A new arrival on 
Netflix has quickly found streaming success, with this 5-part action sci-fi series that blends post-apocalyptic thrills with military drama finding massive viewership and officially becoming one of the biggest hits on the platform. Oh, and did we mention it’s produced by Transformers director Michael Bay? In case you wanted an idea of the sense of action-packed scale that’s on display here.
Netflix Finds a Major New Hit With Forgotten Post-Apocalyptic Epic
The epic tale begins when Tom Chandler, the Captain at the helm of the USS Nathan James en route to the Arctic, discovers that his ship may be humanity’s last hope. A virus has swept through civilization and wiped out more than half the population since the ship embarked, and while he’s ordered to return home, Chandler decides instead to remain at sea and develop a vaccine that could save us all.
Based on the 1988 novel by William Brinkley and executive-produced by filmmaker Michael Bay, The Last Ship not only boasts the kind of gloriously high-concept that will have audiences hooked, but also an array of genre favorites as part of its stacked cast. Led by the late Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy), the ensemble includes Rhona Mitra (Red Sonja), Adam Baldwin (Firefly), Charles Parnell (Top Gun: Maverick), Travis Van Winkle (Transformers), Bridget Regan (John Wick, The Rookie), Jodie Turner-Smith (The Agency), Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun), Peter Weller (RoboCop), Titus Welliver (Bosch), and one of the most exciting action stars of the hour, Bren Foster (Life After Fighting).
Looking at both the enticing premise and impressive cast, it’s no wonder The Last Ship is making such a streaming splash, with the series delivering a truly unique mix of high-seas naval action which, while taking place in an isolated location, doesn’t skimp on the epic scale amid its dystopian setting.
‘The Last Ship’ Sails Again Thanks to Streaming
Much like the titular ship itself, The Last Ship has been left a little adrift as far as notoriety is concerned, with the series not accruing enough reviews for an overall Rotten Tomatoes score. However, the first two seasons have been marked with a coveted red tomato, with Season 1 coming in at a solid 65% while Season 2 made waves with a more impressive 86%.
Clearly, the previously held level of notoriety means nothing when Netflix is involved, as The Last Ship has now become one of the most popular shows on the streaming platform since becoming available in June. The 56-episode TNT series has now garnered millions of views, with the latest Nielsen ratings revealing that the series has now added another 733 million minutes viewed after previously crossing 1.2 billion minutes. Currently, this puts it alongside the likes of family-favorite phenomenon Bluey, Amazon’s Ride or Die, House of the Dragon, and Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie reboot in the top 10 overall streaming rankings.
|
Top 10 Streaming – Overall (Includes movies and TV series) |
||||
|
RANK |
TITLE |
MINUTES (MILLIONS) |
STREAMING SERVICE |
NO. OF EPISODES |
|
01. |
Little House on the Prairie (2026) |
1,175 |
Netflix |
8 |
|
02. |
The Big Bang Theory |
1,076 |
HBO Max |
281 |
|
03. |
SpongeBob SquarePants |
1,005 |
Paramount+ |
336 |
|
04. |
The Hawk |
999 |
Netflix |
10 |
|
05. |
House of the Dragon |
995 |
HBO Max |
23 |
|
06. |
Ride or Die (2026) |
869 |
Prime Video |
8 |
|
07. |
Bluey |
860 |
Disney+ |
154 |
|
08. |
The Last Ship |
733 |
Netflix |
59 |
|
09. |
Criminal Minds |
722 |
Hulu / Paramount+ / Pluto TV |
368 |
|
10. |
Project Hail Mary |
699 |
Prime Video |
1 |
Thanks to Netflix and streaming in general, overlooked and forgotten shows like The Last Ship can still find the audience they deserve. Even almost a decade after they ended.
- Release Date
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2014 – 2018-00-00
- Network
-
TNT
- Directors
-
Paul Holahan, Jack Bender, Peter Weller, Michael Katleman, Bill Roe, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Bobby Roth, Brad Turner, Greg Beeman, Jann Turner, Jonathan Mostow, Kenneth Fink, Mario Van Peebles, Michael Nankin, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Tim Matheson, Nelson McCormick, Reza Tabrizi, Anton Cropper, Mairzee Almas
- Writers
-
Onalee Hunter, Jill Blankenship, Mark Malone, Hiram Martinez, Nic Van Zeebroeck, Katie Swain, Ira Parker, Cameron Welsh, Josh Schaer, Jessica Butler, Jorge Zamacona, Michael Sussman, Quinton Peeples, Anne Cofell Saunders
