June 22, 2014 (2014-06-22) – November 11, 2018 (2018-11-11)
The Last Ship is an Americanaction drama television series, loosely based on the 1988 novel ofthe same name byWilliam Brinkley. The series premiered onTNT on June 22, 2014, and concluded after five seasons on November 11, 2018.
Rhona Mitra as Dr. Rachel Scott, a paleomicrobiologist who created the vaccine to prevent infection by the virus. (seasons 1-2)
Adam Baldwin as Commander, later Captain, and finally Admiral Mike Slattery, is the former executive officer and later commanding officer ofNathan James and chief of naval operations.[3] Originally fromChicago, he previously served as a homicide detective with theChicago Police Department. Slattery's son was killed by the virus, and as of season 4, his wife Christine (Ele Keats) and his daughters were still missing.
Travis Van Winkle asLieutenant Daniel Joshua "Danny" Green is leader of the Naval Mountain Warfare Special Forces Unit aboardNathan James.[4] In season 5, Danny was a member of Delta Team, a four-man covert-action team.
Marissa Neitling asCommander Kara Green (née Foster) started the series as a combat information center officer onNathan James before being promoted to tactical action officer (TAO) after the death of Lt. Commander Barker.[5] During season 3, Kara worked in St. Louis asdeputy chief of staff to President Michener. In season 4, she returned to duty onboardNathan James as the TAO. In season 5, she became the commanding officer ofNathan James.
John Pyper-Ferguson as Ken "Tex" Nolan is a private security/military contractor and formerU.S. Army Special Forces soldier who joined the crew atGuantanamo Bay detention camp. In the season-2 finale, he tracked down his daughter, but learned that his ex-wife was killed by looters. In the third-season finale, Tex was killed stopping Allison Shaw (recurring seasons 1 and 3; starring in season 2; guest in season 5).
Jocko Sims as Commander Carlton Burk is head ofNathan Jamesvisit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) teams. In season 5, he is promoted to executive officer ofNathan James. However, he is killed in the penultimate episode of the show. (recurring season 1; starring seasons 2–5)
Kevin Michael Martin as ChiefGunner's Mate Eric Miller[6] is a member of the ship's VBSS teams who has worked his way up the enlisted ranks (recurring seasons 1–2, starring season 3–5).
Bren Foster asChief Petty Officer Wolf "Wolf-Man" Taylor is a member of theRoyal Australian NavyCDT 3 (Special Forces) attached to the US Navy Special Warfare Joint Operations Training Program. In season 5, Wolf is a member of Delta Team, a four-man covert-action team (recurring season 2, starring seasons 3–5).
Bridget Regan as Sasha Cooper, a former Navy Intelligence Officer now operating under diplomatic cover in China for the newly reformed US government, she was once romantically involved with Tom Chandler. In season 5, Sasha is a member of Delta Team (season 3–5).
LaMonica Garrett as Lieutenant Commander Cameron Burk is the brother of CDR Carlton Burk and the TAO of USSNathan James in season 3. In season 4, Burk is wounded in action during an attack onNaval Station Rota, Spain, which took him off active duty (main in season 3, guest in seasons 4–5).
Fay Masterson asCaptain Andrea Garnett is the commanding officer of the USSJeffrey Michener. Garnett previously served as chief engineer and later executive officer of theNathan James. Early in season 5, Captain Garnett is fatally wounded in the surprise aerial attack on Fleet Week by paramilitary forces of Gran Colombia.
Emerson Brooks as Admiral Joseph Meylan is the former commanding officer of USSHayward, who joinsNathan James after his ship was severely damaged by the Chinese Navy. He briefly takes command ofNathan James ordered by the St. Louis White House (secretly under control of Allison Shaw) to place Captain Chandler under arrest. In season 4, he replaces Andrea Garnett as the executive officer of USSNathan James under Captain Mike Slattery. In season 5, he is assigned to Naval Station Mayport as a flag officer (recurring in seasons 3–4, starring in season 5).
Jodie Turner-Smith as Sergeant Azima Kandie served in the Kenyan Navy for two years; she is part of the VBSS teams onNathan James during season 4. In season 5, Azima is a member of Delta Team (recurring in season 4, starring in season 5).[7][8]
In May 2013, TNT placed a 10-episode order for the series.[3] The series premiered on June 22, 2014, at 9:00 pmEDT.[20][21] On July 18, 2014,The Last Ship was renewed for a 13-episode second season.[22] The second season started airing on June 21, 2015.[23] On August 11, 2015,The Last Ship was renewed for a 13-episode third season, slated to premiere June 12, 2016.[24] The season-3 premiere was postponed following the 2016Orlando nightclub shooting because the episode also included a mass shooting in a nightclub.[25] On July 31, 2016,The Last Ship was renewed for a 10-episode fourth season, which premiered on August 20, 2017.[26][27] On September 8, 2016, TNT renewed the series for a 10-episode fifth and final season, which was filmed immediately after season four and premiered on September 9, 2018.[28][29][30] The final episode aired on November 11, 2018.
OnMetacritic, the first season has an average score of 60 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[31]Rotten Tomatoes gives the show 83% over the five seasons. The website consensus states: "Movie-sized action sequences and a pretty cast provide smooth sailing forThe Last Ship, though it's not anything that hasn't been seen before."[32]
In July 2015,Entertainment Weekly's Ray Abdur Rahman said of the second season, "The story is getting more interesting as we get an on-the-ground sense of how the pandemic-ravaged US has fared."[33]
^Webb, Justin L. (November 9, 2012)."Naval Base San Diego; USSHalsey featured in "The Last Ship"".United States Navy. Department of Defense. Archived fromthe original on August 10, 2018. RetrievedApril 15, 2013.Production crews completed nearly two weeks of filming for the pilot episode of "The Last Ship", executive produced by Michael Bay, onboard Naval Base San Diego (NBSD) and the Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) Nov. 2.
