EXCLUSIVE: Eric Dane (Euphoria) has been tapped to star opposite Jensen Ackles and Jessica Camacho in Countdown, Prime Video’s thriller drama series from One Chicago veteran Derek Haas.

His casting shouldn’t be alarming news for Euphoria fans. According to sources, there have been some promising signs as work on Season 3 scripts continues with creator Sam Levinson. Amid a production delay, HBO in March allowed the cast to take other acting jobs.

Should the network proceed with a third season — which I hear is still targeting a start of production later this year for a 2025 debut — filming will have to be done around the schedule of cast members like Dane who have booked new gigs. That is considered challenging but doable. Since March, Dane also signed up for pan-European miniseries Kabul, which is currently in production.

Countdown starts following a suspicious murder in broad daylight, which leads to LAPD officer Mark Meachum (Ackles) being recruited to join a secret task force of undercover agents from all branches of law enforcement to investigate. But as the truth of a more sinister plot comes into focus, the team must overcome their conflicting personal agendas to unite and save a city of millions.

Dane will play Nathan Blythe, Special Agent in Charge who’s been with the Bureau for 22 years. Military cut, trim, fit, and packing an imposing glare, he’s seen a lot in his days on the job, and he has a passion for fighting for justice. Though this isn’t his first task force he’s led, this one is different. He had already been looking into a potential deal going on with a foreign player trying to buy off DHS officers, but was denied when he tried to open an investigation. After Darden’s death, he took matters into his own hands and started going around certain people and keeping things tightly locked, including this opps team. He carefully assembled and handpicked everyone on it and doesn’t hesitate to light a fire under them. He wants this solved by any means necessary.

Camacho plays Special Agent Amber Oliveras. Haas created Countdown and serves as executive producer and showrunner on the 13-episode series, from Amazon MGM Studios.

This marks Dane’s return to playing a military man, which he did as the lead of TNT’s drama series The Last Ship. He is probably known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan on ABC’s long-running medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. On Euphoria, Dane plays Nate’s (Jacob Elordi) dad Cal, a role which earned him a supporting actor nomination at the 2022 Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards.

He currently stars opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Sony’s Bad Boys: Ride Or Die. Dane will next be seen in Amazon’s motorcycle racing film One Fast Move opposite KJ Apa and in Tony Tost’s directorial debut, Americana, starring alongside fellow Euphoria cast member Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser, and Halsey, which premiered at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival and recently sold to Lionsgate. He is repped by CAA, Entertainment 360 and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.