CINEMAX ACTION SERIES "STRIKE BACK" RETURNS FOR SIXTH SEASON JAN. 25

The action-packed CINEMAX drama series STRIKE BACK kicks off its sixth season, FRIDAY, JAN. 25 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT). Shot entirely in Malaysia, the new season features returning stars Warren Brown ("Luther," "The Dark Knight Rises"), Daniel MacPherson ("A Wrinkle in Time") and Alin Sumarwata ("Neighbours," "Burning Man"), along with new cast members Jamie Bamber ("Battlestar Galactica," "Monday Mornings") and Yasemin Allen ("Water and Fire").

When a Russian bomber crashes in the South China Sea, the covert special-ops soldiers of Section 20 - Thomas "Mac" McAllister (Warren Brown), Samuel Wyatt (Daniel MacPherson) and Gracie Novin (Alin Sumarwata) - are sent to investigate. There, they cross paths with Katrina Zarkova (Yasemin Allen), a rogue Russian operative with questionable loyalties.

Under orders of the new commanding officer, Col. Alexander Coltrane (Jamie Bamber), Section 20 pursues stolen contents of the Russian jet across Southeast Asia. They will work alongside the Malaysian police to shut down a Triad gang in Kuala Lumpur, uncover a corrupt plot by a wealthy Indian businesswoman running for Parliament and plunge into the jungles of the Golden Triangle in Myanmar, facing off against mercenary drug agents and terrifying warlords as they uncover a conspiracy that threatens to push the world to the brink of global conflict.

Episodes include:

Season 6, episode 1

Debut date: FRIDAY, JAN. 25 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)

Six months after their last mission, three members of the British special-ops team Section 20 - Gracie Novin (Alin Sumarwata), Samuel Wyatt (Daniel MacPherson) and Thomas "Mac" McAllister (Warren Brown) - reunite for what they think is a routine "cleanup" exercise in Malaysia. Things get complicated when their new commanding officer, borderline burn-out Alexander Coltrane (Jamie Bamber), learns that a British operative, in possession of intel about a downed Russian plane, has been killed in Kuala Lumpur after meeting with Katrina Zarkova (Yasemin Allen), a covert Russian operative.

The trail leads Wyatt, Mac and Novin to a Russian safehouse, where Katrina and her team of Russian soldiers are attempting to track a mysterious "package" stolen from the plane, which crashed into the ocean under suspicious circumstances. The confrontation turns bloody when members of a brutal Malaysian triad arrive, setting off a chain of dangerous encounters in the skies and skyscrapers of Kuala Lumpur.

Written by Jack Lothian; directed by Bill Eagles.

Season 6, episode 2

Debut date: FRIDAY, FEB. 1 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Section 20 forges an uneasy alliance with Zarkova (Yasemin Allen) in hopes of tracking down a stolen nuclear warhead in Kuala Lumpur. The group is frustrated when Police Inspector Amy Leong (Ann Truong), who has connections to triad leader Godfather Kim (Lim Teik Leong) and his henchman Laoshu (Tom Wu), pulls them off the job after a false alarm. High Commander McKitterick (Adrian Edmondson) finds himself in an untenable dilemma, while Novin (Alin Sumarwata) defies Coltrane's (Jamie Bamber) orders to settle a score.

Written by Jack Lothian; directed by Bill Eagles.

Season 6, episode 3

Debut date: FRIDAY, FEB. 8 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Section 20's search for the missing nuclear warhead leads them to Goa, India, where three scientists have been kidnapped by Gopan (Rudi Dharmalingam), a militant under orders from a mysterious "kingfisher." When one of the scientists escapes, the team catches up to him and his daughter (Pallavi Sharda), gaining valuable intel on Anjali Vartak (Shivani Ghai), a rich Hindu with a personal vendetta against Muslims. S20 infiltrates a suspicious fundraiser as Coltrane (Jamie Bamber) and new S20 computer whiz Olivia Chetri (Varada Sethu) deal with a breach in security.

Written by Jack Lothian; directed by Paul Wilmhurst.

Season 6, episode 4

Debut date: FRIDAY, FEB. 15 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

As Wyatt (Daniel MacPherson) is tortured by Vartak's (Shivani Ghai) henchmen, Mac (Warren Brown) presses her corrupt lawyer to hand over an encrypted hard drive that might hold clues to the whereabouts of a pair of "nuclear suitcases." After being sorely tested in a deadly hostage standoff at an office building, the team is forced to lean on Zarkova (Yasemin Allen) to commandeer high-end Russian technology, crack the encryption code and make a final foray to a secret hideout, where Vartak, Gopan (Rudi Dharmalingam) and the nuclear packages await.

Written by Jack Lothian; directed by Paul Wilmhurst.

Season 6, episode 5

Debut date: FRIDAY, FEB. 22 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Following a high-speed jungle ambush in Myanmar, the suitcase nukes end up in the hands of Jean-Baptiste Zaza (Chris Obi), a brutal Rwandan drug lord with a jealous streak. Even as they continue to suspect Zarkova's motives, Section 20 journeys to the Punchan Province and connects with Lauren Gillespie (Victoria Smurfit), a DEA agent with inside intel on Zaza and Dagon (Fish Chaar), his second in command. With the suitcase on the verge of being sold to a jihadist, Coltrane (Jamie Bamber) tasks Novin (Alin Sumarwata) with impersonating the buyer in order to ascertain the WMD's location. Meanwhile, Colonel Beshnov (Marek Vasut), the Russian Alpha Group leader, surprises Pavel (Alec Newman) with a revelation about Zarkova (Yasemin Allen).

Written by Jack Lothian; directed by Steve Shill.

Season 6, episode 6

Debut date: FRIDAY, MARCH 1 (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

After ditching the seaplane they hijacked, Novin (Alin Sumarwata) and Zarkova (Yasemin Allen) find themselves at the mercy of corrupt police, while Mac (Warren Brown) and Wyatt (Daniel MacPherson) take temporary refuge in a local village. Coltrane (Jamie Bamber) finally learns the location of the suitcase nukes, but the revelation comes at a high price. Finally, Section 20 tracks down Zaza (Chris Obi) and the nukes - as well as an unexpected interloper - in a remote compound, and all hell breaks loose. Expecting the worst, Wyatt makes a call back home, while Pavel (Alec Newman) forces Zarkova to come to terms with what happened to Alpha Group.

Written by Jack Lothian; directed by Steve Shill.

The series is also available on MAX GO, Cinemax On Demand and partners' streaming platforms.

This new season marks CINEMAX's sixth - and UK co-producer Sky's seventh - in the STRIKE BACK franchise. In 2013, CINEMAX aired Sky's first season of the series as "Strike Back: Origins."

For more on the series, visit facebook.com/cinemax, medium.com/hbo-cinemax-pr, twitter.com @Cinemax #StrikeBack and youtube.com/Cinemax.

STRIKE BACK is a CINEMAX Presentation in association with Sky; a Left Bank Pictures Production. executive produced by Andy Harries, Sharon Hughff, Jack Lothian and Richard Burrell; producer, Nuala O'Leary.