EXCLUSIVE: Prime Video has made renewal decisions on its two outstanding freshman series that had premiered in late spring and summer, opting not to proceed with second seasons of Countdown, starring Jensen Ackles, and Butterfly, headlined by Daniel Dae Kim. Both dramas are produced by Amazon MGM Studios.
The cancellations were not a foregone conclusion, especially for Countdown, which, more than a month after its Season 1 finale, continues to linger on Prime Video’s U.S. Top 10, currently at #10. Both Countdown and Butterfly broke into Nielsen Top 10 for Streaming Originals: Countdown, which had a weekly release, reaching #8, Butterfly, which did a binge drop, #6. For Countdown, the stronger overall performer of the two, the decision came down to total global viewership, I hear.
Over the last month and a half, Prime Video decided the fate of the six new scripted series launched from May – August, starting with the three YA titles. Of them, We Were Liars and Overcompensating were renewed, while Motorheads was canceled.
The streamer then proceeded with the three freshman crime/thriller dramas, renewing the Bosch spinoff Ballard and canceling Countdown and Butterfly. All decisions were made under Amazon MGM Studios’ outgoing Head of Global TV Vernon Sanders; the last three were finalized after Peter Friedlander had been announced as his successor.
Amazon MGM Studios remains in business with Ackles through the first-look deal Chaos Machine, his company with wife Danneel Ackles, has at the studio. He also headlines Prime Video’s upcoming The Boys spinoff series Vought Rising.
Countdown, from creator, executive producer and showrunner Derek Haas, who is under an overall deal at Amazon MGM Studios, also stars Eric Dane and Jessica Camacho.
In it, when an officer with the Department of Homeland Security is murdered in broad daylight, LAPD detective Mark Meachum (Ackles), is recruited to a secret task force, alongside undercover agents from all branches of law enforcement, to investigate. But the hunt for the killer soon uncovers a plot far more sinister than anyone could have imagined, kicking off a race against time to save a city of millions.
The cast also includes Violett Beane, Elliot Knight and Uli Latukefu.
Co-created by Ken Woodruff based on Arash Amel’s Boom! Studios’ graphic novel series, Butterfly a character-driven spy thriller that explores complex family dynamics within the treacherous world of global espionage. It’s centered on David Jung (Kim), an enigmatic, highly unpredictable former US intelligence operative living in South Korea, whose life is blown to pieces when the consequences of an impossible decision from his past come back to haunt him, and he finds himself pursued by Rebecca (Reina Hardesty), a deadly, sociopathic young agent assigned to kill him, and Caddis, the sinister spy organization she works for.
Kim’s production company, 3AD, developed the series, which filmed in South Korea, under its first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios. The Butterfly cast also includes Kim Ji-hoon, Park Hae-soo, Kim Tae-hee, Charles Parnell, Sean Dulake, and Nayoon Kim, with Sung Dong-il and Lee Il-hwa appearing in guest roles.
Woodruff served as showrunner and executive produced alongside novelist Steph Cha with Kim and John Cheng for 3AD; Stephen Christy and Ross Richie for Boom! Studios; and Amel for The Amel Company. Additionally, Adam Yoelin served as Co-EP for Boom! Studios. Kitao Sakurai directed the first two episodes.
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