Shot to the Top of Prime Video in Just One Day: This Series Starring Dean Winchester Became an Instant Hit
Ratings are climbing despite scathing reviews.
It’s been five years since the finale of Supernatural, but Jensen Ackles isn’t disappearing from the radar anytime soon. His new show Countdown, where he once again plays a brooding hero with a dark past, stormed into the Prime Video charts just one day after its release — and is already outperforming most competitors in viewership.
Plot of the Series Countdown
Countdown is a dark crime thriller about detective Mark Mitchum (played by Ackles), who is recruited into a secret task force to investigate the mysterious murder of an officer. The mystery quickly escalates into a conspiracy threatening millions of lives. Throw in a pinch of government secrets, weapons of mass destruction, and the classic 'we’re running out of time' — and you’ve got an action series in the spirit of the post-apocalyptic seasons of Supernatural.
The Show Was Written Specifically for Ackles — And It Shows
Amazon makes no secret of it: the project was built around Ackles. After his appearance in The Boys as the charismatic Soldier Boy, the streaming service realized — the actor is still magnetic, especially in roles of complex, morally ambiguous characters. And while critics are lukewarm (the series holds a 37% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes), viewers feel differently: 63% audience approval and a rapid rise to the top just one day in. Just think — Countdown reached 2nd place on Prime Video’s overall Top 10 series list!
The First Three Episodes Are Out — And It’s Just the Beginning
The first three episodes are now available on Prime Video. New episodes will drop every Wednesday until September 3. Starring alongside Ackles are Jessica Camacho, Violett Beane, Eric Dane, and Uli Latukefu. But honestly, most viewers are tuning in for Ackles. And they’re getting exactly what they came for: charisma, pulsing music, and paranoid suspense.
So if you missed Dean — he’s back. Only now with a badge, a gun, and a secret that could destroy the world.
