The Brink (TV series)
| The Brink | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster
| |
| Genre | Political satire |
| Created by |
|
| Starring | |
| Composer | David Robbins |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | June 21 – August 23, 2015 |
The Brink is an American comedy television series created by brothers Roberto Benabib and Kim Benabib. It focuses on a geopolitical crisis in Pakistan. Before cancellation, the show was conceived so that each season would follow a different crisis somewhere in the world involving the same main characters. The pilot episode was written by the Benabib brothers and directed by Jay Roach.
The series premiered on June 21, 2015 on the American cable television network HBO. The Brink was initially renewed for a second season while the first season was still airing. HBO later reversed its order and cancelled the series after just one season.
Cast
Main
- Jack Black as Alex Talbot, a lowly Foreign Service Officer assigned to the Embassy of the United States, Islamabad
- Tim Robbins as United States Secretary of State Walter Larson
- Pablo Schreiber as Lieutenant Commander Zeke "Z-Pak" Tilson, a drug-dealing United States Naval Aviator on the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Ulysses S. Grant
- Aasif Mandvi as Rafiq Massoud, a Pakistani employed by the U.S. Embassy.
- Maribeth Monroe as Kendra Peterson, Walter's assistant
- Eric Ladin as Lieutenant Glenn "Jammer" Taylor, Zeke's backseater
- Geoff Pierson as United States Secretary of Defense Pierce Gray
- Esai Morales as President of the United States Julian Navarro
Recurring
- Mimi Kennedy as CIA Director Susan Buckley
- Jaimie Alexander as Lieutenant Gail Sweet, a public affairs officer on the Grant whom Zeke has impregnated
- Melanie Chandra as Fareeda Massoud, Rafiq's younger sister
- Mary Faber as Ashley, Zeke's pharmacist ex-wife and drug supplier
- Meera Syal as Naeema, Rafiq's mother
- Joey Martin as Captain Stephens
- Carla Gugino as Joanne Larson, Walter's wife, United States Department of Defense general counsel and aspiring federal judge
- John Larroquette as Robert Kittredge, the evangelical United States Ambassador to Pakistan
- Rex Linn as Rear Admiral (upper half) McBride, commander of the Grant carrier battle group
- Iqbal Theba as General Umair Zaman, a Pakistani general who stages a military coup
- Rob Brydon as Martin
- Michelle Gomez as Vanessa
- Bernard White as General Haroon Raja, Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence and Umair's half brother
- Iris Bahr as Israeli Foreign Minister Talia Levy
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | US viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Jay Roach | Roberto Benabib & Kim Benabib | June 21, 2015 | 1.60 |
| 2 | "Half-Cocked" | Tim Robbins | Roberto Benabib & Kim Benabib | June 28, 2015 | 1.26 |
| 3 | "Baghdad My Ass" | Jon Poll | Roberto Benabib & Kim Benabib | July 5, 2015 | 1.17 |
| 4 | "I'll Never Be Batman" | Michael Lehmann | Dave Holstein | July 12, 2015 | 0.99 |
| 5 | "Swim, Shmuley, Swim" | J. Michael Muro | Jack Kukoda | July 19, 2015 | 1.06 |
| 6 | "Tweet Tweet Tweet" | Michael Lehmann | Sam Forman | July 26, 2015 | 0.97 |
| 7 | "Sticky Wicket" | Scott Winant | Aasif Mandvi | August 2, 2015 | 1.00 |
| 8 | "Who's Grover Cleveland?" | Michael Lehmann | Wes Jones | August 9, 2015 | 0.89 |
| 9 | "Just a Little Crazy Talk" | Adam Bernstein | Roberto Benabib, Kim Benabib & Dave Holstein | August 16, 2015 | 0.94 |
| 10 | "There Will Be Consequences" | Michael Lehmann | Roberto Benabib, Kim Benabib & Dave Holstein | August 23, 2015 | 0.87 |
Reception
The Brink received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season a rating of 53%, based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Brink avoids disaster thanks to the game efforts of a talented cast, but they - and viewers - deserve political satire with a sharper bite." Metacritic gives the first season a score of 52 out of 100, based on reviews from 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
IGN reviewer Amber Dowling gave the entire first season an 8.0 out of 10 'Great' score, saying that "after a rough first couple of episodes the actors settled into their characters and viewers grew more comfortable with the tone. Quick and surprising plot twists coupled with strong on-screen pairings eventually resulted in a fun summer romp with plenty of potential."
International broadcast
In India, the series aired within 24 hours of the US premiere on June 22, 2015, on HBO Defined HD. In Australia, the series premiered on July 7, 2015, on Showcase. In Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East and North Africa, the series premiered on November 11, 2015, on Orbit Showtime Network (OSN).