'The Last Ship' season 5 renewal news: TNT gives the green light to fifth season of post-apocalyptic drama

TNT's "The Last Ship" will sail on towards a fifth season.

The post-apocalyptic action drama starring Eric Dane as Tom Chandler, the captain of the fictional USS Nathan James, was given the green light for a fourth season back in July. The series follows Chandler and the rest of the Nathan James crew as they attempt to find a cure for the mysterious virus that has almost wiped out humanity.

While the show's second and third seasons consisted of 13 episodes each, the fourth and fifth seasons will each have 10 episodes.

"'The Last Ship has' taken viewers on an exciting ride through three truly thrilling seasons," TNT exec Sarah Aubrey said in a statement. "We look forward to watching the cast and production team ratchet up the drama, action and suspense even more over the next two seasons through summer 2018," she added.

Earlier this year, the show's season 3 premiere was postponed after the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Following the massacre that claimed the lives of 49 people, TNT decided to move the season 3 premiere, which reportedly contained a scene in which gunmen open fire in a nightclub, killing several clubgoers.

Meanwhile, "The Last Ship" actor John Pyper-Ferguson, who plays Tex Nolan, recently spoke to TV Line about the show's Dr. Rachel Scott (Rhona Mitra), who was shot and presumably killed in the season 2 finale.

"Yeah, it's definitley an unresolved relationship, but it's kinda like life, isn't it?" he said. When asked about the possibility of Dr. Scott being alive somewhere, the actor answered, "I think ['The Last Ship' creator] Steve Kane has been absolutely forthcoming about that and said no, she's gone. So, as far as I know and Tex knows, it's a done deal,"

"The Last Ship" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. EDT on TNT.