| The Brink | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster
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| Genre | Political satire |
| Created by |
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| Starring |
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| Composer | David Robbins |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | June 21 (2015-06-21) – August 23, 2015 (2015-08-23) |
The Brink is an American comedy television series created by brothers Roberto Benabib and Kim Benabib.[1] It focuses on a geopolitical crisis in Pakistan. Before cancellation, the show was conceived so that each season would follow a different crisis somewhere in the world involving the same main characters. The pilot episode was written by the Benabib brothers and directed by Jay Roach.[1]
The series premiered on June 21, 2015 on the American cable television network HBO.[2] The Brink was initially renewed for a second season while the first season was still airing.[3] HBO later reversed its order and cancelled the series after just one season.[4]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | US viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Jay Roach | Roberto Benabib & Kim Benabib | June 21, 2015 (2015-06-21) | 1.60[10] |
| 2 | "Half-Cocked" | Tim Robbins | Roberto Benabib & Kim Benabib | June 28, 2015 (2015-06-28) | 1.26[11] |
| 3 | "Baghdad My Ass" | Jon Poll | Roberto Benabib & Kim Benabib | July 5, 2015 (2015-07-05) | 1.17[12] |
| 4 | "I'll Never Be Batman" | Michael Lehmann | Dave Holstein | July 12, 2015 (2015-07-12) | 0.99[13] |
| 5 | "Swim, Shmuley, Swim" | J. Michael Muro | Jack Kukoda | July 19, 2015 (2015-07-19) | 1.06[14] |
| 6 | "Tweet Tweet Tweet" | Michael Lehmann | Sam Forman | July 26, 2015 (2015-07-26) | 0.97[15] |
| 7 | "Sticky Wicket" | Scott Winant | Aasif Mandvi | August 2, 2015 (2015-08-02) | 1.00[16] |
| 8 | "Who's Grover Cleveland?" | Michael Lehmann | Wes Jones | August 9, 2015 (2015-08-09) | 0.89[17] |
| 9 | "Just a Little Crazy Talk" | Adam Bernstein | Roberto Benabib, Kim Benabib & Dave Holstein | August 16, 2015 (2015-08-16) | 0.94[18] |
| 10 | "There Will Be Consequences" | Michael Lehmann | Roberto Benabib, Kim Benabib & Dave Holstein | August 23, 2015 (2015-08-23) | 0.87[19] |
The Brink received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season a rating of 53%, based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Brink avoids disaster thanks to the game efforts of a talented cast, but they - and viewers - deserve political satire with a sharper bite."[20] Metacritic gives the first season a score of 52 out of 100, based on reviews from 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[21]
IGN reviewer Amber Dowling gave the entire first season an 8.0 out of 10 'Great' score, saying that "after a rough first couple of episodes the actors settled into their characters and viewers grew more comfortable with the tone. Quick and surprising plot twists coupled with strong on-screen pairings eventually resulted in a fun summer romp with plenty of potential."[22]
In India, the series aired within 24 hours of the US premiere on June 22, 2015, on HBO Defined HD.[23] In Australia, the series premiered on July 7, 2015, on Showcase.[24] In Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East and North Africa, the series premiered on November 11, 2015, on Orbit Showtime Network (OSN).
