Chris Pratt Returns to the Small Screen

A troubled Navy SEAL wades into a conspiracy in movie star Chris Pratt’s return to TV 

A mission gone very wrong haunts a soldier played by Chris Pratt in this eight-part psychological thriller, debuting Friday on Prime Video. 

Based on the novel by Jack Carr, The Terminal List casts Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy) as James Reece, a Navy SEAL leading a covert mission in Syria that ends with his platoon being ambushed and many of his men dead. 

Back home in the States, Reece grapples with PTSD and conflicting memories that cause him to doubt what he thinks he witnessed that day and question his own culpability in the slaughter. But when new evidence comes to light, he discovers there are actually dark forces at work that could endanger the lives of him and his family. Prime Video

The series boasts a talented ensemble including Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians), Jeanne Tripplehorn (Mrs. America), Riley Keough (Mad Max: Fury Road) and Kelowna’s own Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights). It also has many ex-service people in its cast and crew, starting with former Navy SEAL Carr, who is an exec producer along with Pratt. 

“A huge component of the novels is the military authenticity that Jack Carr brings to his work,” explains showrunner David DiGilio. “It was something that was foundational for the making of the show. We were committed to having cast and crew with military backgrounds and we were really excited that I think we cast over 25 military veteran actors in the show.” Prime Video

“We literally had the SEALs with us even in final digital effects, pulling out sparks from bullet hits that would not spark in real life,” he continues. “That’s the level of detail that the show went into.” 

As for the plot, much of it centres on the relationship between Reece and journalist Katie Buranek, played by Wu. He initially distrusts her but as the story progresses he realizes she genuinely wants to help uncover the conspiracy that threatens his life, and a partnership forms. 

Prime Video“We saw in Constance Wu somebody who was tenacious, intelligent, funny, beautiful— all of these things that embody Katie from the book,” DiGilio explains. “She steps into it and, I think, in today’s day and age this notion of truth vs. uncertainty really speaks to the world around us.” 

“So we have two characters going after that truth through very different means,” he adds. “One guy doling out righteous vengeance, the other looking for righteous accountability in the press. They’re both allies at certain points in the series but also sometimes obstacles to each other. It creates this incredibly complex partnership that evolves over the course of the season.” 

The Terminal List premieres Friday, July 1st on Prime Video