Containment (TV series) explained

Genre:	Drama
Developer:	Julie Plec
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	1
Num Episodes:	13
Producer:	Cyrus Yavneh
Editor:	Paul Karasick
Location:	Atlanta, Georgia
Cinematography:	Nelson Cragg
Camera:	Single-camera
Runtime:	42 minutes
Network:	The CW

Containment is an American drama limited series,^[1] based on the Belgian television series Cordon. The series was officially ordered as a series by The CW on May 7, 2015,^[2] and aired from April 19 through July 19, 2016.^[3] Julie Plec served as executive producer, alongside David Nutter. The series follows an epidemic that breaks out in Atlanta, leaving a section of the city cordoned off under quarantine and those stuck on the inside fighting for their lives.

On May 12, 2016, The CW announced that Containment would not be renewed and would remain as a limited series.^[4]

Cast and characters

Main

Outside the Containment Zone

• David Gyasi as Major Alex "Lex" Carnahan, an officer of the Atlanta Police Department, boyfriend of Jana and best friend of Jake.^[5]
• Claudia Black as Dr. Sabine Lommers, a high ranking Doctor within the CDC who reports directly to POTUS.
• Trevor St. John as Leonard "Leo" Greene, a reporter and conspiracy/truthlighter vlogger.

Inside the Containment Zone

• Christina Moses as Jana Mayfield, a Data Recovery specialist, girlfriend of Lex, and ex-girlfriend of Jake.
• Chris Wood as Officer Jake Riley, an officer of the Atlanta PD and best friend of Lex.
• Kristen Gutoskie as Katie Frank, an Atlanta school teacher and mother of Quentin.
• George Young as Dr. Victor Cannerts, an Infectious Diseases doctor and working with the CDC.
• Hanna Mangan-Lawrence as Teresa Keaton, shop assistant at her mother's grocery store who is heavily pregnant by her boyfriend, Zander.

Recurring

Outside the Containment Zone

• Gregory Alan Williams as Police Chief Myles Besser
• Miles Doleac as Captain Richard Scott: A National Guard captain in charge of cordon security.
• Scott Parks as Officer Ronan Walden: An officer of the Atlanta PD
• Thom Gossom, Jr. as Roy Carnahan: Lex's father.

Inside the Containment Zone

• Zachary Unger as Quentin Frank: Katie's son.
• Sandra Ellis Lafferty as Micheline Washington: Teresa's grandmother, Leanne's mother and Bert's wife.
• Charles Black as Herbert "Bert/Bertie" Washington: Teresa's grandfather, Micheline's husband and Leanne's step-father.
• Shawn Parsons as Sam Parkes: A building maintenance officer where Jana works.
• Nadine Lewington as Suzy LeFreet: Jana's friend and co-worker.
• Tiffany Morgan as Leanne Keaton: Teresa's mother.
• Robin Spriggs as Harley O'Connor: a menace who tries to rob Leanne's grocery store twice.
• Donielle T. Hansley Jr as Thomas Graham, one of Katie's students.
• Yohance Myles as Dennis Tait, a co-worker of Jana
• John Wincer as Tony Harker, a co-worker of Jana
• Nadej K. Bailey as Britney Cole, a student of Katie's
• Mykel Shannon Jenkins as Trey Cooper, leader of a gang that puts profit before people and the brother of Cinco.
• Jordane Christie as Kelston "Cinco" Cooper, a member of Trey's gang and the brother of Trey.
• Dan Bright as Ray Foreman, the bus driver of Katie's class's field trip and Britney's mother's boyfriend
• Adin Steckler as Mary Katzenberger, one of Katie's students

Originally Outside but now Inside the Containment Zone

• Demetrius Bridges as Zander Paulson: Teresa's boyfriend.
• Jimmy Gonzales as Officer Donald Meese: A controversial police officer.

Guest

• Ronny Matthew as Sayid Nassir, a Syrian refugee who managed to stowaway on a cargo plane to the States. He is publicly regarded as Patient 0
• Elyse Levesque as Dr. Rita Sanders, a doctor at Atlanta Midtown Hospital and first person to die from the virus
• David McKahan as Henry Burns, the boyfriend of Dr. Sanders and second person to die from the virus.

Production

Filming for the series' pilot episode occurred in February and March 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. Several locals were cast as extras in various scenes.^[6] In October 2015, the series was in regular production in the Atlanta area.

Broadcast

The series was broadcast on the Global Television Network in Canada,^[7] on E4 in the UK^[8] and on ProSieben in Germany. The limited series was available on Netflix in the United States between October 2016 and October 2021.^[9]

Reception

On Metacritic, the series holds an average score of 48% out of 100 based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[10] Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes also reported mixed critical responses, averaging a 53% rating. The website's consensus reads: "Uninspired performances and pedestrian writing make Containment just another in the long line of disaster movie scenarios we've seen played out countless times before."^[11]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Rick . Kissell . The CW Slots Event Series 'Containment' for Tuesdays Behind 'The Flash' . . February 11, 2016 . May 11, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160515045018/http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/cw-premiere-date-event-series-containment-1201703855/ . May 15, 2016 . live .
2. Web site: CW Picks Up 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' As Hourlong Series, 'DC's Legends Of Tomorrow' & 'Cordon'. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline Hollywood. May 7, 2015. May 7, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150507215408/https://deadline.com/2015/05/crazy-ex-girlfriend-dc-legends-of-tomorrow-cordon-cw-series-1201422393/. May 7, 2015. live.
3. Web site: The CW Sets Upcoming Premiere Dates and Returns. The CW. February 11, 2016. February 11, 2016. The Futon Critic.
4. Web site: Vlada. Gelman. 'Containment' canceled by The CW. TVLine. May 12, 2016. May 17, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160516165820/http://tvline.com/2016/05/12/containment-cancelled-the-cw-season-2/. May 16, 2016. live.
5. Web site: Containment. WarnerBros.com. July 26, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150726172555/http://www.warnerbros.com/tv/containment. July 26, 2015.
6. Web site: New CW Series Filming in Atlanta Explores How a Major City Would Contain a Deadly Virus Outbreak. Walker. Andre. Georgia Unfiltered. June 15, 2015. June 17, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150617144849/http://www.georgiaunfiltered.com/2015/06/new-cw-series-filming-in-atlanta.html. June 17, 2015. live.
7. Web site: Containment Watch Full Episodes Online - Global TV. GlobalTV. June 23, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160712230932/http://www.globaltv.com/containment/. July 12, 2016. dead.
8. Web site: Containment - About the Show. https://web.archive.org/web/20161117133433/http://www.channel4.com/programmes/containment . dead . November 17, 2016 . Channel 4. Channel Four Television Corporation. July 27, 2016.
9. Web site: The CW's Limited Series 'Containment' Leaving Netflix in October 2021. What's on Netflix. September 22, 2021.
10. Web site: Containment: Season 1. Metacritic. April 23, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160421150626/http://www.metacritic.com/tv/containment. April 21, 2016. live.
11. Web site: Containment: Season 1 (2016). Rotten Tomatoes. April 23, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160422163138/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/containment/s01. April 22, 2016. live.