The Brink
Promotional poster
GenrePolitical satire
Created by
Starring
ComposerDavid Robbins
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Dave Holstein
  • Jack Black
  • Tim Robbins
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
  • Jerry Weintraub Productions
  • Everyman Pictures
  • Little City Iron Works
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseJune 21 (2015-06-21) –
August 23, 2015 (2015-08-23)

The Brink is an American comedy television series created by brothers Roberto Benabib and Kim Benabib.[1] 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.[1]

The series premiered on June 21, 2015 on the American cable television network HBO.[2] The Brink was initially renewed for a second season while the first season was still airing.[3] HBO later reversed its order and cancelled the series after just one season.[4]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUS viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"Jay RoachRoberto Benabib & Kim BenabibJune 21, 2015 (2015-06-21)1.60[10]
2"Half-Cocked"Tim RobbinsRoberto Benabib & Kim BenabibJune 28, 2015 (2015-06-28)1.26[11]
3"Baghdad My Ass"Jon PollRoberto Benabib & Kim BenabibJuly 5, 2015 (2015-07-05)1.17[12]
4"I'll Never Be Batman"Michael LehmannDave HolsteinJuly 12, 2015 (2015-07-12)0.99[13]
5"Swim, Shmuley, Swim"J. Michael MuroJack KukodaJuly 19, 2015 (2015-07-19)1.06[14]
6"Tweet Tweet Tweet"Michael LehmannSam FormanJuly 26, 2015 (2015-07-26)0.97[15]
7"Sticky Wicket"Scott WinantAasif MandviAugust 2, 2015 (2015-08-02)1.00[16]
8"Who's Grover Cleveland?"Michael LehmannWes JonesAugust 9, 2015 (2015-08-09)0.89[17]
9"Just a Little Crazy Talk"Adam BernsteinRoberto Benabib, Kim Benabib & Dave HolsteinAugust 16, 2015 (2015-08-16)0.94[18]
10"There Will Be Consequences"Michael LehmannRoberto Benabib, Kim Benabib & Dave HolsteinAugust 23, 2015 (2015-08-23)0.87[19]

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."[20] Metacritic gives the first season a score of 52 out of 100, based on reviews from 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[21]

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."[22]

International broadcast

In India, the series aired within 24 hours of the US premiere on June 22, 2015, on HBO Defined HD.[23] In Australia, the series premiered on July 7, 2015, on Showcase.[24] 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).

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Andreeva, Nellie (February 11, 2014). "HBO Gives Series Order To Comedy Pilot 'The Brink' Starring Jack Black & Tim Robbins, From Jay Roach & Jerry Weintraub". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  2. ^ Pedersen, Erik (April 9, 2015). "HBO Launching Comedies 'The Brink' & 'Ballers' With 'True Detective' In June". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  3. ^ "'The Brink' Renewed for Season 2 by HBO". Variety. July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  4. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 27, 2015). "'The Brink' Not Going Forward With Season 2 At HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  5. ^ "Jack Black/Tim Robbins Comedy 'The Brink' Premieres on HBO This Summer". Splitsider.com. Splitsider.com. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  6. ^ ship name revealed in episode "Half-Cocked," class determined by hull number of CVN-82
  7. ^ Andreeva, Marshall Manesh (5 December 2013). "Esai Morales Joins HBO Comedy Pilot 'The Brink' As Regular, Will Play POTUS". Deadline Hollywood.
  8. ^ The Deadline Team (August 13, 2014). "Carla Gugino Joins HBO's 'The Brink'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  9. ^ a b "HBO's Jack Black Comedy Series Adds 'Gavin and Stacey,' 'Doctor Who' Actors". The Hollywood Reporter. September 5, 2014.
  10. ^ Bibel, Sara (June 23, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Detective' Wins Night, 'Ballers', 'Naked and Afraid', 'The Last Ship' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  11. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 30, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: BET Awards Tops Night + 'True Detective', 'Ballers', 'Naked and Afraid' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  12. ^ Bibel, Sara (July 8, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: Shark Week Wins Night, 'True Detective', ' Ballers', 'The Last Ship', 'Botched', 'Falling Skies' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  13. ^ Bibel, Sara (July 14, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Naked and Afraid XL' Wins Night, 'True Detective', 'Basketball Wives', 'Ballers', 'The Strain' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  14. ^ Bibel, Sara (July 21, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Naked and Afraid XL' Wins Night, 'True Detective', 'Ballers', 'The Strain', 'The Last Ship', 'Tut' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  15. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 28, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'I am Cait' Tops Night + 'Naked & Afraid XL', 'Rick & Morty', 'True Detective', NASCAR, 'Ballers' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 31, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  16. ^ Bibel, Sara (August 4, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Rick and Morty' & 'Naked and Afraid XL', Win Night, 'True Detective', 'The Last Ship', 'Ballers', 'The Strain', 'Ray Donovan' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 6, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  17. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (August 11, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Detective' Tops Night + 'Naked and Afraid XL', 'Rick & Morty', 'Ballers', & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 13, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  18. ^ Bibel, Sara (August 18, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Naked and Afraid XL' Wins Night, 'Rick & Morty', 'Ballers', 'The Last Ship', 'The Strain', 'Ray Donovan' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  19. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (August 25, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Fear the Walking Dead' Tops Night + 'Talking Dead', 'Naked & Afraid', 'Rick & Morty', & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 28, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  20. ^ "The Brink (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  21. ^ "The Brink: Season 1 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  22. ^ Amber Dowling (September 1, 2015). "The Brink: Season 1 Review". IGN. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  23. ^ "HBO Defined brings two new comedy series". Indiantelevision.com. 18 June 2015.
  24. ^ "Duck Dynasty, The Brink, Finding Carter, A Place To Call Home and live sport". The Green Room. July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.

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