Netflix Just Resurrected a Cancelled Sci-Fi Series From 2014 — And 'The Last Ship' Is Now Dominating the Charts

A Forgotten Military Sci-Fi Series Is Having a Massive Second Life on Netflix

Every once in a while, Netflix digs up a show that slipped through the cracks and gives it the spotlight it always deserved. The latest series to get the streaming resurrection treatment? The Last Ship, TNT's post-apocalyptic military drama that ran for five seasons between 2014 and 2018 — and is now climbing Netflix's charts faster than anyone expected.

The show hit Netflix on June 22, 2026, and within a day it had already debuted at number three on the U.S. most-watched TV chart. At the time of writing, it's sitting at number two and threatening to overtake I Will Find You — the Harlan Coben thriller starring Britt Lower that's currently holding the top spot. Not bad for a series that ended eight years ago.

What Is 'The Last Ship' About?

Based on William Brinkley's 1988 novel of the same name, The Last Ship is set in the aftermath of a devastating global pandemic that has wiped out more than 80% of the world's population. The show follows the USS Nathan James, a Navy destroyer carrying 218 crew members who suddenly find themselves among the last surviving humans on Earth.

Eric Dane — yes, McSteamy from Grey's Anatomy — stars as Captain Tom Chandler, who's thrust into the impossible position of having to save humanity from extinction. Alongside him is Rhona Mitra as Dr. Rachel Scott, a virologist tasked with developing a vaccine while the ship stays at sea, defying orders to return to port.

The series also features Peter Weller (yes, RoboCop himself) in a recurring role, adding even more gravacity to an already stacked cast. And with Michael Bay serving as executive producer, you can bet the action sequences are absolutely bonkers — think movie-quality naval battles and explosions that would make Transformers jealous.

Why Is It Blowing Up Now?

The timing is almost eerie. The Last Ship premiered in 2014 with a pandemic plotline that felt purely fictional at the time. Fast forward to 2026, and the premise hits completely differently. The show's depiction of societal collapse, governmental chaos, and the desperate search for a cure resonates with audiences in a way it simply couldn't have a decade ago.

But it's not just the premise that's drawing viewers in. The show earned genuinely solid reviews during its run — Season 2 holds an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The New York Times praised its "expertly rendered combat scenes and vivid depictions of danger," calling them "genuinely thrilling, even in an age of IMAX in 3-D and Call of Duty video games." CinemaBlend went even further, calling it "more worthy of your time than lots of recent big screen offerings."

The show originally debuted in the shadow of The Walking Dead and HBO's The Leftovers, both of which cornered the post-apocalyptic TV market at the time. Despite being a "blockbuster hit in its first season" according to TV By The Numbers, The Last Ship eventually faded into obscurity after its 2018 finale. Until now.

The Netflix Effect Strikes Again

This isn't the first time Netflix has turned a forgotten show into a streaming phenomenon. The platform has a proven track record of breathing new life into cancelled or overlooked series — just look at what happened with Suits in 2023, which became one of the most-watched shows on any platform after landing on Netflix years after its finale.

Netflix itself has been on a roll in 2026, recently dropping War Machine — an Alan Ritchson-led sci-fi adventure that's already become one of the platform's top 10 most-watched movies of all time and has a sequel in the works. The streamer also found success with The Boroughs, a Duffer Brothers-produced sci-fi series that spent weeks in the top 10 (though Netflix controversially cancelled it despite its strong performance).

For The Last Ship, all five seasons are available to stream on Netflix right now. That's 56 episodes of intense military action, pandemic drama, and some of the best naval combat sequences ever put on television. If you've been looking for your next binge-watch and somehow missed this show the first time around, this is your sign. Just don't be surprised if you look up and realize you've watched three seasons in a weekend — it's that kind of show.