Mild spoilers for the deadly first episode of Countdown are below, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched.
While I’m personally most invested in seeing Jensen Ackles’ return as The Boys’ Soldier Boy in the superhero satire’s upcoming Vought Uprising spinoff, the actor has another high-stakes series that’ll hopefully keep his fanbase sated throughout the summer months. Ackles is heading up the dramatic thriller Countdown, whose first three episodes became available with an Amazon Prime subscription, with the rest of the eps hitting the 2025 TV schedule weekly.
Ackles stars as LAPD detective Mark Meachum during what is likely the most hectic time of the investigator’s life. He’s pulled into a task force whose goal is to not only track down a murderer, but also to identify and then stop a massive threat that’s targeting Los Angeles. Not to mention his own nagging medical issue: Mark was diagnosed with a brain tumor, so he’s racing the clock in every which way.
Despite his ailing health, Mark doesn’t shy away from getting his hands dirty, and to that end, Jensen Ackles didn’t balk at taking on the series’ stunts as much as possible, despite not exactly having everyone’s confident support on the set. Speaking with Collider, the actor said there were some initial naysayers who didn’t grasp how genuine his eagerness was in regards to getting physical in the role. In his words:
They’re like, ‘Oh, no way.’ They don’t want me to get hurt because it’s kind of on them. So, I would say that I love that part. I love the physical aspect of these characters that I’ve gotten to play. I like to push the envelope on the stunts, and I like to try to make it as gritty and as real as possible.
Now, no judgment passed on any of the stunt coordinators or any producers who were likely hesitant to give Ackles full permission to handles any stunts he wanted. It wouldn’t do anyone any good for the actor to accidentally injure himself filming the first episode if his character is still meant to look like an action hero for the rest of the season. That’s a definite worst-case scenario.
Ackles amusingly pointed out how others react whenever he’s holding his own during a stunt sequence, saying:
What could go wrong? Meanwhile, they’re all holding their breath, hoping I don’t break an ankle or something. But, as I’ve gotten older, wisdom is now playing into the things that I do and the things that I’m willing to do. I also kind of can shape it now.
Understandably, with Ackles being in his mid-40s, he has a good idea of what kinds of action sequences he’s able to handle, and which ones he’s maybe willing to take a risk on. He’s also at a point in his career where, if he potentially has an idea for how to tweak a scene or stunt to lean more into his favor, he has the clout to theoretically bring about change.
It’s deepened my connection with my stunt double, I’ll tell you that much. I would say I’m probably a little safer than I used to be, but that’s not saying much because I was pretty risky in stunts.
Actors can often develop unique friendly relationships with their stunt doubles, and it’s not uncommon for specific pairs to continue working together from one project to the next. After all, that kind of partnership is one that revolves entirely around trust, with both performers’ safety at the center of it all. It’s probably a great thing for all involved that Ackles is more risk-averse now than he was during Supernatural‘s heyday.
Beyond serving as a traditional drama between Ackles’ Soldier Boy performances, Countdown also serves as what could be one of co-star Eric Dane’s final leading TV roles after his ALS diagnosis. (Ackles had nothing but praise for Dane at the series’ premiere screening event.) Only time will tell what happens there, and only Amazon’s execs will be able to tell whether or not Countdown will get a second season.
Countdown drops new episodes on Prime Video every Wednesday morning.
