This series arrived on Starz in the Winter of 2017 with little fanfare, but immediately began to develop some critical acclaim and a small fan following. It focuses on a low-level government official who works a tedious job but is drawn into the inner workings of his agency to discover that it oversees a portal to a parallel Earth. On the other side, his counterpart is a high-ranking agent who us uncovered a conspiracy that threatens both worlds. The series is a slowburn at first that follows the spy-thriller format in the beginning but then plays upon that to delve into deeper philosophical questions. As it progresses it starts to explore the implications of knowing and interacting with your counterpart from a different Earth who has followed a very different life, as well as the question of which is the “better self”.
>Buy Counterpart Season 1 on DVD from Amazon.com
Counterpart debuted with minimal promotion, and not surprisingly it did not develop much of an audience. It likely only stuck around for a second year because it was picked up for two seasons in advance. But by the time it returned (again with minimal promotion), its was only drawing ratings scraps (averaging five one-hundredths of a ratings point in its second year) and Starz cancelled it after wrapping up its two-year run. The studio and producers did try to shop it around, but they could not find a buyer and series creator Justin Marks confirmed on Twitter that there would not be a third season.
The show did wrap up most of the storylines from its first two seasons, but it ended with the suggestion that a whole new chapter was opening up. It definitely delivered a good sci fi series with first-rate performances from J. K. Simmons, Harry Lloyd, and the rest of the cast. And it could have carried on for another season or so, but was at least able to provide some resolution before succumbing to the Peak TV crunch.
Aired: Starz, 2017-19, 2 Seasons Totaling 20 Episodes
Starring: J. K. Simmons, Olivia Williams, Harry Lloyd, Nazanin Boniadi, James Cromwell
Created By: Justin Marks
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The series had a vibe similar to AMC’s Rubicon, another great series that was cancelled way too soon. (Though no science fiction in Rubicon.) Counterpart was fantastic, but some of the crew told me that JK Simmons had been a pita for the production… he hated Berlin, didn’t want to film there, so they did most of his scenes in the US, and only flew him over for a couple of days, where they had to film all of his exterior scenes at a breathtaking pace.