by Kevin Little, TNT Newsroom Editorial Director
TNT is gearing up for an explosive summer with three action-packed dramas in the lineup, including the fourth season of returning hit Falling Skies and the launch of the new series The Last Ship andLegends. TNT announced the summer airdates and unveiled new video trailers for the three shows prior to today’s panel discussions with the stars and producers at SXSW, the annual music, film and interactive conference and festival held in Austin, Texas. In addition, TNT will provide SXSW attendees with a sneak peek of The Last Ship by hosting a special watch party of the entire first episode.
“For the past three summers, TNT has had great creative and commercial success with Falling Skies, which has inspired us to continue to program for fans of sci-fi and action,” said Michael Wright, president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “This year, we’re going to launch The Last Ship and Legends, two expertly crafted shows that bring the storytelling scope and thrill-ride excitement of our favorite summer movies to series television. With their great writing, expansive casts and outstanding production quality, these are really fun, smart and addictive shows.”
TNT’s summer action series will kick off Sunday, June 22, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) with the premiere ofThe Last Ship, from executive producer Michael Bay (Transformers). Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy) and Rhona Mitra (Strike Back) star in the series about a Navy vessel that may be humanity’s last hope in the wake of a worldwide catastrophe.
The fourth season premiere of Falling Skies, from Amblin Television and executive producerSteven Spielberg, will follow The Last Ship at 10 p.m. (ET/PT). Noah Wyle stars in the highly rated drama about the struggle against a deadly force of alien invaders.
In August, the action will intensify even more as TNT premieres the new drama Legends, fromHomeland executive producers Howard Gordon and Alexander Cary and Fringe co-executive producer David Wilcox. Set to premiere Wednesday, Aug. 20, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), Legends starsSean Bean (Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings) as a deep-undercover FBI agent who may be losing his grip on reality.
TNT’s summer slate will also include new seasons of the hit series Major Crimes, Rizzoli & Isles,Perception and Franklin & Bash; new episodes of Dallas; and the launch of Stephen Bochco’s new crime drama Murder in the First. Premiere dates for those series will be announced later.