When a pair of B-1 bombers is sent to attack the submarine and island, Chaplin launches a Trident nuclear missile towards Washington, D.C., to impress upon the national leadership that he's serious.

[5] As the series progresses, Chaplin finds himself having to become a reluctant ally with China, while trying to keep his own crew, led by Chief of the Boat Joseph Prosser (Robert Patrick), from rebelling against him.

An ongoing subplot involves a Navy SEAL named James King (Daniel Lissing) who, wracked with guilt over his role in the events leading to the nuking of Pakistan, cultivates a romance with one of the island's residents (Dichen Lachman) while surreptitiously aiding the XO.

The series concludes with a series of mutinies, ending with the Colorado destroyed with Chaplin still on board, the surviving crew returning home to the United States, the President assassinated, and the full story made public when Kylie Sinclair arranges for proof of the president and his administration's traitorous activities to be handed over to the press.

The website's critical consensus is, "Last Resort is a top-notch conspiracy thriller, with cinema-quality production and riveting action sequences.

[34] In an interview on Kevin Pollak's Chat Show, Shawn Ryan expressed disappointment but acknowledged that the cancellation of Last Resort was not a huge surprise.

He pointed out the tough competition, stating, "We're up against The Big Bang Theory, The X Factor, NFL games... it's a brutal time slot."

He also explained the strategic placement of the show in the 8 p.m. Thursday slot, stating, "They thought [Last Resort] was a big, bold concept that would attract people."