familiar with, but because it follows a task force comprised of law enforcement professionals from many organizations, you’re pulling together individuals from different backgrounds to figure out how they can work together. What does that open up for you and allow you to do that you couldn’t have otherwise done? Are there any specific challenges to figuring out how to make that work?
DEREK HAAS: It made for great chemistry that became organic in the show because these actors were all meeting each other for the first time and coming together as a troupe to make the show. At the same time, you have all these different law enforcement agencies and entities represented, including DEA, LAPD, FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security, and they have to get together and attempt to solve this very dangerous case. I think the off-screen chemistry that developed is something you can feel, as the show progresses, on the show.
They each have their own way of doing things and they all have their own secrets.
HAAS: With the title of the show beingCountdown, the expectation is that this has to do with the countdown clock of a terrorist threat. And I wanted to say, “Okay, but there’s going to be other countdowns going on in these individual characters, with what’s happening in their professional and personal lives, and audiences will be along for that ride.”
Is that a setup that also provides an opportunity for you to bring in new characters to add to this team for each season, depending on the case and what the needs of that case are?
HAAS: You’re very intuitive. When I was first talking about this show to my friends at Amazon, I said, “What’s great about a task force is that they pull from all these various agencies, and as they go from one case to another, you might need to pull somebody in that hasn’t been in before.”It could be anything from the Coast Guard to the United States Secret Service to the local dog catcher that you might need to bring into the show.That, to me, is exciting because anytime you have a new character, you end up with new stories and new dynamics.
Creator Derek Haas Wanted ‘Countdown’ to Have the Sensibility of ‘Lethal Weapon’ and ‘Die Hard’
“I think that brings audiences in.”
This is a series that explores some heavy subjects, but it also has its fair share of humor. How did you approach finding that balance between action and drama and laughs? Is sarcastic humor necessary when you have characters dealing with things like this?
HAAS: Honestly, people that are really good at their jobs in law enforcement all have that kind of humor. It feels like to me, and not to disparage any shows because there are shows that do it really well, most of the shows in this genre are now so cynical and so dark. I loved movies that I grew up on, likeLethal WeaponandDie Hard, andI wanted to imbue that fun sensibility and have characters that have a bounce in their stepand can’t wait to get up the next day and get back onto this task force. You can take dark subject matter, which we have, and then hit it with a sense of humor. To me, I think that brings audiences in.
When you set this up to kick off with the murder of a cop at the beginning, did you always know who you wanted in that role? Did you want someone that audiences would be familiar with to provide a bit of that shock factor?
HAAS: I got really lucky. I would love to say that it was my idea to get [Milo Ventimiglia] into this show. When I met him, what’s so great about him is that, within five seconds of meeting him, you realize how good of a person he is and the depth of his character. Who he is shows up within five seconds of meeting him on screen. And so, if we’re only going to be with this character for a very short time, as he kicks off this show, I wanted the audience to be pulled in.It was just a really great bit of lucky casting that I got somebody as successful as he is.He’s the best. The other thing that I loved that we got to do is really pull out his action star side, which he’s also got. When you can take the pathos that he brings and the action star and put them together in the first five minutes of the show, I was like, “This is gold.
I’m also so curious howThe Last of Usshowrunner Craig Mazin ended up guest starring in episode seven. How did that come about?
HAAS: I’ve been friends with Craig for over 20 years. He acted inMythic Quest. He did a season of that show, and I was really impressed with his acting. We’re also friends with a guy named John Gatins, who is the Oscar-nominated writer of the movieFlight, and he’s also acted in things. They’re the two guys in that scene where they play the gun salesman.I just thought it would be really funny to have a total inside joke with Craig and John in the same scene, two of my favorite writers who also act.That was a fun day on set because Eric Stoltz directed that episode. Having those three, with Jensen [Ackles] and Jessica [Camacho], in the scene was a really fun all-around day because they’re all really funny people.
‘Countdown’ Creator Derek Haas Explains How That Emotional Episode 10 Moment Between Meachum and Oliveras Worked Its Way Into the Show
“I love that scene. I love the way that moment occurred.”
The moment in episode 10, with Meachum and Oliveras sitting on the porch when he holds his hand out and she takes it, was something that Jensen Ackles came up with himself and it made Jessica Camacho emotional in that moment. By that point, were you just giving your cast room to find those moments because you saw what they were doing with the characters, or did they always come to you first and say, “Hey, we’re going to do this”? How did that stuff work when it wasn’t necessarily on the page?
HAAS: Early on in the show, I embraced the idea of, if you’re feeling something in a scene, let’s go for it and let’s try different things. I’m always like, “I want to see where that’s going.” I just remember that moment, andI didn’t know about it ahead of time, but when I saw it, my eyes lit up.You can tell when things are organic, they’re not forced, and they just happen in the moment, which to me makes great scene work and great television. I love that scene. I love the way that moment occurred. I did not know it was coming. I was like, “That’s staying in the show."
It felt like they were just actors who really knew their characters, so they could make that feel real.
HAAS: There’s so much going on emotionally in that scene that the small things sometimes play bigger than what words would have conveyed. It was great.
At the same time, were you ever worried that something that sweet and that moving might not actually work on this show?
HAAS: No, I’ve always thought that this show was as much about these characters as it was about the overall plot. In fact, it’s about a task force more than it is about one mission.I love going home with the characters.I always have. If anything, I pushed to do that more on past shows that I was on. To get to do those things is, to me, why an audience member comes back each week. They definitely want to see a great plot with twists and turns and surprises and all those things, but what they really love are the emotional beats and moments that are going on with the characters. It always fascinates me that people think, “Oh, because they’re police officers or they’re FBI agents, that they’re solely focused on a mission.” But missions last months and sometimes years, and life happens. Birthdays happen, and dinners happen, and dates happen, and romances happen, so I wanted to capture some of that.
Will there be more with them before the end of the season?
HAAS: Yes, you will get more between the two of them, but you may not get what you’re hoping for.I will say that there are some dynamite scenes with the two of them coming in episodes 11, 12 and 13.They are so good on screen together that, as a writer, you feel almost embarrassed that you get that great talent and chemistry, so you want to just keep writing to it.
‘Countdown’ Creator Derek Haas Prefers to Plan Things Out One Season at a Time
“Things in the real world affect what you’re thinking at the moment that you’re writing.”
How far ahead have you thought about all this? Do you have a good sense of what Season 2 would be? Have you thought even further down the road?
HAAS: I know what Season 2 is going to be, but I’m not going to count my chickens or get too far ahead of myself because things in the real world affect what you’re thinking at the moment that you’re writing. The way life unravels, it doesn’t always go in a straight line, so I don’t think too far ahead. I do think in terms of a season at a time, and I really plan out those 13 episodes. But after that, I’m like, “Let’s just see what we’re feeling, come the end of the season.”
Countdownis available to stream on Prime Video. Check out the trailer:
