Counterpart (TV series)

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Counterpart
GenreThriller
Science fiction
Created byJustin Marks
Starring
ComposerJeff Russo
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes3 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locations
CinematographyMartin Ruhe
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time56–60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkStarz
ReleaseDecember 10, 2017 (2017-12-10) –
present

Counterpart is an American science fiction thriller television series created by Justin Marks, ordered to series by the premium cable network Starz.[1] The first episode was directed by Morten Tyldum.[1] Starz ordered two 10-episode seasons.[2] The premiere episode first aired on December 10, 2017. It stars Academy Award-winning actor J. K. Simmons in a dual role.

Premise

Howard Silk works for a bureaucratic UN agency based in Berlin for thirty years, his station too low for him to be told what his work really involves. In fact, the agency is a crossing point to a parallel Earth, one that diverged from his world during the Cold War. Silk's "other" self, his counterpart from the other side, is, among other things, a field agent who regularly makes crossings to retrieve "others" who have gone rogue. Factional in-fighting in the agency on the other side spills over on to this side, putting Silk and his comatose wife in danger.

Cast

Main

Recurring

  • Mido Hamada as Cyrus, Aldrich's righthand man[6]
  • Bernhard Forcher as Andrei
  • Jamie Bamber as Eric Burton, Emily's brother
  • Karim Saleh as Marcel, an OI employee
  • Stephen Rea as Alexander Pope
  • Guy Burnet as Claude Lambert
  • Richard Schiff as Roland Fancher, OI's Director of Diplomacy and Peter's father-in-law
  • Sarah Bolger as Anna Burton-Silk, Howard's daughter on the "other side" whose appearance threatens to disrupt the tenuous truce between Howard and his counterpart.
  • Kenneth Choi as Bob Dwyer, OI's Director of Strategy
  • Lotte Verbeek as Ringleader

Episodes

No.Title [7]Directed by [8]Written by [8]Original air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"The Crossing"Morten TyldumJustin MarksDecember 10, 2017 (2017-12-10)[b]0.394[11]
Howard Silk, a low-level bureaucrat in a Berlin-based UN agency works as an "Interface", where he exchanges coded call-and-response messages with another agent; Howard has no idea what it is they're doing or why. In a meeting with his supervisor, director Peter Quayle, Howard asks for a promotion to the Strategy division, but he is denied it. After work, Howard visits his wife Emily who is in a coma after being struck by a car. The next day, Howard arrives to work and his access code is invalid; he is taken to a separate room. There, he is met with Quayle, and Aldrich, the director of operations. They bring in a hooded man, who is revealed to be identical-looking to Howard. Quayle explains to Howard that during the Cold War an experiment by the East Germans took place, which opened a portal to a parallel version of our world and that the doorway between the worlds is under the building they work at. An assassin named Baldwin has snuck over to this side with a kill list (which includes Howard's wife), and Howard Prime[a] knows how to stop her. Howard Prime pretends to be our Howard when he visits Emily at the hospital and a shootout occurs when Baldwin arrives. Baldwin barely escapes, but is wounded by Howard Prime. Howard Prime returns to his side (with walls covered with Soviet-related writings) where he meets his Emily, revealed to be alive, though he previously told our Howard that she had died.
2"Birds of a Feather"Stephen WilliamsJustin MarksJanuary 28, 2018 (2018-01-28)0.506[12]
On the other side, Howard Prime's estranged wife tells him there's a rendition order against him. Two operatives take Prime out of the bar and into a car; inside the vehicle, Prime kills them and walks away. Prime meets with a man named Pope in a church to discuss whether the rendition order was official or a rogue assassination attempt. Pope gets him a 36-hour visa to "our" side. Howard Alpha has been promoted to the Analysis division, and later meets with Aldrich and Prime in a theater to discuss Baldwin. Prime tells them her real name is Nadia Fierro, and the other version of her is a virtuoso violinist. In an old house, Baldwin meets with her handler Clare, who tells her she needs to kill her other self. Emily Prime is revealed to be in a relationship with Ian Shaw, a fellow operative. Nadia's backstory is detailed through flashbacks, showing that she had an alcoholic father. When she was 10, Nadia was playing violin for tips on a subway station and her father slipped and fell drunkenly on the tracks. Instead of getting help, she watched coldly while a train ran over him. In the present, Baldwin goes to the theater to kill Nadia, but is unable to. Baldwin gets into a standoff with OI operatives, and in the process, Nadia is shot and killed while Baldwin is taken into custody. Back at Howard Alpha's apartment, he expresses his anger about Nadia's death and punches Aldrich. On the other side, Emily Prime meets with Pope, and she tells him she wants to keep the peace between both worlds. Pope tells her, "I wonder when we've ever had peace" and "if there will ever come a reckoning for what they did to us."
3"The Lost Art of Diplomacy"Jennifer GetzingerAmy BergFebruary 4, 2018 (2018-02-04)0.299[13]
4"Both Sides Now"Alik SakharovErin LevyFebruary 11, 2018 (2018-02-11)N/A
5"Shaking the Tree"Stephen WilliamsZak SchwartzFebruary 18, 2018 (2018-02-18)N/A
6"Act Like You've Been Here Before"Jennifer GetzingerUnknownFebruary 25, 2018 (2018-02-25)N/A
7"The Sincerest Form of Flattery"Alik SakharovUnknownMarch 4, 2018 (2018-03-04)N/A
8"Love the Lie"Alik SakharovAmy Berg & Gary Gilbert & Jordan HorowitzMarch 11, 2018 (2018-03-11)N/A
9"No Man's Land, Part One"Stephen WilliamsUnknownMarch 18, 2018 (2018-03-18)N/A
10"No Man's Land, Part Two"Jennifer GetzingerUnknownMarch 25, 2018 (2018-03-25)N/A

Notes

  1. ^ Per series creator Justin Marks, the "other" Howard is referred to as Howard Prime, and "our" Howard is referred to as Howard Alpha, or simply Howard.[9]
  2. ^ The pilot episode was later re-aired on January 21, 2018.[10]

Production

The series was ordered in April 2015 with J. K. Simmons announced to star.[1] Production began in December 2016 in Los Angeles, and it was announced that the series would be filmed in additional locations across the U.S. and Europe in 2017,[5] including Berlin, where the series is set.[14]

Reception

Counterpart has been well-received by critics. The first season has an 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating 8.39 out of 10 based on 28 reviews, with a critical consensus of, "Tense and gripping, The Counterpart is an absorbing thrill-fest led by J.K. Simmons' multi-faceted dual lead performance."[15] On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 76 out of 100 based 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Jaafar, Ali; Andreeva, Nellie (April 22, 2015). "JK Simmons To Star In Starz Drama Series From 'The Imitation Game' Director". Deadline.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  2. ^ Patten, Dominic (November 2, 2017). "Starz Sets JK Simmons Starrer 'Counterpart' Premiere For Early 2018; Drops 1st Trailer". Deadline. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (September 30, 2016). "'Counterpart': Olivia Williams & Harry Lloyd To Co-Star In Starz Drama Series". Deadline. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Pedersen, Erik (October 26, 2016). "'Counterpart': Michael Nyqvist, Nazanin Boniadi, 2 Others Join Starz Spy Series". Deadline. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Petski, Denise (December 1, 2016). "'Counterpart': Ulrich Thomsen Joins In Recasting As Production Begins On Starz Spy Series". Deadline. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  6. ^ Petski, Denise (December 7, 2016). "'Counterpart': Mido Hamada & Kenneth Choi Join Starz Spy Series". Deadline. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  7. ^ "Shows A-Z - counterpart on starz". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Counterpart – Crew". Starz. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  9. ^ Fred, Topel (January 19, 2018). "How 'Counterpart' Creator Justin Marks Created Two Worlds With Very Specific Rules [Interview]". /Film. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  10. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 23, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.21.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  11. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 12, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.10.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 14, 2017. {{cite web}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 56 (help)
  12. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (January 30, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.28.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  13. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 6, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.4.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  14. ^ "Video: Starz Releases Official Trailer and Premiere Date for New Spy Thriller "Counterpart"" (Press release). Starz. November 2, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  15. ^ "Counterpart: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  16. ^ "Counterpart: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved January 28, 2018.

External links

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