To prevent Iran from going nuclear, intelligence officer John Tavner must forgo all safety nets and assume a perilous non-official cover —that of a mid-level employee at a Milwaukee industrial piping firm.
Cast and characters
Main
Michael Dorman as John Tavner / John Lakeman, an intelligence officer posing as an industrial engineer
Kurtwood Smith as Leslie Claret
Michael Chernus as Edward Tavner, John's brother and a Texascongressman
On May 14, 2015, it was reported that Amazon had given the production, written by Steven Conrad and then titled The Patriot, a pilot order. On September 23, 2015, the series' pilot order was confirmed and further information regarding the series was released. It was announced that the series had been retitled Patriot and that Conrad was confirmed to direct the pilot episode and executive produce alongside Gil Bellows, Glenn Ficarra, Charlie Gogolak, and John Requa. On December 18, 2015, it was announced that the production had been given a series order. On January 27, 2017, it was reported that the rest of season one would premiere in its entirety on February 24, 2017. On April 18, 2017, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season. On October 10, 2018, it was announced that the second season would premiere on November 9, 2018.
Casting
In August 2015, it was announced that Kurtwood Smith, Michael Dorman, Kathleen Munroe, and Terry O'Quinn had been cast in the pilot's lead roles. On March 22, 2016, it was reported that Chris Conrad, previously cast in a guest appearance in the pilot episode, had been upped to a series regular capacity for the remainder of season one. On January 4, 2018, it was announced that Debra Winger had been cast in a series regular role for season two.
Filming
Principal photography for the first season commenced in the spring of 2016 in Chicago, Illinois.
Reception
Critical response
The first season of Patriot has been met with a positive response from critics. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an 82% approval rating with an average rating of 6.54 out of 10 based on 28 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Patriot is dark, quirky, and often funny -- and although its risks don't always pay off, the series is still savvy and inspired enough to watch." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 68 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Many of the first season's Luxembourg based exterior scenes were filmed in Prague. The Luxemburger Worts culture correspondent noted the apparent lack of effort and accuracy in portraying the landmarks and geography that characterize Luxembourg City, with Prague being a poor substitute for their depiction. He recorded that the frequent onscreen appearance of unmistakable famous Prague landmarks, such as the Charles Bridge, throughout Luxembourg shots hinder the suspension of disbelief for viewers familiar with either location. Additionally, he identified certain factual inaccuracies about Luxembourg in the script, including a claim that Brazilian nationals make up a substantial minority of Luxembourg residents, when in actual fact it is Portuguese nationals. Despite what he labeled as these "absurd inaccuracies" he recommended the series for fans of dark comedy. The second season also received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 6.69 out of 10 based on 11 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Patriots second season is dark as pitch and ticks along to a slow-burning surreality, but viewers who are willing to invest in the series' moody pleasures will find themselves infiltrated by its scabrous humor and crackerjack dialogue." On Metacritic, it has a score of 80 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
