August 22, 2025 • 9 mins
Created by One Chicago and FBI Executive Producer Derek Haas, Countdown is the explosive new action series starring Jensen Ackles, Eric Dane, Jessica Camacho, Violett Beane, Elliot Knight, and Uli Latukefu. When an officer with the Department of Homeland Security is murdered in broad daylight, LAPD detective Mark Meachum, portrayed by Ackles, is recruited to a secret task force, alongside undercover agents from all branches of law enforcement, to investigate. But the hunt for the killer soon uncovers a plot far more sinister than anyone could have imagined, kicking off a race against time to save a city of millions.
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, and good morning you too. How are you doing
today here?
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Good morning? How you doing?
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Oh man, I'm so so happy to meet you guys,
because you have created a binge watch here that is
just unbelievable in the way of getting us involved in
it because of the action.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Oh thank you, Matte.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
It's a shit. It was all my idea, I know,
my execution, and that's why we're a great team.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
But you know what happens is you make me believe
that this is very real. In fact, I would probably
sit down and argue with somebody they say, no, it's
not real. I'man say, I'm going to tell you right
now that when it's an all call for all branches
to come together as one, this has has happened or
it is happening.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
That's right, And that's actually I believe.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
I don't want to tell the story wrong, but I
believe that that was how Derek got into creating this show.
You know, he's he's no stranger to these kinds of
crime shows, and when he was making them, someone was
speaking about this real life possibility that there are events
who are a special ask force is required to deal
with unique threats and missions, and you know, he thought
(01:06):
would not be an incredible idea for a show, and
the Countdown was born.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Man, And the plot is dark, and so many of
us love that because that's what pulls us into the
storyline and into every single character that's you know, that's
that's playing it out.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Yeah, it is dark and also also not out of
the realm of possibility, unfortunately, you know these I often
find a lot of a lot of the shows in
the movies that I really engaged with as an audience member,
as a fan. It contains stuff that that are very,
(01:42):
very possible, you know, from across different genres like horror
or whatever the case may be, or action in this case,
if if it's in the realm of possibility, it makes
it all that much more engaging.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Well, that's what viewers are hoping for, and that's what
we're seeking out, you know. It's there used to be
a time when I would be you know, it's so
in love with martial arts movies. But as a martial artists,
a third degree black belt, I sit there and say, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope,
that's not true. But with this show, I will sit
there and have conversations with my wife going, are you
kidding me? Did you just see that? Did you see that?
Speaker 4 (02:16):
That's amazing? Yeah, it's I appreciate that. So I'm so
glad that that's been your experience with it. You know, we,
more than anything, we want the show to be entertaining
for people. We want it to be fun, and part
of that is really investing in the character and the
world stakes. So more than on a technical level, we
want to make sure that on a you know, on
a human level, on a personality level, these characters and
(02:39):
what is at stake really hits home because that is
the driving force of you know, what keeps us moving
and what keeps the personalities of all the characters so
defined in this and the end sprinkle some of the
action and potential end of the world energy onto that.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
It's it's a pretty explosive recipe.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Well, one of the things that I like about the
storylines is that you hit the the hook of the
song so quickly. In other words, you don't sit there
and you know and take like fifteen twenty minutes to
build something up. You guys are like boom boom, boom pow.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Well I like that boom boom boom paw I'll take that. Yeah,
you know, that's and that is.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
All credit to Derek and the directors. Yeah, we have
such a great team. You know, we have people who
really really know what they're doing in this in this space,
and are also very collaborative when we're working together, and said,
the open the ideas feel open, and it's a really
really wonderful working space. So, you know, the creative side,
(03:40):
along with the personalities that we have on set and
offset as well, make this show what it is.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
To be honest, please do not move. There's more with
Elliott and Uhli coming up next. The name of the
show is Countdown. It's on Prime. Let's get back to
Elliott and Uli. One of the things that really stand
out is the fact that I always sit there and go,
how could I do this if they if I were
you know this technical And what I mean by that
is you talk about teamwork, Well, this team of characters
(04:10):
on the show, they've got to work together. But the
problem is they're all coming from different areas and somehow,
some way, without knowing each other, they've got to work
together as a team.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
You hit the knell on the head, That's exactly it's
it's part of the magic of the task force and
also as part of the struggle and some of the challenges.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
I think, just like it would be in real life.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Different departments have the different focuses in different ways of
doing things for sure. On top of that, you have
personalities within those departments that have their own preferences of
how they want to get the job done, and that
is something that really adds to the explosiveness I think
of this cast of characters is you know, you have
someone like a mac meacham, who's very rough and ready
(04:52):
off the rails, ready to go at any moment, and
he'll just do it whatever way he wants.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
You have someone else like I suppose.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Maybe my characters at Kante Bell vary by the book
and knows that there is a way to do things
and he not only wants to do them that way,
but show that he can.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
He can fulfill that role.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
He doesn't need to break any rules, but you know,
to deal with consequences this dian this extreme. You can't
always do things by the book, but how do you
keep that line and that moral code while you do it.
It's yeah, it makes it all so much more interesting
to engage with, and it's why there's questions at every
turn that we don't necessarily know what the answers are
going to be.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
The show we're talking about is countdown on Prime. This
show is based on time. I mean time. To me,
I don't like to waste it. I don't like to
abuse it. But I mean it's about time. But what
is it like for you as actors when you've got
to put focus on that time?
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Yeah, that's a good questions.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
It can be a challenge. You know, we're working fourteen
hour days, sometimes sixteen hour day and so they're long days.
But you're right, I'm very much the same. I really
really hate waste time. It's a pet peeve of mine,
which is challenging when you work in a business like ours,
(06:08):
because things do take time unfortunately. So but you know,
in terms of maintaining focus, I think that's very easy
for us in all honesty, because the material is good,
the energy is good, and and and it just adds
to performance it as to the quality of the show
(06:29):
if we turn up and focus in that manner. Also,
we haven't. We're actors, you know, there are much more
difficult occupations out there that are you know, and we
realize we're in a very privileged position.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Don't you see a show like this though, in opening
the door or influencing people to get into law enforcement,
because because you see that camaraderie use and people love
to belong and it's a show like this that gives
you that opportunity to say I want to be a
part of a team like that. Norm enough to start small,
but I want to grow.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Oh mate, totally.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
I mean just the job of an actor to pick
up from only is you have to be aware that
there's always potential influence there. And that's why the way
that we tell stories and the reason we tell them
and the representation within them across the board is so important.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
You know.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
This is we're definitely focusing on a lot of what
the fun aspects of this kind of work could look
like in a fictional sense. But it's not lost on
any of us that you know, to do this job
for real and the very brave and dedicated people who
do this and dedicate their lives to this, it is hard,
grueling work and that wouldn't necessarily always make the most
(07:43):
exciting TV show, And I don't know that they would
get the ratings that they wanted for that it was just,
you know, completely true to life. So have we sprinkled
some extra stuff on there to keep you entertained. Absolutely,
but yes it is inspired from from the real world
happenings of these kinds of jobs. And yeah, we do
hope that if that, if that gets somebody interested in
(08:05):
pursuing the sign of work, definitely explore it. But don't
assume you're qualified because you think that you can like
crash the car into another car or jump off of
a whatever.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
It's a little bit more complicated than that. Bulliot Olliet,
I like that. Should we date done?
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Yeah? Thank you good.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
I would love to see some countdown merch and something
like a T shirt or a poster that really has
one of the best quotes. We don't have to do this,
we get to do it, and I just think that
is so powerful.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Yeah, it's very very true.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
I don't know if that was said in the show.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Or no, that's Jensen. Yeah, that was Jensen.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Actually, we had a pre preshet meeting with the Carts
and some of the creatives there cast, and and that
was something that Jensen said from the beginning, and it
set the tone for all of us, is that we
are in a very very privileged position to do this job.
So let's turn up every day and give it our best.
(09:06):
And that's something that we definitely carried on throughout the shirt.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Wow, you guys have got to come back to this
show anytime in the future. The door is always going
to be open for you.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I appreciate you. We'd love to be back here.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
We'll be brilliant today. Okay, you too, Oh, thank you
you too.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
That's great.
Hello, and good morning you too. How are you doing
today here?
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Good morning? How you doing?
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Oh man, I'm so so happy to meet you guys,
because you have created a binge watch here that is
just unbelievable in the way of getting us involved in
it because of the action.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Oh thank you, Matte.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
It's a shit. It was all my idea, I know,
my execution, and that's why we're a great team.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
But you know what happens is you make me believe
that this is very real. In fact, I would probably
sit down and argue with somebody they say, no, it's
not real. I'man say, I'm going to tell you right
now that when it's an all call for all branches
to come together as one, this has has happened or
it is happening.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
That's right, And that's actually I believe.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
I don't want to tell the story wrong, but I
believe that that was how Derek got into creating this show.
You know, he's he's no stranger to these kinds of
crime shows, and when he was making them, someone was
speaking about this real life possibility that there are events
who are a special ask force is required to deal
with unique threats and missions, and you know, he thought
(01:06):
would not be an incredible idea for a show, and
the Countdown was born.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Man, And the plot is dark, and so many of
us love that because that's what pulls us into the
storyline and into every single character that's you know, that's
that's playing it out.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Yeah, it is dark and also also not out of
the realm of possibility, unfortunately, you know these I often
find a lot of a lot of the shows in
the movies that I really engaged with as an audience member,
as a fan. It contains stuff that that are very,
(01:42):
very possible, you know, from across different genres like horror
or whatever the case may be, or action in this case,
if if it's in the realm of possibility, it makes
it all that much more engaging.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Well, that's what viewers are hoping for, and that's what
we're seeking out, you know. It's there used to be
a time when I would be you know, it's so
in love with martial arts movies. But as a martial artists,
a third degree black belt, I sit there and say, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope,
that's not true. But with this show, I will sit
there and have conversations with my wife going, are you
kidding me? Did you just see that? Did you see that?
Speaker 4 (02:16):
That's amazing? Yeah, it's I appreciate that. So I'm so
glad that that's been your experience with it. You know, we,
more than anything, we want the show to be entertaining
for people. We want it to be fun, and part
of that is really investing in the character and the
world stakes. So more than on a technical level, we
want to make sure that on a you know, on
a human level, on a personality level, these characters and
(02:39):
what is at stake really hits home because that is
the driving force of you know, what keeps us moving
and what keeps the personalities of all the characters so
defined in this and the end sprinkle some of the
action and potential end of the world energy onto that.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
It's it's a pretty explosive recipe.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Well, one of the things that I like about the
storylines is that you hit the the hook of the
song so quickly. In other words, you don't sit there
and you know and take like fifteen twenty minutes to
build something up. You guys are like boom boom, boom pow.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Well I like that boom boom boom paw I'll take that. Yeah,
you know, that's and that is.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
All credit to Derek and the directors. Yeah, we have
such a great team. You know, we have people who
really really know what they're doing in this in this space,
and are also very collaborative when we're working together, and said,
the open the ideas feel open, and it's a really
really wonderful working space. So, you know, the creative side,
(03:40):
along with the personalities that we have on set and
offset as well, make this show what it is.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
To be honest, please do not move. There's more with
Elliott and Uhli coming up next. The name of the
show is Countdown. It's on Prime. Let's get back to
Elliott and Uli. One of the things that really stand
out is the fact that I always sit there and go,
how could I do this if they if I were
you know this technical And what I mean by that
is you talk about teamwork, Well, this team of characters
(04:10):
on the show, they've got to work together. But the
problem is they're all coming from different areas and somehow,
some way, without knowing each other, they've got to work
together as a team.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
You hit the knell on the head, That's exactly it's
it's part of the magic of the task force and
also as part of the struggle and some of the challenges.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
I think, just like it would be in real life.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Different departments have the different focuses in different ways of
doing things for sure. On top of that, you have
personalities within those departments that have their own preferences of
how they want to get the job done, and that
is something that really adds to the explosiveness I think
of this cast of characters is you know, you have
someone like a mac meacham, who's very rough and ready
(04:52):
off the rails, ready to go at any moment, and
he'll just do it whatever way he wants.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
You have someone else like I suppose.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Maybe my characters at Kante Bell vary by the book
and knows that there is a way to do things
and he not only wants to do them that way,
but show that he can.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
He can fulfill that role.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
He doesn't need to break any rules, but you know,
to deal with consequences this dian this extreme. You can't
always do things by the book, but how do you
keep that line and that moral code while you do it.
It's yeah, it makes it all so much more interesting
to engage with, and it's why there's questions at every
turn that we don't necessarily know what the answers are
going to be.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
The show we're talking about is countdown on Prime. This
show is based on time. I mean time. To me,
I don't like to waste it. I don't like to
abuse it. But I mean it's about time. But what
is it like for you as actors when you've got
to put focus on that time?
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Yeah, that's a good questions.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
It can be a challenge. You know, we're working fourteen
hour days, sometimes sixteen hour day and so they're long days.
But you're right, I'm very much the same. I really
really hate waste time. It's a pet peeve of mine,
which is challenging when you work in a business like ours,
(06:08):
because things do take time unfortunately. So but you know,
in terms of maintaining focus, I think that's very easy
for us in all honesty, because the material is good,
the energy is good, and and and it just adds
to performance it as to the quality of the show
(06:29):
if we turn up and focus in that manner. Also,
we haven't. We're actors, you know, there are much more
difficult occupations out there that are you know, and we
realize we're in a very privileged position.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Don't you see a show like this though, in opening
the door or influencing people to get into law enforcement,
because because you see that camaraderie use and people love
to belong and it's a show like this that gives
you that opportunity to say I want to be a
part of a team like that. Norm enough to start small,
but I want to grow.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Oh mate, totally.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
I mean just the job of an actor to pick
up from only is you have to be aware that
there's always potential influence there. And that's why the way
that we tell stories and the reason we tell them
and the representation within them across the board is so important.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
You know.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
This is we're definitely focusing on a lot of what
the fun aspects of this kind of work could look
like in a fictional sense. But it's not lost on
any of us that you know, to do this job
for real and the very brave and dedicated people who
do this and dedicate their lives to this, it is hard,
grueling work and that wouldn't necessarily always make the most
(07:43):
exciting TV show, And I don't know that they would
get the ratings that they wanted for that it was just,
you know, completely true to life. So have we sprinkled
some extra stuff on there to keep you entertained. Absolutely,
but yes it is inspired from from the real world
happenings of these kinds of jobs. And yeah, we do
hope that if that, if that gets somebody interested in
(08:05):
pursuing the sign of work, definitely explore it. But don't
assume you're qualified because you think that you can like
crash the car into another car or jump off of
a whatever.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
It's a little bit more complicated than that. Bulliot Olliet,
I like that. Should we date done?
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Yeah? Thank you good.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
I would love to see some countdown merch and something
like a T shirt or a poster that really has
one of the best quotes. We don't have to do this,
we get to do it, and I just think that
is so powerful.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Yeah, it's very very true.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
I don't know if that was said in the show.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Or no, that's Jensen. Yeah, that was Jensen.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Actually, we had a pre preshet meeting with the Carts
and some of the creatives there cast, and and that
was something that Jensen said from the beginning, and it
set the tone for all of us, is that we
are in a very very privileged position to do this job.
So let's turn up every day and give it our best.
(09:06):
And that's something that we definitely carried on throughout the shirt.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Wow, you guys have got to come back to this
show anytime in the future. The door is always going
to be open for you.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I appreciate you. We'd love to be back here.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
We'll be brilliant today. Okay, you too, Oh, thank you
you too.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
That's great.
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