Derek Haas’s Countdown was developed with Prime Video for Jensen Ackles to star. The high-stakes thriller series will follow an undercover task force investigating a threat against Los Angeles following the murder of an officer from the Department of Homeland Security. The series also stars Euphoria’s Eric Dane and The Flash’s Jessica Camacho.
In recent comments made while promoting the new series, Haas revealed where his inspiration for Countdown originated. He discovered his interest in task forces when searching for a storyline to explain a Chicago P.D. character’s exit. This was no doubt with regard to Sophia Bush’s exit from the crime show at the end of season four.
Nearly 10 years ago, Derek Haas worked on NBC’s prolific One Chicago franchise. Haas was a writer and executive producer on all three shows in the universe, including the gritty police drama Chicago P.D. The series followed the lives of the detectives working for Chicago’s Intelligence Unit. When writing an exit for Detective Erin Lindsay, played by Sophia Bush, Derek Haas needed to find a storyline that suited the character and the series. “There was an actress who was leaving the show, and whenever that happens, you’re always like, ‘Okay, where could we send them?'” Hass recounted to Entertainment Weekly.
When I was working on Chicago P.D., there was an actress who was leaving the show and whenever that happens you’re always like, ‘Okay, where could we send them?’ I went to our technical advisor, and I’m like, ‘Where could she go?’ And he was like, ‘Well, do you want her to come back?’ ‘Yeah. And I want it to be heroic.’ He’s like, ‘She’s got to join a task force.’
Haas consulted with his team on Chicago P.D. “I went to our technical advisor, and I’m like, ‘Where could she go?’” Haas recalled. “And he was like, ‘Well, do you want her to come back?’ ‘Yeah. And I want it to be heroic.’ He’s like, ‘She’s got to join a task force.’” The suggestion sent Haas into research mode, and as he learned more about task forces, he became intrigued with the idea. “I found out it’s kind of like an all-star team, and it’s got people from a bunch of different agencies,” Haas said. “So you got DEA or NSA, or you could have somebody from the Coast Guard, Secret Service, detectives from local police departments, Feds. And they’re on a particular mission.”
Countdown’s task force is led by FBI Agent Nathan Blythe, played by Eric Dane. Agent Blythe is investigating possible corruption within the Department of Homeland Security. When one of their officers is murdered in broad daylight, he stops waiting for the top brass to acknowledge the problem. After facing resistance from his superiors, he “started going around certain people” in the bureau. Blythe “carefully assembled and handpicked everyone” for his secret ops team. Pulling from the DEA, FBI, and LAPD, Blythe puts together a team of some very capable and independently-minded individuals who don’t necessarily fit in with their own units.
Police procedurals are a crucial part of the TV industry. However, minor details can make these shows entirely unrealistic.
Countdown will follow the personal and professional lives of the task force as well as that of the antagonist, plotting a devastating attack against the city. Agent Blythe is determined and driven by a devotion to justice and his mission. He doesn’t “hesitate to light a fire under” his team and wants the case solved “by any means necessary.” The description brings certain police officers who have been known to cross the line to mind. With the One Chicago world officially being part of other franchises, like FBI and Law & Order, it does warrant some speculation about whether Countdown will end up connected to Haas’s other shows.
Detective Erin Lindsay and Sophia Bush’s Exit From Chicago P.D.
Sophia Bush Left Chicago P.D. After Four Seasons
Erin Lindsay quickly became a fan-favorite character on Chicago P.D. with her complexity and uncompromising approach to her work. Detective Lindsay was an emotional cornerstone of the series. She had a will-they-won’t-they romance with her partner, Detective Jay Halstead, and a deep admiration for her boss and mentor, Sergeant Hank Voight. Voight and Lindsay had a father-daughter-like dynamic that played a key role in the show’s narrative.
Jensen Ackles as Det. Meachum looking serious in Countdown
I’m Even More Convinced Jensen Ackles’ New Show Is the Perfect Supernatural Replacement Following His Latest Dean Winchester Comments
In recent comments, Jensen Ackles compared Countdown’s Mark Meachum to Supernatural’s Dean Winchester, promising “a familiar taste” for the fandom.
In the season four finale, Lindsay was suspended from the police force pending an investigation by Internal Affairs after she beat a suspect in an attempt to save a missing boy. Lindsay’s mother, Bunny, finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation, and every new lead points back to Bunny. When the murder is connected to a batch of deadly pills that hit the streets and killed several teenagers, the FBI steps in to work on the case. They offer Lindsay a job at the bureau, but she is reluctant to accept until she learns they have arrested Bunny. She accepts the position under the condition that her mother is released.
Erin Lindsay was written out of the show when Sophia Bush wanted to leave. Since her departure, she has been open about her reasons, citing abusive behavior on-set, a toxic environment, and working in dangerous and freezing Chicago temperatures. Ultimately, Bush left to protect her mental health. After spending nine years on a similarly abusive set on One Tree Hill, Bush understandably didn’t want to continue to sacrifice her personal or emotional safety for another TV series.
