Splinter Cell: Deathwatch
An adult animated espionage series based on the Splinter Cell franchise.
Splinter Cell: Deathwatch is an adult animated espionage action series created by Derek Kolstad, adapting the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell video game franchise from Ubisoft. It debuted on Netflix on October 14, 2025, and Netflix ordered a second season the next day.
Liev Schreiber voices Sam Fisher, a retired field agent who once worked as a Splinter Cell operative for the NSA's Third Echelon division before becoming the commander of the covert Fourth Echelon counter-terrorism unit, which reports directly to the U.S. President. Fisher was previously voiced by Michael Ironside and Eric Johnson in the games. Kirby voices Zinnia McKenna, a Fourth Echelon field operative.
The supporting cast includes Janet Varney as Anna Grímsdóttir, former chief technical analyst of Third Echelon and later technical operations officer of Fourth Echelon, who becomes its commander after Fisher's retirement; she was previously voiced by Claudia Besso, Adriana Anderson, and Kate Drummond in the games. Helen Hong plays Jo Ahn, Fourth Echelon's technical operations officer. Joel Oulette voices Thunder, a skilled Canadian hacker recruited by Grímsdóttir. Kari Wahlgren plays Diana Shetland, CEO of Displace International, a former private military company now involved in clean energy. Aleks Le voices Charlie Shetland, Diana's half-brother. Kiff VandenHeuvel plays Douglas Shetland, Diana and Charlie's father, a former Navy SEAL and close friend of Fisher who was dishonorably discharged, founded Displace International, and was killed by Fisher after attempting to start a world war; he was previously voiced by Marcel Jeannin in the games. Bella Dayne voices Freya Niemeyer, second-in-command of Karimi's unit, and also voices Milena, one of Diana's employees. Navid Negahban plays Reza "Gunther" Karimi, leader of a mercenary unit working for Diana. JB Blanc voices Thomas, Diana's personal assistant.
The series is directed by Guillaume Dousse, co-founder of Sun Creature Studio, and produced by Ubisoft Film & Television, with animation by FOST Studio. Development began in July 2020 when Ubisoft Film & Television announced an animated Splinter Cell series for Netflix. Kolstad, the lead writer, envisioned an older Sam Fisher and treated the game history as canon, maintaining the games' clandestine tone with long silences before sudden action.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Action / Spy fiction / Adult animation
- Based On
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell · Ubisoft
- Creator
- Derek Kolstad
- Director
- Guillaume Dousse
- Voices
- Liev Schreiber / Kirby
- Music
- Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans / Chase Deso
- Country
- France / Denmark / United States
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 1 <!-- Increment when new seasons begin. Only use without
- Num Episodes
- 8
- Executive Producer
- Derek Kolstad / Gérard Guillemot / Hélène Juguet / Hugo Revon
- Producer
- Gérard Guillemot / Hélène Juguet / Hugo Revon
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series follows Sam Fisher, a retired field agent who served as a Splinter Cell operative for Third Echelon and later became spymaster of Fourth Echelon. Liev Schreiber voices Fisher, taking over from Michael Ironside and Eric Johnson who voiced the character in the video games. The cast also includes Kirby as Zinnia McKenna, a Fourth Echelon field operative, and Janet Varney as Anna Grímsdóttir, the former chief technical analyst who becomes commander of Fourth Echelon after Fisher's retirement.
Supporting characters include Helen Hong as Jo Ahn, Joel Oulette as Thunder, Kari Wahlgren as Diana Shetland, Aleks Le as Charlie Shetland, Kiff VandenHeuvel as Douglas Shetland, Bella Dayne as Freya Niemeyer, Navid Negahban as Reza "Gunther" Karimi, and JB Blanc as Thomas. The series was directed by Sun Creature Studio co-founder Guillaume Dousse, with animation services provided by FOST Studio and Sun Creature Studio.
Derek Kolstad imagined the series with an older Sam Fisher and wrote the story so that the history behind the games was canon for the show. He maintained the clandestine feel from the games by utilizing long periods of silence before sudden bursts of action.
Reader's Guide
Splinter Cell: Deathwatch represents a significant expansion of the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell franchise into adult animation, bringing the stealth-action series to a new medium. The series was developed by Ubisoft Film & Television for Netflix, with Derek Kolstad serving as lead writer. The production involved collaboration between Danish/French Sun Creature Studio and French studio Fost, with Guillaume Dousse directing the first season after starting as creative director.
The series received generally favorable reviews, holding an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews, and a Metacritic score of 70 out of 100 based on 4 critics. It was nominated for "Best Adaptation" at The Game Awards 2025. The casting of Liev Schreiber as Sam Fisher marked a notable change from the video games, with Michael Ironside stating he was too old to portray the character for television. The series' quick renewal for a second season the day after its premiere indicates strong early reception.
Did You Know?
- The series was created by Derek Kolstad, who also served as lead writer.
- The series was renewed for a second season on October 15, 2025, one day after its premiere.
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