# Taken (2017)

> A former Green Beret's personal tragedy pulls him into a career as a deadly CIA operative.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/59734

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 26
- Episode runtime: 42 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: action, crime, drama
- Created by: Alexander Cary
- Network: NBC
- Cast: Clive Standen, Jennifer Beals, Gaius Charles, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Monique Gabriela Curnen, James Landry Hébert, Michael Irby, Brooklyn Sudano
- TMDB rating: 6.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5052460/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: propulsive, tense, gritty, earnest

## What critics say

Audiences found the prequel to the Taken films a serviceable action thriller, with mixed reception centered on its familiar formula.

## Synopsis

Taken (2017-2018) is an American network action drama created by Alexander Cary for NBC. Clive Standen plays Bryan Mills, a younger, hungrier former Green Beret whose personal tragedy ignites a fierce hunt for revenge, and Jennifer Beals plays Christina Hart, a CIA figure who draws him into covert work. The engine of the series is simple and urgent: Mills wants justice, and each episode throws him into a dangerous mission where his very particular and very dangerous set of skills is both his weapon and his burden. Across two seasons and twenty-six episodes, the show follows him through a run of case-driven operations, with fight sequences, shadowy handlers, and a steady pull toward the cold machinery of intelligence work. The tone is propulsive and tense, with grief simmering beneath the action. It is a prequel to the Liam Neeson film franchise, so fans of 24, Covert Affairs, and the original Taken films will find resonance in its blend of espionage, vengeance, and fast-moving danger. Set in a contemporary American world of government agencies and international threats, it offers a brisk, muscular take on the reluctant operative.

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