# Treadstone
**Treadstone** is a 2019 American action-thriller television series on [USA Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-network), "based on an organization from the Bourne series of novels by Robert Ludlum," as its opening titles state[1](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/bourne-treadstone-and-creating-a-franchise-for-a-multi-platform-world) • [2](https://www.the-medium-is-not-enough.com/2019/10/treadstone-review.php). It was the Bourne film franchise's first foray into television after five theatrical films, from 2002's *The Bourne Identity* through 2016's *Jason Bourne*, and it explores the history of the top-secret CIA program and its many unwitting participants[1](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/bourne-treadstone-and-creating-a-franchise-for-a-multi-platform-world). The series ran a single season of ten episodes and was canceled in May 2020[3](https://www.usanetwork.com/usa-insider/treadstone-how-tv-series-connects-with-jason-bourne-movies) • [4](https://www.universalmovies.it/the-purge-treadstone-cancellate-usa-network/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and run | USA Network; series premiere Tuesday, October 15, 2019, at 10/9c; one season of 10 episodes[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/807508/treadstone-season-1-usa-jason-bourne-preview/) • [3](https://www.usanetwork.com/usa-insider/treadstone-how-tv-series-connects-with-jason-bourne-movies) |
| Created by | Tim Kring, creator of *Crossing Jordan* and NBC's *Heroes*[3](https://www.usanetwork.com/usa-insider/treadstone-how-tv-series-connects-with-jason-bourne-movies) |
| Showrunner | Ben Smith, a producer on the Bourne films[1](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/bourne-treadstone-and-creating-a-franchise-for-a-multi-platform-world) |
| Lead cast | Jeremy Irvine as John Randolph Bentley; Brian J. Smith as Doug McKenna[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/807508/treadstone-season-1-usa-jason-bourne-preview/) |
| Format | 43-minute episodes, rated TV-MA[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/treadstone) |
| Reception | Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 50%; JustWatch user rating 81%; IMDb 6.9[7](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/2019-fall-tv-scorecard/) • [6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/treadstone) |
| Cancellation | Announced May 2020, after one season[4](https://www.universalmovies.it/the-purge-treadstone-cancellate-usa-network/) |
## Premise and story structure
The series follows the origins and global operations of the Treadstone program, the covert CIA initiative that in the films created agents such as [Jason Bourne](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-bourne)[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/you-would-be-best-to-wipe-usas-treadstone-from-your-memory). Executive producer Ben Smith described it as existing in "the same world [where] Jason Bourne exists" while being "its own complete story"[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/807508/treadstone-season-1-usa-jason-bourne-preview/). [Matt Damon](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-damon), who played the rogue agent in four movies, does not appear; the series makes only occasional glancing references to the semi-concurrent offscreen events of the films[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/807508/treadstone-season-1-usa-jason-bourne-preview/) • [3](https://www.usanetwork.com/usa-insider/treadstone-how-tv-series-connects-with-jason-bourne-movies).
The story runs on two clocks. In a 1973 timeline set in [East Berlin](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-berlin), John Randolph Bentley ([Jeremy Irvine](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeremy-irvine)), an American soldier captured by the KGB, is subjected to a precursor of the program, juiced up, brainwashed, and ordered to kill on demand[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/807508/treadstone-season-1-usa-jason-bourne-preview/) • [9](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2019/10/15/Treadstone-characters-wont-appear-in-future-Bourne-movies/9131570660781/) • [10](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/oct/15/treadstone-review-bourne-robert-ludlum). In the present day, sleeper agents around the world, including the oil-rig worker Doug McKenna ([Brian J. Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-j-smith)) stationed in the Arctic Ocean, are "woken" under Treadstone's control to perform missions they did not choose[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/807508/treadstone-season-1-usa-jason-bourne-preview/). The action follows the agents around the globe with an international ensemble[10](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/oct/15/treadstone-review-bourne-robert-ludlum).
The series also introduces Cicada, a related program woven into Treadstone's origin story; showrunner Ben Smith described it as another organization that was present in the timeline, about which the show reveals a great deal and which feeds into the origin of Treadstone itself[11](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/treadstone-ben-smith-interview/).
## Production
According to Smith, a television series about Treadstone had been under discussion for about a decade, and from the beginning Jason Bourne was never intended to appear; the writers treated Ludlum's world of black-op groups as material for a completely new story rather than a recreation of the films[1](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/bourne-treadstone-and-creating-a-franchise-for-a-multi-platform-world). Smith noted that although the show shares a coherent mythology with the films, some things in the Bourne films do not appear in the series and vice versa, even though the stories run concurrently[11](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/treadstone-ben-smith-interview/).
Production was genuinely international: the season filmed in Paris, London, Budapest, Berlin, Greece, and Amsterdam, matching a narrative that moves among protagonists and countries[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/807508/treadstone-season-1-usa-jason-bourne-preview/). The pilot was directed by [Ramin Bahrani](https://www.edgepedia.org/ramin-bahrani)[4](https://www.universalmovies.it/the-purge-treadstone-cancellate-usa-network/), and [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) lists Jeremy Webb, Alex Graves, Ramin Bahrani, Brad Anderson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, and Wayne Che Yip among the season's directors[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/treadstone).
## Relation to the films and the Ludlum novels
[Robert Ludlum](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-ludlum) introduced the Bourne books with the 1980 novel *The Bourne Identity*[3](https://www.usanetwork.com/usa-insider/treadstone-how-tv-series-connects-with-jason-bourne-movies). In the 2002 film adaptation, the Treadstone project created the super spy Jason Bourne, "Delta One of Operation Treadstone"[12](https://www.wired.com/2008/11/bond-vs-bourne/) • [6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/treadstone). Near the end of that film, the real authority behind the program, Ward Abbott, has the Treadstone chief Conklin killed and shuts Treadstone down[13](https://www.psychoanalytischeperspectieven.be/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PP-39-2-2021-Todd-McGowan.pdf).
The 2019 series sets Bentley's 1973 storyline decades before the present-day setting of the 2002 film, and its characters were not planned to appear in future Bourne movies[9](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2019/10/15/Treadstone-characters-wont-appear-in-future-Bourne-movies/9131570660781/).
## Reception and cancellation
Critical response was mixed. *The Guardian* called the show a scrappy but stimulating surprise that ambitiously expanded Ludlum's canvas, praising its ability to upend expectations and build a world more detailed and expansive than expected[10](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/oct/15/treadstone-review-bourne-robert-ludlum). The *RogerEbert.com* review found it antiquated in 2019, outmatched by globetrotting spy shows such as *Killing Eve*, and questioned the justification for its existence[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/you-would-be-best-to-wipe-usas-treadstone-from-your-memory). A Forbes review called it a decent show whose action, soundtrack, and pace were strong, but criticized its reluctance to engage with the Bourne universe audiences knew[14](https://www.forbes.com/sites/merrillbarr/2019/10/08/treadstone-review-a-decent-show-that-needs-to-shed-its-unwillingness-to-be-a-part-something-bigger-than-itself/).
On Rotten Tomatoes the season holds a 50% Tomatometer and a 71% audience score, with the critics consensus stating that while it is as action-packed and frenetically paced as expected from the Bourne universe, it lacks the narrative momentum and cohesion necessary to set it apart[7](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/2019-fall-tv-scorecard/). Audience ratings diverged from the critics' score: JustWatch recorded a user rating of 81% alongside the 6.9 on IMDb[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/treadstone).
In May 2020, USA Network canceled *Treadstone* after one season, alongside *[The Purge](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-purge-tv-series)*, leaving neither series with future seasons[4](https://www.universalmovies.it/the-purge-treadstone-cancellate-usa-network/).
## Afterlife of the franchise rights
In August 2025, [NBCUniversal](https://www.edgepedia.org/nbcuniversal) announced that it had acquired all rights, excluding publishing, to Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne and Treadstone book series in perpetuity, across film, television, and streaming[15](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/nbcuniversal-acquires-robert-ludlums-iconic-bourne-and-treadstone-series). The film rights had lapsed earlier that year and returned to the Ludlum estate, prompting a bidding war that Universal won; it also won the film rights to the Treadstone book series, which had previously been adapted into the short-lived USA Network show[16](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/action-movies/the-jason-bourne-franchise-will-remain-at-universal-in-perpetuity-with-plans-to-expand-it-into-an-entire-universe/). [Universal Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-pictures) president Peter Cramer framed the deal as continuing to expand the Bourne universe, and the inclusion of the Treadstone rights reinforced expectations of spin-offs and side projects[15](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/nbcuniversal-acquires-robert-ludlums-iconic-bourne-and-treadstone-series) • [16](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/action-movies/the-jason-bourne-franchise-will-remain-at-universal-in-perpetuity-with-plans-to-expand-it-into-an-entire-universe/). Under the agreement, producer Frank Marshall continues to shepherd the film series along with Captivate's Jeffrey Weiner and Ben Smith[15](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/nbcuniversal-acquires-robert-ludlums-iconic-bourne-and-treadstone-series).
## References
1. [Bourne, Treadstone, and creating a franchise for a multi-platform world, SYFY WIRE](https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/bourne-treadstone-and-creating-a-franchise-for-a-multi-platform-world)
2. [Review: Treadstone 1×1, The Medium is Not Enough](https://www.the-medium-is-not-enough.com/2019/10/treadstone-review.php)
3. [How does the Treadstone TV Series Connect to the Bourne Movies?, USA Network Insider](https://www.usanetwork.com/usa-insider/treadstone-how-tv-series-connects-with-jason-bourne-movies)
4. [The Purge e Treadstone cancellate da Usa Network, Universal Movies (in Italian)](https://www.universalmovies.it/the-purge-treadstone-cancellate-usa-network/)
5. [USA's 'Treadstone' Is 'Its Own Complete Story' Within the Bourne Universe, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/807508/treadstone-season-1-usa-jason-bourne-preview/)
6. [Treadstone (2019), JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/treadstone)
7. [2019 Fall TV Scorecard, Rotten Tomatoes](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/2019-fall-tv-scorecard/)
8. [You Would Be Best to Wipe USA's Treadstone From Your Memory, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/you-would-be-best-to-wipe-usas-treadstone-from-your-memory)
9. ['Treadstone' characters won't appear in future 'Bourne' movies, UPI](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2019/10/15/Treadstone-characters-wont-appear-in-future-Bourne-movies/9131570660781/)
10. [Treadstone review – fast-paced Bourne series is a surprise success, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/oct/15/treadstone-review-bourne-robert-ludlum)
11. [Treadstone: The Bourne Saga Continues on Television, Den of Geek](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/treadstone-ben-smith-interview/)
12. [Superspy Showdown: Bond vs. Bourne, WIRED](https://www.wired.com/2008/11/bond-vs-bourne/)
13. [Todd McGowan, The Bourne Tragedy and the politics of the Bourne films, Psychoanalytische Perspectieven](https://www.psychoanalytischeperspectieven.be/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PP-39-2-2021-Todd-McGowan.pdf)
14. ['Treadstone' Review: A Decent Show That Needs To Shed Its Unwillingness To Be A Part Of Something Bigger, Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/merrillbarr/2019/10/08/treadstone-review-a-decent-show-that-needs-to-shed-its-unwillingness-to-be-a-part-something-bigger-than-itself/)
15. [NBCUniversal Acquires Robert Ludlum's Iconic Bourne and Treadstone Series, NBCUniversal](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/nbcuniversal-acquires-robert-ludlums-iconic-bourne-and-treadstone-series)
16. [The Jason Bourne franchise will remain at Universal 'in perpetuity', GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/action-movies/the-jason-bourne-franchise-will-remain-at-universal-in-perpetuity-with-plans-to-expand-it-into-an-entire-universe/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Adapted and franchise screen series › Television series based on films › Live-action series based on films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license