DVD Review: ‘Last Resort: The Complete Series’ Offers History of Doomed Show

CHICAGO – Around a year ago, I named Shawn Ryan’s excellent “Last Resort” the most-promising new show of the Fall season. I think I need to relabel that this year to “creatively promising,” for while I knew Ryan and his crew here had a chance to produce something special, I also worried that ABC was dooming it on Thursday nights. Lo and behold, before the show had a chance to develop an audience and work through a few creative growing pains, it was gone. Now, all 13 episodes have been rather unceremoniously released on DVD with no HD option. When the story is written about how the great writers left the broadcast networks behind for good for cable is written, “Last Resort” gets a chapter.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

What went wrong? This was a daringly high-concept program with a great cast. Why didn’t it work like “LOST”? First, we need to stop thinking that anything can easily replicate the success of “LOST”. That program was a black swan, an anomoly that never should have become a hit and could have just as easily gone the way of so many of its copycats. Second, ABC gave “Last Resort” one of the worst possible time slots, putting it up against smash hits on CBS on Thursday nights and failing to promote it. They knew this wasn’t going to work. On cable, it would still be on. And that’s going to be an increasing problem for network drama producers, who will soon be left with nothing but procedurals.

It’s not that “Last Resort” was perfect. After a great premiere and follow-up, the program struggled a little bit to find its direction. But this was a show that I think could have easily come around. When you have anchors like Andre Braugher and Shawn Ryan, you should get at least a full season. Maybe two.

Last Resort: The Complete Series was released on DVD on July 2, 2013
Photo credit: Sony

Synopsis:
The U.S. ballistic submarine Colorado sits 500 feet below the Indian Ocean when orders come in to fire nuclear missiles at Pakistan. Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) and XO Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman) both question the legitimacy of the order and ask for confirmation, but instead receive missile fire from another U.S. submarine. Left for dead at the bottom of the ocean, the Colorado finds refuge on an exotic island. As troops come toward the island, the members of the crew must work to clear their names and find out who is involved in a conspiracy of nuclear proportions. From creators Karl Gajdusek (Oblivion) and Shawn Ryan (TV’s The Shield), Last Resort: The Complete Series is a critically-acclaimed drama filled with action and suspense.

Special Features:
o Dive Deeper Into The Series With Last Resort Declassified
13 Behind The Scenes Featurettes Exploring The Show’s Visual Effects, Characters And More With The Show’s Creators, Cast And Crew

[14]	By BRIAN TALLERICO [15] Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com [14]