When a plane lands at John F. Kennedy International Airport with the lights off, the doors sealed, and no outbound communications whatsoever, Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll) of the Center For Disease Control is called in to investigate, along with his partner Dr. Nora Martinez (Mia Maestro). Goodweather boards the plane and discovers that, with the exception of four survivors, all four hundred of the plane's passengers are dead in their seats, with no visible sign as to who or what could have incapacitated everyone onboard. But when the bodies of the passengers disappear from the morgue and strange events begin to plague New York City, Goodweather is left scrambling to contain the spread of an ancient virus, brought forth by a centuries-old evil that threatens to consume mankind and plunge the Earth into eternal darkness. David Bradley, Kevin Durand, Jonathan Hyde, Miguel Gomez, Robert Maillet, Natalie Brown, and Sean Astin also star.
And if that plot synopsis for the pilot episode of The Strain, which is set to premiere on Sunday, July 13th at 9:00pm on FX, isn't enough to whet your appetite, allow me to elaborate with five important reasons as to why this particular television series is worth a watch!
5. Television is the new home of horror. Before The Walking Dead premiered on AMC in October of 2010, horror was a niche genre on television, relegated to the tween audiences of Supernatural on The CW and afternoon reruns of Buffy The Vampire Slayer on FX. Now, with the surprising success of The Walking Dead, shows like FX's own American Horror Story, NBC's Grimm, and FOX's Sleepy Hollow are being greenlit, opening up television to a whole new audience of viewers who have been clamoring for more horror on the small screen. And with the increasing production values for television shows and the shrinking limitations of cable television, you no longer have to leave the house to get your fix of high-quality horror. Guillermo del Toro, the co-creator of The Strain, first pitched the concept as a television series to several networks several years ago, but none were interested, prompting him to instead re-conceptualize the idea as a trilogy of novels with co-author Chuck Hogan. Now, The Strain has come full circle, being adapted to the format it was originally intended for and ushering in a new era of television horror.
4. FX is one of the best networks on television. Since the debut of the groundbreaking cop drama The Shield in 2002, FX has quietly built one of the most impressive track records of original programming on both broadcast and cable television. Even with American Horror Story and Sons of Anarchy experiencing mixed critical reactions of late, both shows completed their most recent seasons on a high note, with Sons of Anarchy scoring the most-watched finale of its six season run and American Horror Story finishing as the third-highest rated show on cable. The network also boasts critical favorites Justified and The Americans and has shepherded promising newcomers Tyrant, which premiered back on June 13th, and The Bridge, which returns for a sophomore season on July 9th. In spite of its former reputation as the channel that reruns Mr. And Mrs. Smith on an endless loop, FX has reinvented itself as a force to be reckoned in the arena of original cable television, rivaling the premium content of its chief competitors AMC, Showtime, and even HBO. The network has had its fair share of misfires over the years, but their recent streak of success speaks for itself, and I have a hard time believing that The Strain will be the exception.
3. You'll get a beginning, a middle, and an end. While AMC CEO Josh Sapan has admitted that he plans to milk the network's cash cow, The Walking Dead, for all its worth, FX CEO John Landgraf has no desire to drag The Strain beyond its expiration date. Because the show is based on a trilogy of novels, Landgraf insists that the series' run will consist of 3 to 5 seasons, with the first book serving as the basis for the first season, allowing the writers the option of splitting the final two books into two seasons each, if need be. I stopped watching The Walking Dead after its schizophrenic third season, when it was clear that the show was spinning its wheels and the network execs had no interest in maintaining a clear and consistent creative vision, forcing out creator Frank Darabont and his replacement Glen Mazzara in successive seasons. FX has succeeded with its original television programming in large part because of the network's hands-off approach, allowing the writers to build their shows with little interference from the higher-ups. And with The Strain, Landgraf appears content to let Guillermo del Toro and his creative team work their magic, with the books providing a complete framework for them to operate within.
2. Guillermo del Toro co-wrote and directed the pilot. As the director of Mimic, Hellboy, and Pacific Rim, Guillermo del Toro knows a thing or two about how to make a monster. In addition to co-writing the original trilogy of novels with author Chuck Hogan, del Toro co-wrote the show's pilot episode with Hogan and also directed it, and will serve as an execute producer for the show. If you're unfamiliar with his work, 2002's Blade II, the sequel to the 1998 film about a vampire-human hybrid who protects mankind from vampires, would be a good starting point, with the film's new species of bloodsuckers serving as an appetizer for the creatures of The Strain. One of del Toro's most defining qualities is his limitless imagination, crafting some of the most memorable monsters ever put to film with his creative work on Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth, and I have no doubt that the vampires of The Strain will rank right up there with even his most terrifying creations. Carlton Cuse (Lost, Bates Motel) will also serve as showrunner for the series, with an impressive staff of writers that includes Gennifer Hutchison (Breaking Bad), Regina Corrado (Deadwood, Sons of Anarchy), and writing partners Bradley Thompson and Eric Weddle (Battlestar Galactica, Falling Skies).
1. The vampires are scary again. Gone are the Twilight vampires that sparkle when exposed to sunlight, feed off the blood of animals rather than humans, and long for the affections of teenage girls. Recent pop culture has defanged vampires and reduced them to romantic creatures with teen fare like Twilight and The CW's The Vampire Diaries, but the vampires of The Strain are creatures to be feared, not loved. What Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan have done is taken vampires back to their roots and crafted a new breed of bloodsuckers that are the stuff of nightmares. Much of the horror from the original novels comes from observing the dramatic physical metamorphosis that the human hosts are forced to undergo once infected, their bodies reduced to bloodlusting husks as the virus reconfigures their vital organs and transforms them into something less than human. With an insatiable thirst for blood that is never satisfied, romance is the last thing on the minds of these monsters. And with FX committing $500,000 to the design and creation of the show's creatures, you can guarantee that these vampires will be unlike any that you've seen before.
The Strain premieres on FX on Sunday, July 13th at 9:00pm CST. Be sure to tune in!
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