Another one bites the dust: Prime Video has officially pulled the plug on Countdown, the high-stakes thriller fronted by Jensen Ackles—leaving fans stunned and theories unfinished. But here’s where it gets controversial: the show wasn’t just cancelled—it ended right after hinting at a massive new storyline that may never be resolved.
According to industry reports, Countdown has been axed after just one season on Prime Video. The streaming platform also confirmed that Butterfly, the espionage series led by Daniel Dae Kim, won’t be returning for additional seasons either. Two promising thrillers gone in the blink of an eye.
Created by Derek Haas, the mind behind FBI: International and a veteran of the One Chicago universe, Countdown kicked off with a shocking crime: a Department of Homeland Security officer (portrayed by Milo Ventimiglia) was gunned down in broad daylight. That brutal act set off an intense chain reaction. Eric Dane’s character, Special Agent in Charge Nathan Blythe, quickly pulled together an elite cross-agency strike team known as “Hurricane.” The task force included LAPD detective Mark Meachum (played by Supernatural fan favorite Jensen Ackles), DEA agent Amber Oliveras (Jessica Camacho from All Rise), DHS analyst Damon Drew (Jonathan Togo of The Chosen), LAPD gangs officer Lucas Finau (Young Rock’s Uli Latukefu), and FBI operatives Evan Shepherd (The Flash’s Violett Beane) and Keyonte Bell (The Boys’ Elliot Knight).
The cast boasted even more familiar faces—Bogdan Yasinski (Bosch: Legacy) and Jonathan von Mering (The Pitt) portrayed the menacing villains Borys Volchek and his partner Andrej. Meanwhile, Merrick McCartha (All American) appeared as the intense District Attorney Grayson Valwell, adding layers of political tension to the story’s chaos.
Here’s the twist that shocked most viewers: what was believed to be the show’s central conflict—the race to stop Volchek’s multi-bomb terror plot across Los Angeles—was actually wrapped up by Episode 10 of the 13-episode season. In true Haas fashion, the story then made a bold narrative pivot. After a brief burst of happiness and a time jump, the finale teased a new arc involving an attempted assassination plot targeting the California governor—or possibly even the President of the United States. It was a setup that practically promised a second season. Sadly, we now know it’s a cliffhanger that will never be climbed.
Despite that, Countdown did manage to make an impression in its short run. By its second week of Nielsen tracking, the series earned a spot among the top-streamed original shows in the U.S., racking up over 409 million minutes viewed across its first four episodes. Clearly, there was interest.
So the big question is—why pull the plug when momentum was finally building? Was the cancellation a business move, or did creative differences play a role? Either way, fans of Ackles are left wondering what could have been if Team Hurricane had returned to tackle their next mission.
Are you disappointed by Prime Video’s decision, or do you think Countdown ended where it should have? Drop your thoughts—and your wildest theories—down in the comments. Let’s see who agrees and who’s ready to fight for Season 2.
