When a showrunner gets used to work with someone, they look for ways to bring them into other projects. Derek Haas, the creator and writer of Countdown, has worked with one particular Chicago PD star in the past, and he’d like to see that star come onto his new series.
Of course, before that can happen, Prime Video needs to renew the show. There also needs to be a storyline to bring in particular characters, and it sounds like Haas has already thought of that.
Derek Haas wants Jesse Lee Soffer in Countdown
While Haas didn’t work directly on Chicago PD, he did work with Soffer in other capacities. There have always been plenty of crossovers with Chicago Fire. On top of that, Haas was the showrunner of FBI: International, which saw Soffer join the series in the fourth and final season, so the two worked together there as well.
When you work with someone good, you want to work with them again and again. So, it’s not surprising to hear that Haas wants to see Soffer join the case of Countdown in some sort of way, according to TV Insider.
"Believe me, that’s crossed my mind. I don’t know that we can get him, but that would be really fun. I guess he was an Army Ranger also, and it’s like maybe he and Meachum [Jensen Ackles] were in the same unit. It was like a Halstead Meachum reunion. That sounds awesome. Crossover!"
He did admit that he might not be able to get Soffer for the series, but that’s just a side point. It doesn’t stop him from thinking about how to make it work.
Jesse Lee Soffer and Jensen Ackles could work together
One of the ideas is that Soffer comes in as Jay Halstead from Chicago PD. Halstead was an Army Ranger, which we’ve established is something Jensen Ackles's Meachum did before joining the LAPD. So, it could allow Soffer’s character to come in as a friend of Meachum.
It would probably be difficult to get the rights to use Halstead’s character, though, as that’s part of the Chicago PD franchise. So, Haas would need to create a character of his own. The Ranger storyline could still work with that, allowing for two popular actors to work closely together.
Of course, Countdown season 2 needs to be confirmed first. The first season left with a major cliffhanger, and Prime Video is yet to confirm if the show will be renewed or not. I’ve already shared why I’m concerned about the future of the show, and why I think it will be canceled.
However, Haas needs to plan. He needs to think of potential storylines should Amazon decide to renew it. He’ll need them to pitch the second season, anyway!
Countdown is available to stream on Prime Video.
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