Failed ‘John Wick’ Spin-Off ‘The Continental,’ Is a Hidden Gem on Streaming

Mel Gibson and John Wick is the crossover we didn’t know we needed. The John Wick franchise has played host to some major stars, including Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane, Halle Berry, Ana de Armas, Willem Dafoe, and Angelica Houston. But, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that Mel Gibson also played a hand in shaping the underground world of assassins. In 2023, in the build-up to John Wick: Chapter 4, Gibson starred in a forgotten prequel series to the Keanu Reeves-led action franchise. The Continental: From the World of John Wick might not be the best entry in the franchise, but it gets far more hate than it deserves.

The Continental is streaming on Peacock in the US and on Prime Video in other territories. The three-episode miniseries debuted in October 2023 to middling reviews from fans and critics. The show took viewers back in time to the 1970s and starred Colin Woodell as a young Winston (played by Ian McShane in the John Wick movies) on his journey to take over the New York branch of The Continental. Ayomide Adegun played the younger version of Charon, portrayed by the late Lance Reddick in the films.

After his brother launches an attack on The Continental, the young Winston is thrown into a far-spanning conspiracy involving the hotel branch and the entire underground assassin ecosystem. Mel Gibson steals his scenes as Cormac O’Connor, the powerful and confident manager of the New York Continental.

‘The Continental’ Is Like Three Mini ‘John Wick’ Movies

Technically, The Continental is a miniseries. However, given the length of each episode, calling it a mini-movie trilogy would be more accurate. The Continental ran for just three episodes. But each episode averaged 90 minutes. It’s far from the length of John Wick: Chapter 4, which clocked in at 169 minutes. But each episode feels like a small-scale film.

The Continental was supposed to launch a new wave of John Wick spin-off projects. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the successful launch that Lionsgate was hoping for. The series raked in a staggering number of viewers in 2023, becoming one of Peacock’s top five most popular original shows in terms of viewership. However, some of those viewers weren’t happy with what they saw. The Continental holds a middling 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were slightly kinder, giving it a 77% audience score. But that pales in comparison to the 90%+ ratings the John Wick movies earned. There was talk of expanding The Continental with a second season. However, Peacock eventually decided to leave the show as a miniseries.

‘The Continental’ Is a Great Mini-Series, But a Bad ‘John Wick’ Entry

The core problem with The Continental is its identity crisis. The series was supposed to expand the world of John Wick. The action franchise, directed by Chad Stahelski, is best known for its intense fight choreography and stunts. While The Continental‘s action is good, it’s far from the level of the movies and, as a result, hardcore fans of the films turned against it.

But, without the John Wick logo, The Continental is a great action thriller. The stunts, although they’re not to the same level as Keanu Reeves’ movies, are still incredibly impressive, the acting is solid, and the fight scenes are brutal.

Release Date

2023 – 2023-00-00

Network

Peacock

Showrunner

Greg Coolidge, Kirk Ward

Directors

Albert Hughes

Writers

Greg Coolidge, Shawn Simmons, Derek Kolstad, Kirk Ward, Chris Collins, Ken Kristensen