A dozen inmates running free in the rugged wilderness of Alaska sounds like a crazy enough story on its own, but it’s merely the jumping-off point for ‘The Last Frontier’, Apple TV+’s latest thriller series.
The show follows Frank Remnick (Jason Clarke), who has the sole responsibility of watching over his jurisdiction and those who call it home—and that’s threatened when a prison transport plane crashes and sets a group of violent criminals free. The plane going down is one thing, but Remnick starts to suspect there’s more to the story — and that the collision isn’t an accident after all.
The 10-episode season is executive produced by Jon Bokenkamp and Richard D’Ovidio, who also serve as writers and creators of the show.
“The idea started years ago with Rich and I. He and I were kicking around ideas for potential TV shows, and at the time, it was kind of conceived as a network show: A plane load of 22 inmates crashes and each week we’ll go find an inmate,” Bokenkamp explains. “There’s streaming now, so we have the ability to tell this story in a little less of a rigid way.”
The plot evolved from originally being set in New York to the great outdoors of Alaska, and more centrally on Frank and not only his professional life, but also his personal one. And it’s the characters paired with the action that brought Clarke on board.
“We find [Frank] at a very interesting time. He’s a wounded man, and as you find out, he’s got part of his family left, and he’s going back home. He’s at that point in life where maybe it’s time to take the pedal off the metal. Maybe it’s time to spend some time being a father and a husband, a bit more relaxing and back into that community, that warm, safe embrace of the place that he’s from,” Clarke explains. “Then this storm comes at him—and you start to see the Frank of the years gone by come out.”
In addition to Clarke, the ensemble cast includes Dominic Cooper, Haley Bennett, Simone Kessell, Dallas Goldtooth, and Tait Blum, with Academy Award nominee and multi-Emmy Award winner Alfre Woodard. Developing the story to be not only fast-paced and thrilling, but also character-driven was a priority. And we find that each person introduced has layers that need to be revealed as the season goes on.
“In writing it, there wasn’t really anybody specifically in mind for any of the characters. However, once we started talking with Jason, it informed everything. And the same thing with Haley and down the cast, once you get to know the actors and what they bring to it, it’s much easier to try to focus that. You could hear what they would say or what they wouldn’t say,” explains Bokenkamp.
“It really does help steer the ship in terms of those interactions. For me, it’s what [can be] the most surprising? I think all of these characters are probably a little different than how they present. Everyone sort of presents as one thing, and when you start peeling back the layers of who they are, it’s not quite that simple.”
Part of the fun of the story comes from the action, the stunts and the inspiration from 90s thrillers, with Bokenkamp citing films like ‘The Fugitive’, ‘Enemy of the State’ and ‘Con Air’ as part of his inspiration.
“Those movies all have one big idea that launches you into it. But with 10 episodes, we have 10 hours to explore these different individuals and the characters at the center of the show in ways that are far more character-driven,” Bokenkamp continues. “It gives us more time to live with the people and to understand what the ramifications of this catastrophe really are. What does it do to our hero, Frank? What does it do to his family? What does it do to his community?”
Focusing on keeping the characters real also came in when thinking about the stunts and the conditions as well. The creators of the show wanted to keep everything as practical as possible rather than recreate effects later on in the editing room.
“There’s something about walking onto a set and seeing a 72-foot crane or seeing a bus hanging up the side of a cliff. [We’re] working with these exceptional stuntmen and directors with a legendary list of credits. It’s an adventure,” says Clarke. “You’re at the edge of what’s possible and you’re trying to put the audience there with you and create something that’s just a great ride to watch.”
“So when you’re hanging off a bus or galloping on a horse, it’s serious, it’s real. They weren’t just created stunts and effects, most of it was real and it was super exciting. And you can feel it—the crew’s up for it, the other actors are up for it and the director’s excited. And we’re not just doing it in a studio lot, we’re doing it on an 8,000-foot mountain. There’s risks, there’s snow, there’s ice, there’s elevation and altitude. You get down to the actual reality, the nitty-gritty of it, which I love. That’s the business”
The thriller dropped its first two episodes on the streaming service already, and audiences can follow along with one new episode weekly through Dec. 5.
“I think Jon, first of all, wanted to create something that is just not boring. Each episode ends with a boom and it feels like an urgent boom as well. It’s a nice event to sit down, have an hour to yourself, and watch and have a good time doing it,” finishes Clarke.
“There’s just room for this at the moment—great entertainment. People are very savvy to camera and movement and visual language, but we also crave to go, you know what, boom, let’s set it outdoors. There’s nothing tricky here. It’s big. It’s beautiful. It’s bold. I was happy to ride that horse.”
‘The Last Frontier’ and its first two episodes are currently available to stream on Apple TV+
