Where was Countdown shot? Revisiting key filming locations of the upcoming Jensen Ackles show on Prime Video

Countdown, Prime Video's new action-thriller series, debuts Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Headlined by Jensen Ackles, the series opens with LAPD cop Mark Meachum being pulled into an undercover multi-agency task force in the aftermath of a day-of-day shooting that implies a massive, sinister conspiracy. The series' taut, high-wire tension-building narrative unfolds against a gritty, grounded, and very real-world backdrop—no accident, considering the deliberate decisions that have gone into its locations.

The program was primarily filmed in Los Angeles, California, but utilized a couple of scenes filmed in Budapest, Hungary. These two—the local and foreign—chart both the gritty procedural elements of the show and the broader geopolitics its stories could engage. Below is a definitive account of the sites on which Countdown was filmed, based on production releases available now and standard industry filming reports.

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Los Angeles – Central filming base of Countdown

It would be quite within reason, given the number of visits, to have much of the filming of Countdown done in Los Angeles, where the show is also based. From reports that are available, principal photography began on September 9, 2024, and went through mid-March 2025.

During this period, the cast filmed their way through different parts of the city in order to capture the singular mix of urban life, urban sprawl, and infrastructural density.

Downtown Los Angeles

This inner-city setting was used for those scenes requiring heavy cityscapes—surveillance shots, street-level chases, and tactical maneuvers. Downtown LA's skyscrapers, narrow streets, and open intersections offer a practical staging area for such action sequences.

Wilshire Boulevard

A popular site for both regular TV and film productions, Wilshire Boulevard is likely to be featured in exterior scenes that are meant to capture open public city living, crowded spaces, or police surveillance activities. The stretch of the boulevard between Koreatown and Beverly Hills boasts a dense visual mix of anything from glass-and-steel office structures to old, preserved facades.

Santa Clarita

The Santa Clarita Valley, which lies north of central L.A., also apparently was utilized in filming. It's said to have less populated suburban streets, open freeways, and back roads managed by access points, which would be perfect for sneaky movement scenes, stalking cars, or rural tactical deployment.

Culver City – Studio & set work

The majority of the show's interior scenes—briefing rooms, laboratories, and secure rooms—were likely shot on Culver City studio lots. Although the production company has not officially been listed as a filming studio, the city contains various facilities leased by streamers and networks for film productions in need of soundproof stages and constructed sets.

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Budapest, Hungary – A significant global location of Countdown

Other than shooting all over California, Countdown also features some scenes shot in Budapest, Hungary, as confirmed by 4Filming.com. The site stated that among the locations granted was Kürt Street in District VII, a district with a combination of 19th-century architecture and narrow avenues and courtyard complexes.

Why Budapest?

Budapest has become a destination of choice for foreign productions with its abundance of architectural details and budget-friendliness. It has often stood out amongst other European cities. With Countdown, what's filmed there can represent activity taking place outside the U.S.—flashbacks, diplomatic activity, or international suspects or operations-based plotlines.

Though Budapest gets proportionally little of the series' visual space, it implies a larger canvas to its stories beyond the U.S.

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Filming schedule and process of Countdown

Production of the show took place from September 2024 to March 2025. Night shoots and morning shoots were routinely employed with extensive use of the same, depending on the dark and eerie tone of the story. Off-hours shooting is a typical procedure in city shoots and creates negligible disruption to public life while allowing crews to conveniently set up elaborate scenes.

Permits were issued under usual City of Los Angeles regulations, and no regularly reported delays or interruptions were noted, meaning that the shoot was on schedule.

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Reuse of familiar locations of Countdown

As with most television shows shot in Los Angeles, Countdown likely reused some of the established locations previously shot on other shows. Parking lots, backstreets, and building rooftops are all conventionally redressed to look otherwise as a function of the needs of the storytelling. Viewers who pay close attention should be able to recognize familiar locations, but they may be changed enough to keep the viewer immersed.

This reuse isn’t a shortcut—it’s a practical solution for keeping production costs manageable while adhering to the aesthetic demands of serialized television. It also supports quicker setup transitions and easier location control during shoots.

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From the industrial, rough-around-the-edges downtown Los Angeles to the neatly sanitized tranquility of Santa Clarita, and from the international flair of Budapest's Kürt Street, Countdown takes advantage of its locations to build suspense and tension for its narrative. The locations are selected both to represent the procedural nature of storytelling and the international appeal of the story.

Until behind-the-scenes photos or official location shooting announcements are posted, this summary offers the most detailed and fact-oriented look at where Countdown was shot. The show maintains a combination of working urban geography and cinema fantasy, situating its tense narrative in places that add to its verisimilitude.

Also read: Countdown cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the Prime Video crime drama?