Obliterated
Obliterated is an American action comedy television series created by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald.[1] The eight-episode series follows an elite special forces team that thwarts a terrorist plot involving a dirty bomb in Las Vegas, celebrates with a night of debauchery involving drugs, alcohol, and sex, and then discovers the bomb was a decoy, requiring them to regroup while hungover to stop the actual threat.[2] It stars Nick Zano as team leader Chad McKnight, Shelley Hennig as CIA operative Ava Winters, and features supporting performances by Terrence Terrell, Paola Lázaro, C. Thomas Howell, Eugene Kim, and Kimi Rutledge.[3] The series premiered on Netflix on November 30, 2023, with all episodes released simultaneously, and quickly entered the streamer's global Top 10 list for six weeks.[4][5] Produced by Hurwitz, Schlossberg, and Heald—who are also known for creating the Netflix series Cobra Kai—Obliterated blends high-stakes action sequences with over-the-top humor and explicit content, drawing comparisons to films like The Hangover and 21 Jump Street.[4] Despite mixed critical reception, with a 45% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 20 reviews,[6] it garnered a 6.8/10 average user score on IMDb from over 23,000 ratings.[7] Netflix canceled Obliterated after one season in February 2024.[8]Series Overview
Premise
Obliterated centers on an elite special forces team assembled from various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and intelligence agencies to prevent a terrorist network from detonating a nuclear bomb in Las Vegas.[7] The team, led by CIA operative Ava Winters, successfully infiltrates the operation and deactivates what they believe to be the device, averting what would have been a catastrophic explosion in Sin City.[9] This initial victory sets the stage for the series' core narrative, emphasizing the high-tension world of counter-terrorism operations.[2] In a pivotal twist, the team learns that the neutralized bomb was merely a fake decoy, and the genuine nuclear threat persists, endangering the entire city.[10] Having already begun a raucous celebratory bender filled with drugs, alcohol, and debauchery across Las Vegas hotspots, the operatives must now rally their impaired skills to locate and disarm the real weapon before time runs out.[11] This forces the characters—ranging from a bomb disposal expert to a rugged commando and a tech specialist—into a frantic race against the clock while battling hangovers and intoxication.[7] The premise uniquely juxtaposes pulse-pounding action with irreverent comedy, exploring the absurdity of elite warriors confronting life-or-death stakes in their most vulnerable, inebriated state.[12] This hook underscores themes of overconfidence in victory and the blurred lines between heroism and hedonism, distinguishing the series as a blend of military thriller and party-gone-wrong farce.[13]Format and Production Style
Obliterated is structured as an eight-episode limited series, with each installment running approximately 44 to 58 minutes, averaging around 51 minutes in length.[2] This format allows for a bingeable narrative that unfolds over a single season, blending high-stakes action sequences with comedic and dramatic elements to depict the elite team's chaotic mission in Las Vegas.[4] The series premiered on Netflix on November 30, 2023, delivering a self-contained story without plans for additional seasons following its cancellation after one run.[14] The production style emphasizes high-octane action interspersed with raunchy humor, drawing inspiration from the creators' previous work on Cobra Kai by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald.[1] Visual effects play a key role in recreating the Las Vegas setting, combining practical filming on location—such as Fremont Street—with CGI, drones, and green screen techniques shot primarily in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[15][1] This approach enhances the explosive set pieces while supporting the show's over-the-top, ensemble-driven antics. The tone is an adult-oriented comedy-drama rated TV-MA for mature audiences, featuring explicit content including nudity, sexual situations, drug use, and violence.[10] It incorporates influences from films like The Hangover for its party-fueled debauchery and 24 for its ticking-clock thriller tension, creating a crossover-style hybrid that revels in R-rated excess.[1][4] This stylistic execution ties directly into the premise by contrasting the team's initial celebratory excess with the sobering urgency of their subsequent high-wire operation.Cast and Characters
Main Cast
Nick Zano portrays Chad McKnight, the gung-ho Navy SEAL and tactical leader of the elite special forces team assembled to thwart a nuclear threat in Las Vegas. As the brawn of the group, Chad is gut-driven and decorated with scars from past missions, projecting a heroic facade while grappling with personal insecurities that surface during the team's chaotic, intoxicated "obliterated" state, where his reliance on instinct clashes with structured planning. His arc highlights vulnerability in balancing leadership responsibilities with deep values for loved ones, including a tense yet chemistry-filled romantic tension with team leader Ava Winters, underscoring team dynamics of respect amid rivalry.[3] Shelley Hennig stars as Ava Winters, the poised CIA intelligence officer serving as the overall team leader and the group's moral compass, bringing strategic intellect to counterbalance the team's more impulsive members. Haunted by the loss of her MI6 boyfriend, Ava starts as the by-the-book figure often seen as "un-fun," but her arc reveals growing empathy and vulnerability, particularly when the team's partying leads to disarray and forces her to confront emotional barriers. She commands respect from the squad, though her dynamic with Chad involves strained collaboration over command decisions, driving narrative tension in high-stakes scenarios.[3] Terrence Terrell plays Trunk, the physically imposing Navy SEAL and demolitions expert who serves as Chad's loyal best friend and the team's muscle, revealing a gentle side beneath his tough exterior. Obsessed with snacks like hot wings, Trunk's backstory emphasizes unwavering loyalty to the group, with his arc exploring vulnerability during the "obliterated" phases of excessive revelry, where his physical prowess is tested by impaired judgment and emotional reliance on camaraderie. His close bond with Chad strengthens team dynamics, providing comic relief and steadfast support amid the chaos of their mission.[3] Paola Lázaro embodies Angela Gomez, the sharp-shooting Marine Raider sniper whose "work-hard, play-harder" ethos makes her a wild card in the core team, contributing precision firepower while navigating personal connections like her bond with a bride-to-be caught in the plot. Her role highlights individual arcs of vulnerability in the intoxicated state, where her skills are challenged by the haze of partying, fostering team dynamics through her bold energy that both aids and complicates operations. As part of McKnight's inner circle, Angela's presence amplifies the group's blend of professionalism and excess.[3]Supporting and Guest Cast
The supporting cast of Obliterated features a diverse ensemble of specialists who bolster the elite squad's operations, fleshing out subplots involving technical expertise, logistics, and interpersonal tensions while enhancing the series' chaotic action-comedy tone. These characters provide essential backup to the core team, often stepping in during high-risk scenarios to advance world-building elements like military protocols and underground threats in Las Vegas. C. Thomas Howell plays Hagerty, an unconventional U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician missing his thumb from a past explosion, whose bomb-defusing skills prove indispensable in neutralizing immediate dangers and underscoring the mission's precarious stakes.[3] His quirky demeanor, including an affinity for singer Michael Bublé, adds levity to tense subplots, humanizing the team's reliance on volatile experts.[3][16] Eugene Kim portrays Paul Yung, a disciplined Air Force helicopter pilot and family-oriented operative who manages aerial transport and extractions, contributing to logistical subplots that highlight the squad's coordinated mobility amid escalating threats.[3] Yung's efforts to maintain work-life balance introduce personal stakes, enriching character interactions without overshadowing the primaries.[3] Kimi Rutledge stars as Maya Lerner, a prodigious NSA computer technician and hacker fresh from MIT, whose digital surveillance and communication intercepts drive intelligence subplots, revealing villainous networks and personal vulnerabilities within the group.[3] As the squad's youngest member, she navigates her field debut, adding layers of growth and tension to the ensemble's dynamics.[3] Carl Lumbly portrays James Langdon, the CIA director and Ava's boss who oversees the operation and questions the events in Las Vegas.[3] Costa Ronin plays Ivan Koslov, a Russian arms dealer serving as the primary antagonist behind the nuclear threat.[3] Alyson Gorske appears as Lana, a party girl with insider knowledge on Koslov who becomes a valuable ally to the team.[3] Guest appearances further expand the antagonistic underbelly; David Costabile recurs as Maddox, a shrewd black-market arms dealer and formidable foe who orchestrates shadowy dealings across four episodes, intensifying pursuit subplots and challenging the heroes' moral ambiguities.[17][18] These roles collectively deepen the narrative's scope, illustrating how peripheral figures propel the central conflict forward through specialized contributions.Episodes
Episode List
Obliterated consists of a single season with eight episodes, all of which were released simultaneously on Netflix on November 30, 2023.[4] The series was created by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald, who also contributed to directing and writing several episodes, often in collaboration with other writers.[19]| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real American Heroes | Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg | Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg & Josh Heald | November 30, 2023 |
| 2 | Born in the U.S.S.R. | Josh Heald | Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg & Josh Heald | November 30, 2023 |
| 3 | Craps | Joel Novoa | Rachele Lynn & Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg | November 30, 2023 |
| 4 | Walks of Shame | America Young | Bob Dearden & Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg | November 30, 2023 |
| 5 | Shots! Shots! Shots! | Sherwin Shilati | Rowan Wheeler & Kate Sargeant & Jon Hurwitz | November 30, 2023 |
| 6 | From Vegas with Love | Joel Novoa | Joe Piarulli & Luan Thomas & Jon Hurwitz | November 30, 2023 |
| 7 | Make It Rain | Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg | Rachele Lynn & Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg | November 30, 2023 |
| 8 | Last Call | Josh Heald | Bob Dearden & Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg | November 30, 2023 |