Counterpart (TV series)
Counterpart is an American science fiction thriller television series starring J. K. Simmons. It was created by Justin Marks and was first broadcast on the premium cable network Starz. The series ran for 20 episodes across two seasons.[1][2] It premiered on December 10, 2017, and aired its final episode on February 17, 2019.
Counterpart
United States
- English
- German
2
20
- Amy Berg
- Justin Marks
- Bard Dorros
- Keith Redmon
- Morten Tyldum
- Jordan Horowitz
- Gary Gilbert
- Luc Montpellier
- Martin Ruhe
- Philipp Blaubach
- Tobias Datum
- Hagen Bogdanski
52–60 minutes
- Gilbert Films
- Anonymous Content
- Gate 34
- MRC
- Studio Babelsberg
- Starz Originals
December 10, 2017 –
February 17, 2019
Premise[edit]
Howard Silk, a gentle, quiet office worker, has been working for a Berlin-based United Nations agency, the Office of Interchange (OI), for thirty years. His position is too low for him to be told what his work—exchanging apparently nonsensical messages—really involves. The OI oversees a checkpoint below its headquarters between parallel Earths (the "Alpha" and "Prime" worlds). The parallel Earths were created in 1987 during an experiment by East Germany when only a scientist named Yanek was on-site. The "Alpha world" Yanek met his "Prime world" counterpart, and they soon began studying how the initially identical Earths diverge.
The differences between the two worlds become more pronounced after 1996, when a flu pandemic killed hundreds of millions in the Prime world, setting back the world technologically but advancing it in life sciences. The virus was suspected of being purposely released by the Alpha world into the Prime world, which resulted in a tense cold war between the two worlds, with counterparts used as spies and sleeper agents. Silk's Alpha world continues to resemble ours, but the Prime world becomes quite different. Howard Silk Prime is a ruthless intelligence operative. Matters escalate during the series when a powerful rogue faction on Prime executes long-simmering plans to get revenge on Alpha.
Production[edit]
The series was ordered in April 2015 with J. K. Simmons announced to star.[1] Production began in December 2016 in Los Angeles. The series would also be filmed in additional locations across the U.S. and Europe in 2017,[5] including Berlin, where the series is set,[35] and in Potsdam at Babelsberg Studio, which co-produced the series.[36][37][38] Amy Berg served as showrunner, executive producer, and writer for the first season, but departed before season two.[39] While the reasons for her departure were never publicly stated, Berg implied it was due to conflicts with creator Marks who wanted full control of the series and to be the sole showrunner.[40] Production began on the second season in February 2018 in Berlin.[41] After Starz canceled the series after two seasons, the series' production company, Media Rights Capital, sought another home for the show;[42] however, the effort was not successful.[43] Starz COO Jeffrey Hirsch commented on the cancellation, saying Counterpart was "a very male show" and that "we had picked that show up and made a two-season commitment before we'd honed in on this premium female strategy".[44]
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
Counterpart was well received by critics. The first season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 8.4 out of 10 based on 49 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Tense and gripping, Counterpart is an absorbing thrill-fest led by J. K. Simmons' multi-faceted dual lead performance."[45] On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 76 out of 100 based on 15 critics.[46]
The second season also received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 100% approval rating with an average rating 8 out of 10 based on 23 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Double the J.K. Simmons brings double the aplomb in the second season of Counterpart, which finds time to deliver relevant societal critiques while deepening its labyrinthine lore."[47] On Metacritic, it has a score of 75 out of 100 based on seven critics.[48] Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone was less favorable with the second season and noted how the series had become too convoluted and difficult to follow.[49]