Counterpart (TV series)


Counterpart is an American science fiction thriller television series starring J. K. Simmons. It was created by Justin Marks and was first broadcast on the premium cable network Starz. The series ran for 20 episodes across two seasons. It premiered on December 10, 2017, and aired its final episode on February 17, 2019.

Premise

Howard Silk, a gentle, quiet office worker, has been working for a Berlin-based United Nations agency, the Office of Interchange, for thirty years; however, his rank is too low for him to be told what his work really involves, with him exchanging pre-scripted nonsensical messages. In fact, OI oversees a crossing point, below the OI headquarters, to a parallel Earth. The parallel Earth was created in 1987 during an experiment by East German scientists when only a scientist named Yanek was on-site. The original "Alpha world" Yanek meets his new "Prime world" counterpart, and they soon begin studying how the initially identical Earths start to exhibit subtle differences.
The differences become drastically more pronounced after 1996, when a deadly virus kills hundreds of millions in the Prime world. The virus is suspected of being purposefully delivered from the Alpha world, resulting in a tense Cold War state between the two worlds, with counterparts used as spies and sleeper agents. Silk's Alpha world continues to resemble ours, but the Prime world becomes quite different, with Howard Silk Prime being a ruthless and cold intelligence operator. Matters escalate during the series when a powerful rogue faction on Prime executes long simmering plans to get revenge on Alpha.

Cast and characters

Main

Season 1 (2017–18)

Season 2 (2018–19)

Production

The series was ordered in April 2015 with J. K. Simmons announced to star. Production began in December 2016 in Los Angeles, and it was announced that the series would be filmed in additional locations across the U.S. and Europe in 2017, including Berlin, where the series is set, and in Potsdam at Babelsberg Studio, which is co-producing the series. Amy Berg served as showrunner, executive producer, and writer for the first season, but departed before season two. Production began on the second season in February 2018 in Berlin.

Cancellation

After Starz opted not to order more episodes, the series' production company Media Rights Capital sought another home for the show. The effort was not successful.

Reception

Critical response

Counterpart was well received by critics. The first season has a "certified fresh" 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 8.41 out of 10 based on 45 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Tense and gripping, Counterpart is an absorbing thrill-fest led by J. K. Simmons' multi-faceted dual lead performance." On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 76 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
The second season also received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 100% approval rating with an average rating 8.01 out of 10 based on 22 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Double the J.K. Simmons brings double the aplomb in the second season of Counterpart, which finds time to deliver relevant societal critiques while deepening its labyrinthine lore." On Metacritic, it has a score of 75 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Ratings

Season 1

Season 2

Accolades

Home media

The first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on July 31, 2018, in region 1. The set includes all 10 episodes plus two behind-the-scenes featurettes.