Before Game Of Thrones, Pedro Pascal Was Throwing Hands In This Underrated Boxing Series

The early days of Pedro Pascal's career are marked by brief but memorable guest roles. You can glimpse him in one-off episodes of shows like "Homeland," "The Good Wife," and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." But it wasn't until 2014 that Pascal got his breakout role as Oberyn Martell in HBO's "Game of Thrones," quickly endearing the fanbase with the character's sass and determination to turn the tide in his favor. Although Martell's arc doesn't end in triumph, Pascal's career has skyrocketed ever since, transforming him into something of a global sensation. Apart from embodying Din Djarin from "The Mandalorian" and Joel Miller from "The Last of Us," Pascal has also stepped into the iconic shoes of Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic for the highly anticipated "The Fantastic Four: First Steps."

Long before all that, you might've heard about the FX boxing drama "Lights Out," which unfortunately got cancelled after an exciting, promising first season. In that show, Holt McCallany (who played FBI agent Bill Tench in "Mindhunter") is heavyweight champion Patrick "Lights" Leary, who assumes the role of an underdog determined to prove his worth to the world. Among the hotshots Lights needs to train, Omar Assarian (Pascal) emerges as a capable candidate, as this young boxer needs someone to guide him to win the middleweight championship against another fighter. Pascal's character isn't a series regular, but plays an integral role over the course of four episodes, as Omar exists to hold up a mirror to Lights himself.

Lights and Omar's arcs are closely entwined, as the latter's shortcomings are used to flash back to the same mistakes Lights made as an up-and-coming boxing champion. Sometimes, fame has a way of getting into a boxer's head, unmooring them from the uncomfortable truth that our hopes and dreams are fragile. Omar is cocky/loudmouthed throughout, and his genuine talent is tragically squandered when he is injured and knocked out while showboating. And just like that, a promising young boxer who called himself "The Armenian Avenger" inside the ring was forgotten by everyone who once believed in his potential.

Pascal has played morally dubious characters throughout his career (Dave York in "The Equalizer 2" and Maxwell Lord in "Wonder Woman 1984," to name a few), but Omar Assarian poses an interesting distinction. Omar doesn't necessarily mean any harm but comes off as too arrogant for his own good, as he is the kind to engage in substance abuse rather than face the sobering nature of reality. His fate is an unfortunate combination of misplaced overconfidence and less-than-ideal circumstances, and this arc exists solely for us to better understand Lights' troubled past. But even without Pascal's charismatic presence, "Lights Out" remains edgy and frenetic from start to finish, its hard-hitting action and character drama being interesting enough to keep you hooked.

Some aspects of the show might feel rather formulaic, such as your mandatory heart-thumping training montage and expected adversity before a monumental win. But Lights' story feels more nuanced and subdued than these genre-specific tropes, as his glory days are truly behind him and he must seek satisfaction from training a younger generation of boxers. Even though Lights has given up the allure of being a champion himself, he is inadvertently drawn towards the life he chose to leave behind due to circumstances beyond his control. Unlike Omar, Lights is calm and level-headed, but life has consistently prevented him from feeling comfortable or complacent. Every day is a struggle, and when the prospect of a rematch with a familiar opponent presents itself, Lights simply cannot resist.

Perhaps we could've been treated to a complex, fulfilling exploration of Lights' regrets and decisions, had it not been for the show's abrupt cancellation after the first season. A boxing drama that promises more than the normal blood, sweat, and tears associated with the genre will always be worth watching, and "Lights Out" dares to get existential, elevating it to a higher level, and Pascal's guest arc was a big part of the reason for its creative success.