'The Continental' - Episode Release Dates, Cast, Trailer

The Continental Official Synopsis

Season 1 starts Friday 22nd September 2023 // Network: Peacock

"The origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, as he's dragged into the Hell-scape of 1970's New York City to face a past he thought he'd left behind. Winston charts a deadly course through the hotel's mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the hotel where he will eventually take his future throne."

Why You Should Watch 'The Continental'

If you are looking for an early look at the life of John Wick, who could probably be played by the eternally youthful Keanu Reeves, then this is not the prequel story for you. Instead it focuses on Winston Scott (played by Ian McShane in the film series) and his rise to power, years before John Wick effectively joined PETA. Winston is tasked with hunting down his brother Frankie, after the latter steals a device from Cormac Fitzpatrick that can mint the covetted golden coins that the group uses as currency.

Who Are the Actors in 'The Continental'?

Being set in the 1970s, almost none of the characters from the films (set 40 years later) cross over to this series. The main notable exceptions to this are the main character, Winston Scott, portrayed here by Colin Woodell (The Purge Season 1). In the films (spoilers!) Winston is a Continental Manager, and is played by Ian McShane. Also another employee resurfaces, the concierge Charon (Ayomide Adegun, in his first TV role), played in the films by the recently departed Lance Reddick.

The series has come under fire for the hiring of Mel Gibson, playing Cormac Fitzpatrick, the hotel manager of the era. Gibson was effectively black listed by the entertainment industry in 2006 after making antisemitic comments while being arrested for drunk driving. He had also been embroiled in anti-LGBTQ+ controversies in the early 90s, and later in 2010 garnerded yet more backlash with racist and misogynistic comments involving his wife. A come back of sorts saw him cast in the third Expendables film in 2014, and his latest directorial film, Hacksaw Ridge, was released in 2016. He has had more work in the last couple of years, his reputation in Hollywood seemingly on the mend, but a vocal number of viewers have taken to social media to air their displeasure at his involvement in this project.

Watch 'The Continental' Trailer

When Will New Episodes of 'The Continental' Be Released On Peacock?

The limited series will be released in 3 parts, over 3 weeks, on Peacock. Much like Sherlock on the BBC, these are feature length episodes, coming in at close to 90 mins each. So while there's not many in this mini-series, each episode is like sitting through a film. Get the popcorn ready!

Fun Fact

Ian McShane and Lance Reddick were given no information on the TV series, or any official backstory on their characters, so they invented their own history.

McShane told RadioTimes.com: "Lance Reddick and I worked all that out - the sort of backstory they have, where I think Winston was working in Africa in the late '50s or early '60s as some kind of MI6/CIA operative and then brought Charon with him.

'The Continental' is not the end of the John Wick universe. While Chapter 5 has gone from being confirmed, to on hold, to being filmed back to back with the recent Chapter 4, to 'not mapped out yet', a film spin-off titled (so far) 'Ballerina' is set to release in June 2024. Starring Ana de Armas as the titular ballerina, this is not the first time the audience has seen the character. In Chapter 3, the ballerina in question was seen briefly in a scene being asked for help by John Wick, and was played by Unity Phelan, who is a real ballet dancer.