''Shooter'' is an American

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

television series based on the 2007 film of the same name and the first three novels in the

Bob Lee Swagger Bob Lee "the Nailer" Swagger is a fictional character created by Stephen Hunter. He is the protagonist of a series of 12 novels (as of 2022) that relate his life during and after the Vietnam War—starting with '' Point of Impact'' (1993) up to ...

series by

Stephen Hunter Stephen Hunter (born March 25, 1946, Kansas City, Missouri) is an American novelist, essayist, and film critic. Life and career Hunter was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Evanston, Illinois. His father was Charles Francis Hunter, ...

. The show stars

Ryan Phillippe Matthew Ryan Phillippe (; born September 10, 1974) is an American actor. After appearing as Billy Douglas on the soap opera ''One Life to Live'', he came to fame in the late 1990s with starring roles in films including ''I Know What You Did Las ...

in the lead role of Swagger, a retired

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

Scout Sniper United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper (MOS 0317, formerly 8541) is a secondary MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) designator of U.S. Marine Corps infantrymen and reconnaissance Marines that have graduated from a U.S. Marine Corps Scout Snipe ...

from

MARSOC United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is a component command of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) that comprises the Marine Corps' contribution to SOCOM. Its core capabilities are direct action, spe ...

living in seclusion who is coaxed back into action after learning of a plot to kill the President.

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madi ...

picked up the pilot in August 2015 and ordered the series in February 2016. The series was originally set to premiere on July 19, 2016, but it was postponed to July 26 due to the July 7 Dallas police officer shootings. USA pulled it entirely after the Baton Rouge police officer shootings on July 17. On October 3, 2016, USA announced that the new premiere date for ''Shooter'' would be November 15, 2016. On December 19, 2016, the series was renewed for a second season that premiered on July 18, 2017. On December 4, 2017, the series was renewed for a third season. On August 15, 2018, USA Network canceled ''Shooter'' after three seasons, and its final episode aired on September 13, 2018.

Cast and characters

Main

, a highly trained, retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant and

Shantel VanSanten Shantel VanSanten (born July 25, 1985) is an American actress and model. As a model, she has been featured in the magazines ''Teen Vogue'' and '' Seventeen''. On television, she played the role of Quinn James in the CW teen drama series '' One ...

as Julie Swagger, Bob Lee's wife *

Cynthia Addai-Robinson Cynthia Addai-Robinson (born January 12, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Naevia in the Starz television series ''Spartacus'', DC Comics character Amanda Waller in The CW TV series ''Arrow'', and Nadine Memphis on the US ...

as Nadine Memphis, an FBI agent investigating Swagger *

Omar Epps Omar Hashim Epps (born July 20, 1973) is an American actor, rapper, and producer. He has been awarded nine NAACP Image Awards, two Teen Choice Awards, one MTV Movie Award, one Black Reel Award, and one Screen Actors Guild Award. Epps's film r ...

as Isaac Johnson, a

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. Fo ...

Agent who is also a former Marine Captain and was Swagger's commanding officer in

Eddie McClintock Edward Theodore McClintock (born May 27, 1967) is an American actor, best known for his role of Secret Service agent Pete Lattimer on the Syfy series '' Warehouse 13''. Early life McClintock was born in Canton, Ohio, and raised by his father The ...

as Jack Payne, a figure involved in the conspiracy against Swagger (season 1; guest, season 3) *

Josh Stewart Joshua Regnall Stewart (born February 6, 1977) is an American actor who is best known for his role as Holt McLaren in the FX TV series ''Dirt'' and as Detective William LaMontagne, Jr., on the CBS series ''Criminal Minds''. He was also cast as ...

as Solotov, a Chechen master sniper with whom Bob Lee has tangled before (seasons 2–3) *

Jesse Bradford Jesse Bradford (born May 28, 1979) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor at the age of five and received two Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film nominations for his performances in ''King of the ...

as Harris Downey, a D.C. staffer who was once involved with Nadine (recurring, season 2; main, season 3) *

Gerald McRaney Gerald Lee McRaney (born August 19, 1947) is an American television and film actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the television shows '' Simon & Simon'', ''Major Dad'', ''Promised Land'' and '' House of Cards''. He currently stars ...

as Red Bama Sr., owner of Bama Cattle and an Undersecretary in the

Department of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

(season 3)

Recurring

* David Andrews as Sam Vincent, Bob Lee's close friend and lawyer. (season 1, 3) * David Marciano as Howard Utey, Nadine Memphis' superior at the FBI (season 1) * Lexy Kolker as Mary Swagger, Bob Lee's and Julie's daughter *

William Fichtner William Edward Fichtner (born November 27, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as Sheriff Tom Underlay on ''Invasion'', Alexander Mahone on ''Prison Break'', Carl Hickman on '' Crossing Lines'', and Adam Janikowski o ...

as Rathford O'Brien, Bob Lee's former shooting instructor *

Tom Sizemore Thomas Edward Sizemore Jr. (; born November 29, 1961) is an American actor and producer. He is known for his supporting roles in films such as '' Born on the Fourth of July'' (1989), '' Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man'' (1991), '' Passenge ...

as Hugh Meachum, a CIA

black ops A black operation or black op is a covert or clandestine operation by a government agency, a military unit or a paramilitary organization; it can include activities by private companies or groups. Key features of a black operation are that it i ...

operative with mysterious motives (season 1) * Rob Brown as Donny Fenn, Swagger's best friend and spotter who was killed by Solotov (seasons 1–2) *

Sean Cameron Michael Sean Cameron Michael (born 24 December 1969) is a South African actor, writer and singer. A native English speaker, he is also fluent in Afrikaans. Early life Michael was born in Cape Town, South Africa. He became interested in acting at the a ...

as Grigory Krukov, a Russian FSB agent (season 1) * Delaina Mitchell as Anna Wallingford, Julie's married sister and Mary's aunt (season 1, 3) *

David Chisum David Chisum (born February 5, 1970) is an American actor. He portrayed Miles Laurence on the ABC Daytime soap opera ''One Life to Live'' from February 9, 2007, to April 22, 2008. Chisum and Rebecca Staab starred in eight 35-second webisodes airing ...

as Jim Wallingford, Anna's husband and Julie's brother in law (season 1) *

Michelle Krusiec Michelle Jacqueline Krusiec (born Ya-Huei Yang; ; October 2, 1974) is an American actress, writer and producer. Early life Krusiec was born in 1974 in Taiwan. She was adopted at age five and raised in America by her father's elder sister, who ha ...

as Lin Johnson, Isaac's loyal wife (season 1-2) * Matt Shallenberger as John Wheeler, a mysterious and deadly Atlas operative (guest: season 1, recurring: season 3) *

Desmond Harrington Desmond Harrington (born October 19, 1976) is an American actor. He has appeared in '' The Hole'' (2001), ''Ghost Ship'' (2002), and '' Wrong Turn'' (2003), Desmond joined the cast of the Showtime series ''Dexter'' in its third season, as Det ...

as Lon Scott, the CEO of Anhur Dynamics (season 1) *

Beverly D'Angelo Beverly Heather D'Angelo (born November 15, 1951) is an American actress who starred as Ellen Griswold in the ''National Lampoon's Vacation'' films (1983–2015). She has appeared in over 60 films and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for h ...

as Patricia Gregson, a former

National Security Advisor A national security advisor serves as the chief advisor to a national government on matters of security. The advisor is not usually a member of the government's cabinet but is usually a member of various military or security councils. National sec ...

Jerry Ferrara Jerry Charles Ferrara (born November 25, 1979) is an American actor known for his role as Turtle on the HBO comedy series ''Entourage'', and starred on the Starz drama series ''Power'' as Joe Proctor. Life and career Ferrara was born in Broo ...

as Kirk Zehnder, a former marine who always detects a conspiracy and is part of the core team of Bob Lee Swagger (season 2) * Todd Lowe as Colin Dobbs, a former marine in Swagger's unit, now living in Texas an hour from the Swagger Ranch (season 2) *

Patrick Sabongui Patrick Sabongui (born January 9, 1975) is a Canadian actor, stunt performer, theatre actor, and drama teacher. He is also known for his role as David Singh in the CW series ''The Flash''. Personal life Born to an Egyptian family, Sabongui obt ...

as Yusuf Ali, a core member of Swagger's original Marine team (season 2) *

Jaina Lee Ortiz Jaina Lee Ortiz (born Jessica Ortiz; November 20, 1986) is an American actress and dancer. She is known for her starring role as Detective Annalise Villa on the Fox police drama ''Rosewood'' from 2015 to 2017. In 2018, she began starring as lea ...

as Angela Tio, an active duty Marine who formerly served with Bob Lee's unit (season 2) * John Marshall Jones as Sheriff Brown, the local law enforcement in Bob Lee's hometown and a long-time friend (season 2–3) * Harry Hamlin as Sen. Addison Hayes, a mysterious and powerful mastermind whose agenda will collide with Swagger (seasons 2–3) *

Troy Garity Troy Garity (born July 7, 1973) is an American film actor. He is primarily known for his role as Isaac in the ''Barbershop'' film series and as Barry Winchell in the television movie ''Soldier's Girl'' (2003), where he was nominated for a Golden ...

as Jeffrey Denning, a seasoned

investigative journalist Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...

who cares deeply about justice being served (season 2) * Derek Phillips as Earl Swagger, Bob Lee's father, a

Vietnam veteran A Vietnam veteran is a person who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. The term has been used to describe veterans who served in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States Armed Forces, and ot ...

who was sheriff in Bob Lee's hometown before he was killed in 1988 (season 3) * Tait Blum as Young Bob Lee (season 3) * Conor O'Farrell as Rick Culp, a

West Texas West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio. No consensus exists on the boundary betw ...

prison guard who may have been involved in Earl Swagger's death (season 3) * Eric Ladin as Red Bama Jr., Red Sr's screw-up of a son who desperately wants his father's respect and confidence (season 3) *

Brian Letscher Brian Letscher is an American actor, best known as Secret Service Agent Tom in ABC's ''Scandal''. Personal life Letscher was born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, the middle brother of actor Matt Letscher and entrepreneur Aaron Letscher. He attended c ...

as Bert Salinger, an employee of Red Bama Sr. who watches over Red Jr. (season 3) *

Felisha Terrell Felisha Terrell (born March 16, 1979) is an American film and television actress. Background Terrell grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She was born to a European American mother and African American father. Terrell obtained her degree from the Unive ...

as Carlita Cruise, a former Atlas operative embedded in the Dept. of Agriculture who helps Nadine and Isaac take down her former employers (season 3) * Mallory Jansen as Margo, an Agent for the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

who has been attempting to bring down Atlas for years (season 3) *

Kurt Fuller Kurt Fuller (born September 16, 1953) is an American character actor. He has appeared in a number of television, film, and stage projects. He is best known for his roles in the films ''No Holds Barred'' and ''Ghostbusters II'' (both 1989), ''Wa ...

as Andrew Gold, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the U.S. President and high ranking Atlas member (season 3) *

Dee Wallace Deanna Wallace (née Bowers; born December 14, 1948), also known as Dee Wallace Stone, is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Mary Taylor, the mother in the 1982 blockbuster film '' E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''. She i ...

as Katherine Mansfield, the long-time former mission planner for Atlas who is now forced to reside in a

mental institution Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

(season 3) * Michael O'Neill as Ray Brooks, a

Federal judge Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state/provincial/local level. United States A US federal judge is appointed by the US President and confirmed by the US Senate in accordance with Article 3 ...

nominated for a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court and Atlas operative (season 3)

Production

On July 6, 2016, while filming a scene at

Agua Dulce Airpark Agua Dulce Airpark , also known as Agua Dulce Airport, is a public-use airport located east of the central business district of Agua Dulce, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The plans for an airport at Agua Dulce began in 195 ...

, actor

accidentally ran over a stuntman. Sizemore was supposed to enter the

Cadillac Escalade The Cadillac Escalade is a full-size luxury SUV engineered and manufactured by General Motors. It was Cadillac's first major entry into the SUV market. The Escalade was introduced for the 1999 model year in response to competition from the Mer ...

and stay there until the scene ended, but the stunt coordinator told him to pull out, not realizing that the stuntman was behind him. On July 26, 2017, the second-season episode order was cut back from the planned ten episodes to the eight episodes already filmed after Ryan Phillippe broke his leg on July 16, 2017, in an incident unrelated to the series. About the cancellation, Omar Epps said: “That was all backdoor politics. It had nothing to do with the numbers. Me and Ryan hillippehad a great time. We were like kids in a candy store. We used to laugh every day we showed up to work, like, 'We're kids again!' We just get to run and jump, push, punch. You know, stuff that little boys do. It was like playing in the playground in the sandbox. I had a great, great time on that show. I have a lot of respect for John Hlavin, who's a showrunner on there. And like I said, Ryan and I got cool and had a great time on that show. That was just the backdoor politics.“

Episodes

Season 1 (2016–17)

Based on the novel '' Point of Impact'' by

Season 2 (2017)

Based on the novel ''

Time to Hunt ''Time to Hunt'' is a 1998 thriller novel, and the third in the Bob Lee Swagger series by Stephen Hunter. In narrative sequence it is preceded by '' Point of Impact'' and ''Black Light''. Plot summary The book begins about four or five years aft ...

'' by Stephen Hunter.

Season 3 (2018)

Based on the novel ''

Black Light A blacklight, also called a UV-A light, Wood's lamp, or ultraviolet light, is a lamp that emits long-wave (UV-A) ultraviolet light and very little visible light. One type of lamp has a violet filter material, either on the bulb or in a sepa ...

'' by Stephen Hunter.

Broadcast

''Shooter'' aired on Thursdays at 10:00pm on

. The episodes are approximately 43 minutes, and are broadcast in both high- and standard definition. In addition, the streaming service

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

started to broadcast the series in certain regions worldwide, the first season weekly on November 15, 2016, with a one-day delay with respect to the original United States broadcast.

Reception

''Shooter'' received mixed reviews from critics. On the

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, the series has an approval rating of 47% based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 5.75/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Ryan Phillippe's efforts aren't enough to salvage ''Shooter'', a tedious, under-developed drama that lacks an original voice or perspective." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which assigns a normalized rating, the series has a score 60 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Ratings

Season 1 (2016–17)

Season 2 (2017)

Season 3 (2018)

References

External links

* * * {{USANetwork Shows 2010s American drama television series 2016 American television series debuts 2018 American television series endings American action television series American military television series American thriller television series English-language television shows Live action television shows based on films Snipers in fiction Television series based on adaptations Television series by Paramount Television Television series by Universal Content Productions Television shows based on American novels USA Network original programming