Jensen Ackles speaks out on the shocking cancellation of Countdown. Ackles led Countdown‘s cast as Detective Mark Meachum. After being brought in to investigate and track down the individual responsible for the murder of a Department of Homeland Security officer, he uncovers a massive conspiracy.
Season 1 ended with a major cliffhanger after the kidnapping of Special Agent Amber Oliveras (Jessica Camacho). Ackles and showrunner Derek Haas previously spoke about wanting to continue the show. It has continued to perform well on Prime Video, where it is still the #10 show on the streamer’s U.S. charts more than a month after the finale was released.
Hours after the news broke about Prime Video’s decision to cancel Countdown, Ackles shared his reaction on Instagram. He expressed his disappointment, describing this outcome as “a bummer” and that this is “the end for Mark Meachum” and the other characters.
Ackles also emphasized how grateful he was to make a show that was such a positive experience, and thanked both Prime Video and the previous head of Amazon Global Television, Vernon Sanders, for championing the series. Check out Ackles’ response below:
Reviews for Countdown were not strong, with the show receiving a 35% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. The high viewership in the U.S. and the immense popularity of Ackles makes the cancellation more surprising, although global viewership numbers are reportedly the reason why Prime Video decided to end the series.
Ackles’ mention of how Sanders supported the show likely played into Prime Video’s decision as well. Sanders exited Amazon MGM Studios on September 17 and former Netflix executive Peter Friedlander is now in his position, and this changing of the guard probably did not do Countdown any favors as the show’s future was decided.
The news of Countdown‘s cancellation coincided with another action series from this past summer, Butterfly, also being axed after a single season. Ending Countdown and Butterfly while renewing other shows like the Bosch spinoff Ballard are already shaping this new era of leadership at Prime Video.
The remarks that Ackles makes about this being the end for Meachum, Oliveras, and the other characters indicate that this is a definitive ending for the show and there are currently no plans to try and revive it elsewhere. In terms of the season 1 cliffhanger, this means that the fate of Oliveras will be left unresolved.
Even without Countdown, though, there are still plenty of Jensen Ackles shows on the way, including at Prime Video. He reprised the role of Soldier Boy for The Boys season 5 during summer 2025, and he is also playing the role in The Boys prequel series Vought Rising. Ackles is also confirmed to be returning as Russell Shaw in season 3 of the CBS series Tracker.
Release Date
June 25, 2025
Network
Prime Video
Showrunner
Derek Haas
Directors
Jonathan Brown, Avi Youabian, Lisa Robinson, Chris Grismer, Eric Stoltz, Tess Malone, Nina Lopez-Corrado
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