# Last Resort (2012)

> After refusing to fire nuclear missiles without confirmed orders, the crew of a US submarine finds itself branded a rogue enemy of its own country.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/40568

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 13
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: drama, action, thriller
- Created by: Shawn Ryan, Karl Gajdusek
- Network: ABC
- Cast: Andre Braugher, Scott Speedman, Daisy Betts, Camille De Pazzis, Dichen Lachman, Daniel Lissing, Sahr Ngaujah, Autumn Reeser
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2172103/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: tense, propulsive, sober, patriotic, dread-filled

## What critics say

Praised as a tense, politically charged military drama led by Andre Braugher, though its single season was cut short before the central conspiracy fully played out.

## Synopsis

Last Resort (2012-2013) is an American military drama series created by Shawn Ryan and Karl Gajdusek for ABC. Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) commands the nuclear ballistic missile submarine Colorado, and his crew, including executive officer Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman), refuses to fire on Pakistan without confirmation of the orders. The engine of the show is the crew's sudden fall from loyal service members to hunted enemies of their own government, forcing them to hold a remote island and keep their vessel out of reach while they fight for their innocence and their lives. Each episode mixes tense shipboard procedure with hard-edged confrontations on land, and the single season builds toward a larger conspiracy behind the standoff. The tone is taut, sober and propulsive, with a patriotic unease running beneath the action. Its stakes and moral tension will appeal to viewers who enjoy submarine thrillers and political brinkmanship, and fans of Battlestar Galactica and 24 will find its mix of institutional betrayal and high-pressure command decisions familiar. It is a single-season, thirteen-episode limited run that ended on an unfinished arc.

## Shows like Last Resort

- [Valor (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/62660)
- [Das Boot (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/71558)
- [SIX (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/58882)
- [Condor (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/62161)
- [The Last Ship (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/54247)
- [Helix (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/52613)
- [Sea Patrol (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/4615)
- [Vigil (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/104593)
- [Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964)](https://ember.film/tv/297)
- [The Unit (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/2202)

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