Last Resort: After 13 Years, Prime Video’s 79%-Rated 13-Part Action Thriller Is Still A Must-Binge

56 minutes ago 8

Published Aug 27, 2026, 3:06 PM EDT

Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant with expertise in new streaming releases. He's published over 3000 articles at SR, including weekly recommendation guides and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions.

Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently lives in Greater Boston.

13 years after its release, this action thriller series with a 79% Rotten Tomatoes score is still a must-binge on Prime Video even though it was cancelled. Featuring performances by Robert Patrick, Andre Braugher, Scott Speedman, and more, this genre-blending thriller was once one of the most promising new shows of the early 2010s, only to be cut short by a steep decline in viewership. That said, it has found a modern resurgence on streaming recently, making it one of the best shows to binge-watch on Prime Video this week.

Last Resort is a forgotten and cancelled series that is regaining popularity on Prime Video this week, currently ranking #8 on U.S. viewership charts. The 13-part series originally aired on ABC in 2012 and earned a strong 79% Rotten Tomatoes score from both critics and audiences, but was abruptly cancelled after one season. The creators of Last Resort were given enough notice to write a satisfying conclusion in the finale, which allows the overlooked military action thriller to still hold up as an unintentional miniseries today.

Last Resort Is Worth A Quick Binge As It Surges On Prime Video

If you're a fan of military thrillers such as SEAL Team, Lioness, and The Last Ship, then Last Resort is essentially required viewing on Prime Video. The series follows the crew of the USS Colorado, a powerful American nuclear submarine, who are given suspicious orders to fire missiles at a foreign country. After discussing how unusual and catastrophic these orders would become if they were to go through with them, the crew demands confirmation of the orders from the White House to no avail. The USS Colorado is then attacked and hit, falling thousands of feet beneath the surface to the ocean floor, where they are considered a national security threat to their own country.

All this happens within the first episode of Last Resort, setting up the unfolding action over the next twelve episodes as the crew of the USS Colorado faces even greater threats that risk their lives and integrity. Robert Patrick plays Command Master Chief Petty Officer Joseph Prosser, who persistently butts heads with Captain Marcus Chaplin, played by Andre Braugher, over command of the USS Colorado. One character is more determined to follow orders than the other, setting up an intense rivalry as the entire crew becomes classified as fugitives. As the story plays out, a larger conspiracy emerges that reveals the truth behind the mysterious orders to strike.

Last Resort Deserves Its 79% RT Score From Critics & Audiences

Autumn Reeser and Bruce Davison in Last Resort

Last Resort was surprisingly cancelled despite positive reception from both critics and viewers, but it still deserves its 79% Rotten Tomatoes score from each. Critics noted how fascinating the premise of Last Resort was, with some even calling it must-see TV back when it aired on ABC. TIME Magazine even said it "lays in enough plot and character provisions to potentially last a long, long journey" (via Rotten Tomatoes). Additionally, Variety noted of its pilot episode, "The opening hour is crisp, tense and full of possibilities." There was genuine excitement and curiosity about this series when it premiered, but it wasn't enough to overcome a steep decrease in viewership.

Last Resort also didn't benefit from a highly competitive Thursday 8 PM EST primetime slot. This pitted it against massively popular series such as The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men on CBS, The X Factor on FOX, The Vampire Diaries on The CW, 30 Rock on NBC, and Thursday Night Football on the NFL Network. It shows a great amount of confidence by ABC to put Last Resort in such a stacked and desirable primetime slot, but it also made it that much harder for the show to survive past its first episode, which earned 9.3 million views. Nevertheless, it deserves its newfound popularity as a surprise streaming hit on Prime Video this week.