TNT’s ‘Last Ship’ Delays Production Due to Star Eric Dane’s Depression
- The Last Ship, a popular TNT show, will be going on an unplanned hiatus until after Memorial Day to allow star Eric Dane to address ongoing issues with depression.
The Last Ship , a top-rated show on TNT, will go on a previously unplanned hiatus until after Memorial Day, the network has confirmed to Deadline. Representatives of star Eric Dane said the delay would enable him to address ongoing issues with depression.
TNT last year renewed The Last Ship for a fourth and fifth seasons of 10 episodes each, to be shot back to back. The delay would not affect Season 4 episodes, which already have been completed, but has potential impact on Season 5, which is slated to air in the summer 2018. Variety had the first report on the production shift.
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According to a statement Dane's publicist provided to Deadline: "Eric asked for a break to deal with personal issues. He suffers from depression and has asked for a few weeks of down time, and the producers kindly granted that request. He looks forward to returning."
The action drama has been one of the Turner network's best performers, reaching an average of 7.1 million total viewers per episode. Based on a William Brinkley novel, it tells the story of Tom Chandler (Dane), the captain of a U.S. Navy destroyer forced to deal with the global threat of a virus capable of wiping out the entire human population.
In some respects, the show symbolizes a past iteration of TNT. It is a reliable ratings engine in the summertime, often ranking in the top 10 for original shows among 18-49. Yet it is not an awards magnet or conversation-starter of the kind that TNT and TBS president Kevin Reilly has focused on delivering since his arrival at Turner in 2014.
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