The Continental: how to watch, plots and everything we know about the John Wick prequel

Colin Woodell in The Continental
Colin Woodell in The Continental (Image credit: Katalin Vermes/Starz Entertainment)

The Continental, a brand new miniseries that fans can now watch, sees the franchise live on despite the fate of John Wick being up in the air following the John Wick: Chapter 4 ending.

With the full title of The Continental: From the World of John Wick, this is the first spinoff from the popular action franchise; the Ballerina, which is set to star Ana de Armas, is another in the works. But when and where can you watch The Continental, what is it about and who stars in the series?

We've got everything you need to know about The Continental right here.

When is the next The Continental episode?

The Continental part 3, the final episode of this limited series, is now available to stream on Peacock. All episodes of the action series can now be watched at your convenience.

The Continental trailer

The official trailer for The Continental is here, giving us our first look at Mel Gibson's character and the big, glorious action that the John Wick franchise is known for. Watch the trailer directly below, along with the previously released teaser trailer:

Get a sneak peek at the first major fight scene in The Continental right here:

The Continental plot

Here is the official synopsis for The Continental: From the World of John Wick, taking us all the way back to the 1970s when Winston (Ian McShane in the movies, Colin Woodell here) was a young man first breaking into the world of assassins:

"The three-part event will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins centerpiece of the John Wick universe through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, as he's dragged into the Hell-scape of 1970s New York City to face a past he thought he'd left behind. Winston charts a deadly course through the hotel's mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the hotel where he will eventually take his throne."

The Continental episodes

Here are the official synopses for The Continental:

The Continental episode 1, "Brothers in Arms"
"Winston Scott is about to become a London businessman. But he is dragged back by his estranged brother's attack on a hotel. Winston sets out to find his brother and sets up an escape plan with the help of allies."

The Continental episode 2, "Loyalty to the Master"
"With a cache of modified weapons, a team of shadow mercenaries and a top hitman in place, Winston finalizes his mission. Tension escalates as higher-ups order Cormac to find the object Frankie stole. Meanwhile, detective KD starts zeroing in on who she suspects had a hand in killing her family, which also leads her to the Continental Hotel."

The Continental cast

Since the series is set 40 years prior to when the first John Wick movie takes place, we're going to be getting a younger version of Winston in the show. Taking on the role is Colin Woodell, who is best known for his role as Buckley Ware on the HBO Max original series The Flight Attendant, though he has also starred in Michael Bay's Ambulance, The Call of the Wild and The Originals.

Winston's loyal concierge in the movies, Charon, is also slated to appear in The Continental, with Ayomide Adegun taking over the role originally played by the late Lance Reddick. Adegun actually has no previous credits listed on IMDb, but viewers are going to get to see him quite a bit in 2023, as in addition to The Continental he has a role in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

There are also going to be a host of new characters, headlined by Mel Gibson. Gibson is set to play a character named Cormac, but we know little else about the role at this time. Gibson is of course best known for his roles in action movies like Lethal Weapon, Braveheart, Mad Max, though he's been in more under-the-radar movies as of late, including the little-seen but positively-received Dragged Across Concrete.

Other members of The Continental cast include Peter Greene (Pulp Fiction), Ben Robson (Animal Kingdom), Nhung Kate (The Housemaid), Mishel Prada (Riverdale), Jessica Allain (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Hubert Point-Du Jour (Dr. Death) and Jeremy Bobb (Russian Doll).

How to watch The Continental

The Continental is a Peacock original series, so it is going to play exclusively on the streaming service. That means you’re going to need a subscription to Peacock to watch, which starts at $4.99 per month.

The good news is that the first three John Wick movies are all streaming on Peacock as of right now, and you can expect John Wick: Chapter 4 to also arrive on the streaming service at some point in the near future, so you can easily catch up with the franchise ahead of the show’s release by signing up for Peacock.

UK viewers and others outside the US are going to be able to watch the series on Prime Video, which comes with a subscription to Amazon Prime.

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Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.