During Fox‘s Upfront presentation yesterday, they announced that they are jumping into the realm of “event series”. Although they aren’t providing a definition, the inference is that, one, it will be short season, what we used to call half seasons but are more and more becoming the norm, based on successful cable models of 8-12 episodes; and two, they will be standalone seasons/series, based on the model of Fox‘s cousin FX‘s American Horror Story.
The benefits to viewers are pretty great. These shorter seasons are usually broadcast without a break, and there are no unresolved cliffhanger endings and no “but how will they do this next season?” or “save our show!” or “this show is getting stale” grumbling, because we know ahead of time when the season/series will be over.
Fox‘s first foray (they later announced the event series 24: Live Another Day for summer 2014) into the new-for-them model is the 10-episode Wayward Pines, the M. Night Shymalan series we’ve told you about back in January. It looks SO GOOD. While Shymalan’s work tends to be somewhat polarizing, as an addict of plot twists, I’m a huge fan. As a bonus, it takes place in a creepy town, another squee for me. But read for yourself:
WAYWARD PINES
Imagine the perfect American town… beautiful homes, manicured lawns, children playing safely in the streets. Now imagine never being able to leave. You have no communication with the outside world. You think you’re going insane. You must be in Wayward Pines. Based on the best-selling novel “Pines” by Blake Crouch and brought to life by suspenseful storyteller M. Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth Sense,” “Signs”), WAYWARD PINES is the intense new mind-bending event thriller evocative of the classic cult hit “Twin Peaks.”
Secret Service Agent ETHAN BURKE (Academy Award nominee Matt Dillon, “Crash,” “City of Ghosts”) drives to the bucolic town of Wayward Pines, ID, to find two missing federal agents. Ethan was the logical choice for the mission. He’s one of the best Secret Service agents in the Seattle office. He’s also the man who knew missing agent KATE HEWSON better than anyone. They were partners. They were more than that. Their relationship nearly destroyed Ethan’s marriage. Kate transferred to Boise and Ethan thought he’d never see her again. Now, Kate and her new Secret Service partner, BILL EVANS, are nowhere to be found.
But just as Ethan spots the sign that says “Welcome to Wayward Pines, Where Paradise is Home!,” a truck slams into his car. When Ethan wakes up in the Wayward Pines Hospital, he remembers his name, his address in Seattle and the accident on the outskirts of town. He knows he’s a Secret Service Agent who came to Wayward Pines to investigate the disappearance of two agents. What he can’t figure out is what’s wrong with this eerily perfect little town. None of the phones work. He can’t get through to his wife back home or his boss at the Secret Service. His wallet, ID, money, phone…everything is gone. And no one will help him.
Back home in Seattle, Ethan’s wife, THERESA, gets a call from Ethan’s boss at the Secret Service, ADAM HASSLER. Ethan is missing. No other information is available until early testing shows that Ethan was never in his car that was recovered on the side of the road outside of Wayward Pines. They’re still investigating. This isn’t enough for Theresa. Along with their teenage son, BEN, Theresa sets out on her own search for Ethan.
The mystery only deepens as Ethan employs his intelligence and tireless determination to solve the mystery of this unsettling town. Challenged at every turn by the town’s die-hard residents, Ethan’s investigation only turns up more questions, the most important of which is: What’s wrong with Wayward Pines?
WAYWARD PINES is a production of FX Productions. The series is created and written by Chad Hodge (“The Playboy Club,” “Runaway”) and executive-produced by Shyamalan, Hodge, Donald De Line (“Green Lantern,” “The Italian Job”) and Ashwin Rajan (“After Earth”).
PRODUCTION COMPANY: FX Productions
CREATOR/WRITER/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Chad Hodge
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: M. Night Shyamalan
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Donald DeLine, Ashwin Rajan
Wayward Pines, starring Matt Dillon, premieres in 2014 on Fox.
