TNT May Cancel ‘The Last Ship’: Season 3 Nightclub Shooting Scene Sets Tone For Entire Season [Update]
Update: The Season 3 premiere of The Last Ship will finally air June 19, according to TVLine. The scheduled date was set for June 12 but was held back because of the tragic shootings last week in Orlando, FL. TNT felt that a scene involving a gunman shooting inside a Vietnamese nightclub was inappropriate given the unfortunate murders of singer Christina Grimmie, and 50 people inside Pulse nightclub, which also left 53 patrons and employees seriously injured.
There was some concern over whether Season 3 would be scrapped altogether because of some similarities to the Pulse nightclub shootings, including the taking of hostages. According to TVLine, the nightclub scene “sets up the abduction of several characters, launching a major Season 3 arc.”
TNT postponed airing the Season 3 premiere of The Last Ship out of respect for the victims and families of the recent shootings in Orlando — the nightclub shootings at Pulse, and the shooting death of The Voice alum Christina Grimme. The two-hour season opener coincidentally featured a mass shooting inside a Vietnamese nightclub. The network issued a statement explaining their decision, as reported by E!
“As a result of the shootings this weekend in Orlando, tonight’s originally scheduled season premiere of The Last Ship has been postponed. Our hearts are with the victims and their families.”
This nation, and certainly residents in the Orlando, Florida area are reeling from the latest national tragedy that comes just days after former Voice contestant and YouTube celebrity Christina Grimme was shot and killed by Kevin James Loibl as she signed autographs after a performance in Orlando. Loibl’s motives are still unclear.
[Spoiler Alert]
TNT hasn’t announced an air date for the Season 3 premiere of The Last Ship, and there is a chance that it may never air. The nightclub scene sets up a major storyline for the new season — a gunman enters a Vietnamese nightclub and opens fire, eventually taking several key characters as hostages.
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The Last Ship is a lot like The Walking Dead; a post-apocalyptic drama based on Williams Brinkley’s novel. The storyline centers on a lone naval ship and its crew trying to survive while saving what’s left of the world from a deadly, non-zombie related virus that throws society into chaos. The Season 3 opener begins with the cure being found through the efforts of Dr. Rachel Scott (Rhona Mitra) and the crew of the USS Nathan James, led by Commander Tom Chandler (Eric Dane — Grey’s Anatomy’s Dr. McSteamy). Apparently, the problems don’t stop there because a cure has been found considering Season 2 ends with Dr. Scott getting shot.
The rest of the crew includes XO Mike Slattery (Adam Baldwin), Command Master Chief Hugh Jeter (Charles Parnell), Lt. Carlton Burk (Jocko Sims), Lt. Cmdr. Andrea Garnett (Fay Masterson), Lt. Danny Green (Travis Van Winkle), Lt. Alisha Granderson (Christina Elmore) and Lt. Kara Foster (Marissa Neitling) as part of the ensemble.
Several networks are paying tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shootings, and the cast of Hamilton will forgo using muskets during the Tony Awards broadcast this evening. The award show will also pay tribute to the victims during the live telecast, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While we may not be able to enjoy Season 3 opener of The Last Ship just yet, there was a special screening for sailors and Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus on June 2 at the Newseum in Washington, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Stay tuned for updates on the fate of TNT’s The Last Ship.
[Image via TNT]
