ABC's 'Emergence' promises to be a gripping thriller with a mysterious girl, paranormal activity and a darker 'Stranger Things' vibe
'Emergence' is the latest sci-fi drama thriller series on ABC and the network has released a nine-minute clip of the show. If their plan was to get people's complete attention, it definitely worked.
The footage shows Allison Tolman ('Fargo') as Police Chief Jo Evans who is called to investigate a small plane crash. While she surveys the crash site, she finds a little girl hiding behind a sand dune.
The girl (Alexa Swinton) comes across as an amnesiac. She has no idea where her home is, she cannot remember her name, and surprisingly, doesn't appear to be injured.
In what comes as a shocking turn of events, few men show up at the hospital where the girl is checked in and claim to be from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). They demand to speak with her, only to realize that she's vanished into thin air.
Soon after, Jo's fellow officer, Benny Gallagher (Owain Yeoman from 'Troy'), reveals that the men claiming to be from the NTSB were not the real agents that were called in by local officers.
The final moment of the preview is the most gripping — Jo returns to her car, but is unable to get it to work. She then notices the raindrops pattering on the windshield appear to be dripping sideways. That's when the mystery girl appears from the back seat and solemnly says, "Don't be mad".
For now, the show seems to suggest that the girl is pretty much the center of things and Jo's mission is clear— find out what's happening and play her part in it. The two-and-a-half minute trailer that was released on May 15 too seemed to hint that the girl was behind the mysterious occurrences.
It's not hard to draw a parallel to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) from Netflix's 'Stranger Things', except we don't know yet if there are fun elements incorporated in the show. It does look highly unlikely though, as the tone and the theme of 'Emergence' is nowhere close to the '80s backdrop that was used in the Duffer Brothers' hit horror series.
And we don't know what powers this mystery girl has yet. Telekinesis? Weather control? However, the network in its premiere has managed to intrigue the audience and its safe to say, the show may just have a surprise or two to pop at the audience.
The show also stars Ashley Aufderheide ('High School Lover'), Robert Bailey Jr ('The Night Shift')., Zabryna Guevara (Gotham'), Donald Faison ('Scrubs'), and Clancy Brown as Ed ('The Shawshank Redemption').
'Emergence' is written and executive produced by Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters. Paul McGuigan directs the pilot and is an executive producer. The thriller drama will premiere on September 24 on ABC.