Counterpart 

A hapless UN employee discovers that the agency he works for is hiding a gateway to a parallel dimension that's in a cold war with our own, and where his other self is a top spy. The war slowly heats up thanks to spies from both sides.

Creator:

Justin Marks

Stars:

J.K. Simmons, Olivia Williams, Harry Lloyd

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
J.K. Simmons	...	Howard Silk 19 episodes, 2017-2019
Olivia Williams	...	Emily Burton Silk 18 episodes, 2017-2019
Harry Lloyd	...	Peter Quayle 18 episodes, 2017-2019
Nazanin Boniadi	...	Clare Quayle 17 episodes, 2018-2019
John Funk	...	Howard / ... 15 episodes, 2017-2019
Sara Serraiocco	...	Baldwin 14 episodes, 2017-2019
Nicholas Pinnock	...	Ian Shaw 14 episodes, 2018-2019
Ulrich Thomsen	...	Aldrich 9 episodes, 2017-2018
Christiane Paul	...	Mira 9 episodes, 2018-2019
Betty Gabriel	...	Naya Temple 8 episodes, 2018-2019
Mido Hamada	...	Cyrus 8 episodes, 2017-2018

Storyline

Counterpart is about a mysterious world hidden beneath the surface of our everyday existence. Howard Silk is a lowly cog in the bureaucratic machinery of a Berlin-based United Nations spy agency. When Howard discovers that his organization safeguards the secret of a crossing into a parallel dimension, he is thrust into a shadow world of intrigue, danger, and double cross - where the only man he can trust is his near-identical counterpart from this parallel world. The show explores themes of identity, fate and lost love, posing the eternal question, "what if our lives could have been different?"

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Plot Keywords:

secret world history | speaking german | dying wife | parallel universe | doppelganger | 

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Taglines:

There are two sides to all of us.

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 December 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Képmás

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gilbert Films, Anonymous Content, Gate 34 Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

Opening sequence sees reference to black and white 'stones' from the popular board game Go. It is the same game that Howard and Andrei play. The game is popular for having the most number of alternative combinations for a move (2x10^170), while an opponent tries to occupy more territory on a board than their competitor.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Smart Shows that No One is Watching (2018)

User Reviews

A Promising Beginning...And More

The first episode opens with a hint of something sinister.

Then we meet Howard Silk (J. K. Simmons), an affable everyman, a schlub with little ambition or backbone. Still, the mechanics of his job are a real tease. Like most viewers, I know the series revolves around an alternate reality, but much is not explained early on. When Howard, who has worked the same job for thirty years, says, "I don't know what we do here", it hints at a huge mystery .

He fills his personal life with games of Go and reading tomes to his comatose wife.

Then, the alternate reality impinges on Howard's life and everything is changed. Like layers of an onion, the details of a clandestine reality peel away, leaving plenty more to discover.

Simmons gets to play with multiple aspects of his character, making for an enjoyable viewing that revolves around many acting nuances.

The show is a contemplation on experience versus free will. And it explores the possibilities that might result from different life choices.

Though Howard Silk starts as a victim of his own life, and his professional choices, this story is not like "The Prisoner", where the truths can never be known. Counterpart" promises plenty of fun in discovering those truths. And the end of episode one hints at more depths. This ride of discovery looks very promising indeed.

Update 2/17/08: A few more episodes in, I am upping my grade to "10". This has a good plot, well written.

I think viewers could benefit from visual cues that distinguish between the two worlds.