This June, TNT premiered their new seriesThe Last Ship.
There have been a lot of post-apocalyptic stories being told recently.
What is going to make this one really stand out?
Steven Kane:We dont think of the show as post-apocalyptic; we think about it as apocalyptic.
With this show, its happening right now.
So this is How do you deal with it in the moment?
And its about the reality of how societies would deal it these catastrophic situations.
Then you get into the philosophical questions about What does it mean to be human?
and What does it mean to be civilized?
So its apocalyptic, not pre-or post-apocalyptic.
That is a very different paradigm than other action/adventure shows with Cruise or in space.
[InThe Last Ship], they have a particular mission and theycansave the world.
There is a ticking clock, and there is an urgency to everything they are doing.
So what makes it different is that they have a mission and they are the last hope.
And so whos chasing them, and who wants it?
All those things give our show a different level of urgency.
Also, it has motion.
Their wives are going to be saying, Honey, come to bed!
I think its really a show that is fit for modern audiences.
What can you tell us about your characters and what makes them stand out as military men and heroes?
While they perform the missions, I keep everybody going and check on people and gives temperature.
So I help heroes; I dont know how heroic I am, but I help them be heroes.
Ill put it that way.
And with them working by our side, I think its going to be pretty damn authentic.
We cant cut to everyone crying about their families, you know.
Hes just a very complex character.
On top of that, we dont know if our families are alive or not.
It was just a real joy for us as writers and producers.
What exotic locations have you been filming in and how much of a character have those locations been?
And it will look like Cuba and will look like the ship is pulling in to Gitmo.
We found a location here that was a really good image of that.
It [would have been] a lot harder to do the show ten years ago.
Its a pretty awesome experience.
Can you talk about working in the very cramped quarters of a Navy ship?
It must not be very easy to get in there to film.
Can you talk about what it was like to film and act in those environments?
Parnell:You kind of answered your own question.
That was one of the main [challenges].
Kane:It was method writing and method acting.
We ended up building a few sets as well to help us out in the bigger spaces.
It was just a real military campaign.
So we knew we got it right, and we can recreate that feeling for these guys.
And the Navy was amazingly cooperative, especially when we were out to see with the captain.
So we think it worked out really well, and the Navy was really happy with it.
And we were crossboarding scenes and episodes because of trying to consolidate work on location.
Actor Travis Van Winkle.
If youre not wearing a hat or in the Navy, they dont want you to salute.
Parnell:But the tight space?
How does the geopolitical situation affect whats happening on the ship?
Kane:The real-life geopolitical situation?
Were not really going to go into what Putin is doing in the Ukraine, or stuff like that.
But theres also an element of This is our deal.
Well be the ones in charge.
We will rule the seas.
So you get a sense of different ways of reacting to it.
Executive producer/writer Hank Steinberg.
Steinberg:Thats one of the fun things about the show is how isolated they are .
Thats another psychological/emotional pressure thats weighing on the crew and the Captain.
I mean, they dont have internet and theres nobody answering their radio calls.
You dont know: is it just local or is the whole city gone black.
Thats kinda of how it feels for them.
Steinberg:So they dont have a lot of information.
And if and when they hit America, they have no idea what theyre going to find.
Thats the political side of it.
Steven Kane, Hank Steinberg, Charles Parnell and Travis Van Winkle, thank you very much!
