Shawn Ryan, the creator behind such critically acclaimed shows as ‘The Shield’, ‘The Unit’ and ‘The Chicago Code’ has teamed up with feature writer Karl Gajdusek, whose work includes ‘Unknown’, ‘Trespass’, ‘Dead Like Me’, the upcoming ‘Oblivion’, for a new science fiction series, according to Deadline.
‘The Last Resort’ was pitched to networks on Friday night with ABC giving the series a pilot production commitment. Described as “a thriller set in the near future when the country is very fractured and revolves around the crew of a U.S. nuclear submarine who become hunted after ignoring an order to shoot nuclear missiles. They escape to a NATO listening outpost where they publicly declare themselves to be the world’s smallest nuclear nation with 24 nuclear warheads. The show will explore the society the fugitives create, the natives they meet and how what they’ve done affects the group and its unity.”
Ryan had this to say about the series, “it also allows us to examine what is going on in this country in micro form.”
Ryan’s track record for critically acclaimed television series is very high, but unfortunately only ‘The Shield’ was able to maintain multiple seasons (7). Most of his other series are extremely well crafted but seem to appeal to small audiences and usually end up being canceled after a season or two.
Hopefully ABC picks this up and sci-fi fans are attracted to it. It’s certainly one of the most interesting television premises I’ve heard in quite a while and Ryan absolutely has the skills to make it a must see show.
