Prime Video’s Countdown could return for a season 2 — but will Eric Dane reprise his role amid his ALS battle?
The show, which premiered in June 2025, follows an LAPD detective (played by Jensen Ackles) who is recruited for a covert task force of undercover agents from various law enforcement agencies after a Department of Homeland Security officer is killed in plain sight. The group must track down the murderer — but there is a larger conspiracy at work that they need to uncover while racing to protect Los Angeles.
In addition to Ackles and Dane, Countdown also stars Jessica Camacho, Violett Beane, Uli Latukefu and Elliot Knight. It became one of Dane’s newest projects in the wake of his ALS diagnosis.
“I have been diagnosed with ALS,” Dane said in a statement in April 2025. “I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter. I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week. I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”
What to Know About Jensen Ackles and Eric Dane’s Crime Drama ‘Countdown’
After Countdown premiered, Dane discussed how his neurologist, who is a leading ALS researcher, has given him hope about slowing the progression of the disease.
“I would have thought I would have been the hide under the sheets kind of person, but that’s not been the case,” Dane told Extra about Dr. Merit Cudkowicz in July 2025. “My attitude and spirit has been pretty buoyant. I am just kind of riding it. Not every day has been great but the net is, I have a pretty good life.”
Prime Video has yet to renew Countdown for a second season. As the cast awaits an update, Ackles and other Countdown stars have expressed interest in returning — and showed their support for Dane amid his health struggle.
“Obviously, he’s dealing with what he’s dealing with. I’m checking in on him quite frequently, letting him know that if there’s anything he needs from me, I’ll be there,” Ackles told Men’s Health in July 2025. “He’s very appreciative, but he’s already surrounded himself with the right people, and that’s important when you’re going through something like that.”
Keep scrolling for everything the cast and crew teased about season 2 amid Dane’s ALS battle:
Keeping Eric Involved
Creator Derek Haas discussed plans for a potential second season.
“My thought is I will take any Eric Dane that I can get,” Haas told Parade in July 2025. “I absolutely adore him, and I adore the character. If he says, ‘I am up for X, I will make X happen.’ I love him and it’s going to be up to him. The ball’s going to be in Eric’s court, and I will take anything that he wants [to do].”
Not Ruling It Out
One month later, Haas said he wasn’t sure whether Countdown would return, telling Collider, “Fortunately, I only have to worry about making shows and not how the super high-ups make their scheduling decisions. They have to juggle a ton of strategies and relationships and data and experience and sometimes old-fashioned risk-taking … they’re smart people … I stay out of it!”
He continued, “I said this before with [my show] Chicago Fire way back when. I was like, ‘As long as people keep showing up, we’ll keep making it.’ Now did I think that would go for 14 years? I had no idea. So I will say the same thing about this: As long as people keep watching and digging it, then we will keep making it.”
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Holding Out Hope
Ackles told Men’s Health in July 2025 that he’s “absolutely pushing” to come back.
“I had one of the best times I’ve ever had working on a set while we were on this show,” he shared before praising Dane’s work on the show. “Eric’s a total pro. He’s a TV icon. In our first meeting, I stuck out my hand and he gave me a hug instead. From that moment, I thought, ‘This has a chance to be good.’ I wanted to earn his respect. He was the big dog on the set, and I wasn’t trying to out-alpha-dog him. There was room for both of us.”
