Remember The Continental: From the World of John Wick? The prequel that quietly slipped out in 2023 with Mel Gibson playing power broker in a 1970s New York full of contract killers? It is not top-tier Wick, but the pile-on it took was overcooked. And yes, Mel Gibson is absolutely part of the John Wick universe. Wild sentence to type, but true.
Wait, Mel Gibson in the Wick-verse?
The three-part miniseries zeros in on a younger Winston Scott long before he became the smooth overlord Ian McShane plays in the films. Colin Woodell takes on the younger Winston, and Ayomide Adegun steps in as the early-days Charon, the character Lance Reddick made iconic.
The setup: after Winston's brother mounts a strike on the New York Continental, Winston gets yanked into a sprawling web that stretches across the hotel and the secret economy of assassins orbiting it. Mel Gibson prowls through all of this as Cormac O'Connor, the swaggering, ruthless manager of the New York branch. He chews the scenery with gusto, because of course he does.
Three episodes that play like three movies
Technically a miniseries, The Continental runs just three episodes, each about 90 minutes. Think a compact trilogy more than a standard season. John Wick: Chapter 4 ran 169 minutes, so this is smaller scale, but each chapter still feels like its own film. The show arrived in October 2023, during the broader Chapter 4 moment that had the franchise everywhere that year.
Big viewership, mixed response
As a launchpad for a larger slate of Wick spin-offs, the show did not become the slam-dunk the studio wanted. The viewing numbers were hefty though: it ranked among Peacock's five most-watched original series in 2023. Critics landed around the middle with a 63% Rotten Tomatoes score; audiences were warmer at 77%. Respectable, just nowhere near the 90%+ love the Keanu Reeves films usually pull.
There was chatter about expanding The Continental into a second season. In the end, it stayed what it is: a single, self-contained miniseries.
Good show, tricky branding
Here is the honest read: The Continental wrestles with an identity problem. The Wick films, under director Chad Stahelski, built a legend on precision choreography and bone-rattling stunts. The series serves up plenty of bruising fights and ambitious set pieces, but it sits a rung below the movies. That gap aggravated die-hards who came expecting the big-screen high.
Strip the John Wick logo off, and you get a gnarly 70s crime-action thriller with sturdy performances, stylish world-building, and action that hits hard enough. As a franchise chapter, it is uneven. As its own thing, it is a pretty fun ride.
Quick hits
- Where to watch: Peacock in the US; Prime Video in other regions
- When it landed: October 2023
- Timeline: Set in the 1970s, charting Winston Scott's rise to control the New York Continental
- Main players: Colin Woodell (young Winston), Ayomide Adegun (young Charon), Mel Gibson (Cormac O'Connor)
- Format: Three episodes, roughly 90 minutes each
- Reception: 63% critics / 77% audience on Rotten Tomatoes; huge viewership on Peacock
- Status: Talked about a season 2; officially remains a standalone miniseries
If you skipped it because the chatter made it sound like a franchise-killing misfire, that was overstated. It is a stylish side quest in the Wick world, with Mel Gibson playing a shark in a very expensive suit. Sometimes that is enough.