Netflix: Eric Dane's long-lost thriller 'The Last Ship' to release in June
- By Sarah Brohi -
- May 26, 2026
Micharl Bay to release cult classic series that flew under the radar is finally making its way to Netflix, and it will gain a ton of traction in the process.
Based on a novel of the same name by William Brinkley and starring Eric Dane, Rhona Mitra, and Charles Parnell, The Last Ship takes place on, you guessed it, a ship, this one bound for the Arctic with a civilian scientist on board. It’s on that mission, after an attack on Dr. Rachel Scott (Mitra), that Capt. Tom Chandler (Dane) learns that a virus has wiped out more than half the population of Earth in the time since his crew deployed.
Ignoring orders from the U.S. government to return, the Captain instead chooses to develop a vaccine for the virus at sea, a task that falls to Dr. Shaw, who knows more than she’s letting on.
Many critics and audiences praised the series for feeling more like a feature film than network television, with Bay’s trademark style evident throughout the show’s run. Though both critics and audiences were ultimately divided on whether or not the series deserved mainstream success.
Critic Carissa Pavlica said, “My attention was never unfocused on the story, and it felt as if I was watching a feature film rather than a TV show. That all bodes well for holding interest going forward.” Critic Mark Perigard disagreed, however, saying, “The Last Ship is a naval recruitment ad for the apocalypse, and these waters look shallow. Careful before sticking your toe in.”
It was a similar tune for casual viewers, with some thinking that the series’ flashy style, coupled with the familiar cast names, was enough to make it a success. Others felt that they couldn’t ignore the lackluster storylines and random xenophobic plot points sprinkled throughout.
“Bizarrely popular and well reviewed for a show that is so bad you’re literally not sure at first whether or not it’s supposed to be a spoof. One-dimensional characters, wooden acting, and dialogue that sounds like it has been written by randomly selecting lines from a big bucket of lines with the words ‘corniest action movie cliches’ scrawled on the side in crayon,” said one viewer. Others, however, praised it for the non-stop action.