Treadstone Explained

Creator:Tim Kring
Composer:Jeff Russo
Jordan Gagne[1]
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:10
Camera:Single-camera
Runtime:41-52 minutes
Network:USA Network

Treadstone is an American action drama television series, connected to and based on the Bourne film series. A "special preview" of the pilot aired on USA Network on September 24, 2019,[2] ahead of its October 15, 2019, premiere.[3] [4] The series was created by Tim Kring, who is also the executive producer alongside Ramin Bahrani, Ben Smith, Jeffrey Weiner, Justin Levy, Bradley Thomas, and Dan Friedkin. Treadstone received generally mixed reviews from critics and in May 2020, the series was canceled after one season.

Premise

Treadstone explores the origin story and present-day actions of a fictional CIA black-ops program known as Operation Treadstone — a covert program that uses a behavior modification protocol to turn recruits into nearly-superhuman assassins.[5] The series follows sleeper agents across the globe as they are mysteriously 'awakened' to resume their deadly missions.[6] The program breaks down these assassins' personalities, erases their memories, and eliminates their moral code so they can effectively kill targets around the world.[7]

The series explores Treadstone's legacy and begins with an incident in East Berlin in 1973. This involves John Randolph Bentley (Jeremy Irvine), one of the program's agents, who escapes his Soviet captors. The story then zooms to the present day, following a group of assets being "activated" by force or awakened after a moment of high tension.[8]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Production

Development

On April 12, 2018, it was announced that USA Network had given the production a pilot order. The episode was written by Tim Kring and expected to be directed by Ramin Bahrani, both of whom were also set to act as executive producers alongside Ben Smith, Jeffrey Weiner, Justin Levy, and Bradley Thomas. Production companies involved with the pilot were slated to consist of Universal Cable Productions, Captivate Entertainment, and Imperative Entertainment.[9] On August 16, 2018, it was reported that USA Network had decided to forego the pilot process and instead were issuing the production a straight-to-series order. Additionally, it was reported that Dan Friedkin was joining the series as an executive producer.[6] On December 17, 2019, the series was canceled after one season.[10]

Casting

On November 8, 2018, it was announced that Jeremy Irvine and Brian J. Smith had been cast in lead roles.[11] On January 14, 2019, it was reported Omar Metwally, Tracy Ifeachor, Han Hyo-joo, Gabrielle Scharnitzky, and Emilia Schüle had joined the main cast.[12] Michelle Forbes, Michael Gaston and Shruti Haasan were added to the cast, with Patrick Fugit and Tess Haubrich also appearing in a recurring capacity.[13]

Filming

Principal photography for the series had begun by January 2019 in Budapest.[6] [14] [13]

Reception

Treadstone received a metacritic score of 47 based on seven critics, indicating mixed or average reviews.[15] Rotten Tomatoes gave an approval rating of 44% based on 16 critics, its consensus reads: "While Treadstone is as action-packed and frenetically paced as you'd expect from the Bourne universe, it lacks the narrative momentum and cohesion necessary to set it apart."[16]

Broadcast

Outside the United States, the series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on January 10, 2020.[17]

In South Korea, the series premiered on OCN on June 18, 2021.[18]

Home media

The series was released on DVD for Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on March 24, 2020.[19]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jeff Russo & Jordan Gagne Scoring USA's 'Treadstone' . Filmmusicreporter . January 21, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190921045748/http://filmmusicreporter.com/2019/08/30/jeff-russo-jordan-gagne-scoring-usas-treadstone/ . September 21, 2019 . live .
  2. Web site: Treadstone – Special Preview . . September 24, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190924132359/https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/treadstone/episode-38843085/1197284 . September 24, 2019 . live .
  3. Web site: Treadstone | TRAILER: Series Premiere This Fall on USA Network . August 9, 2019 . . August 9, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191106134559/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2SqONEpNlk . November 6, 2019 . live .
  4. Web site: USA Network Reveals Premiere Date for 'The Purge' and 'Treadstone' . The Futon Critic. August 23, 2019.
  5. Web site: 'Treadstone': TV Review. Goodman. Tim. October 14, 2019. The Hollywood Reporter. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191025190444/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/treadstone-review-1246911. October 25, 2019. October 24, 2019.
  6. Web site: Andreeva. Nellie. 'Bourne' Drama 'Treadstone' Gets USA Network Series Order, Nears Amazon Deal. Deadline Hollywood. August 16, 2018. August 17, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20191205104940/https://deadline.com/2018/08/bourne-offshoot-cia-drama-treadstone-straight-to-series-order-usa-network-amazon-1202447044/. December 5, 2019. live.
  7. Web site: How the Spy Thriller 'Treadstone' Connects to the 'Bourne' Franchise. Jackson. Dan. October 15, 2019. Thrillist. October 24, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191024113237/https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/treadstone-usa-jason-bourne-tv-series-movies-connections. October 24, 2019. live.
  8. Web site: TV Review: 'Treadstone'. D'Addario. Daniel. October 9, 2019. Variety. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191104143540/https://variety.com/2019/tv/reviews/treadstone-review-1203355202/. November 4, 2019. October 24, 2019.
  9. Web site: Andreeva. Nellie. USA Network Drama Pilot Orders: 'Bourne' Offshoot 'Treadstone', Denis Leary Starrer 'Erase', 'Briarpatch' & 'Dare Me'. Deadline Hollywood. April 12, 2018. August 17, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20190815234947/https://deadline.com/2018/04/usa-network-orders-drama-pilots-bourne-offshoot-treadstone-denis-leary-star-erase-mr-robot-creator-peter-berg-briarpatch-dare-me-michael-lombardo-denis-leary-star-1202362650/. August 15, 2019. live.
  10. Web site: 'The Purge' & 'Treadstone' Canceled By USA Network Amid Programming Strategy Shift. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie. Andreeva. May 13, 2020. May 13, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200513232454/https://deadline.com/2020/05/the-purge-treadstone-canceled-usa-programming-strategy-shift-two-seasons-one-season-1202934081/. May 13, 2020. live.
  11. Web site: Andreeva. Nellie. 'Treadstone': Jeremy Irvine & Brian J. Smith Cast In USA's 'Bourne' Series. Deadline Hollywood. November 8, 2018. November 8, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20190820224524/https://deadline.com/2018/11/treadstone-jeremy-irvine-brian-j-smith-cast-bourne-offshoot-series-usa-network-1202498415/. August 20, 2019. live.
  12. Web site: Petski. Denise. 'Bourne' Drama Series 'Treadstone' Rounds Out Cast: Omar Metwally, Tracy Ifeachor, More. Deadline Hollywood. January 14, 2019. January 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191024062457/https://deadline.com/2019/01/bourne-drama-series-treadstone-cast-omar-metwally-tracy-ifeachor-1202534766/. October 24, 2019. live.
  13. Web site: 'Treadstone': Michelle Forbes Joins USA Network's CIA Drama Alongside Patrick Fugit, Michael Gaston, Tess Haubrich & Shruti Haasan. Peter. White. June 18, 2019. June 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190914084157/https://deadline.com/2019/06/treadstone-michelle-forbes-casting-1202634130/. September 14, 2019. live.
  14. Web site: Production company UCP shares first still cut of Han Hyo Joo in her USA Network drama 'Treadstone'. allkpop. January 30, 2019 . May 8, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190508203201/https://www.allkpop.com/article/2019/01/production-company-ucp-shares-first-still-cut-of-han-hyo-joo-in-her-usa-network-drama-treadstone. May 8, 2019. live.
  15. Web site: Treadstone . Metacritic . January 11, 2020.
  16. Web site: Treadstone: Season 1 . Rotten Tomatoes . January 11, 2020.
  17. Web site: Bourne spin-off Treadstone finally has way for non-US fans to watch. Warner. Sam. October 12, 2019. Digital Spy. October 25, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191025211953/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a29448925/bourne-spin-off-treadstone-broadcaster-amazon-prime/. October 25, 2019. live.
  18. Web site: 한효주 주연 미드 '트레드스톤' OCN방영, 총괄 프로듀서 극찬. June 20, 2021. 모바일네이트뉴스. ko.
  19. Web site: Treadstone: Season One. DeepDiscount.com. April 12, 2020.