Resurrection (U.S. TV series)

This article is about the television adaptation of the novel The Returned by Jason Mott. For other uses, see Resurrection (disambiguation).

Resurrection
File:Resurrection 2013 logo.jpg
Genre	Fantasy Science fiction Supernatural Drama
Based on	The Returned by Jason Mott
Developed by	Aaron Zelman
Starring	Omar Epps Frances Fisher Matt Craven Devin Kelley Mark Hildreth Samaire Armstrong Landon Gimenez Kurtwood Smith
Composer(s)	Blake Neely
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	21 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Aaron Zelman Dede Gardner Jeremy Kleiner Joann Alfano Jon Liebman Michele Fazekas Tara Butters
Production location(s)	Norcross, Georgia
Cinematography	Jeff Jur Terry Stacey
Editor(s)	Christopher Cooke
Running time	42–44 minutes
Production company(s)	ABC Studios Brillstein Entertainment Partners Plan B Entertainment FTP Productions
Distributor	Disney–ABC Domestic Television
Release
Original network	ABC
Picture format	720p (HDTV)
Original release	March 9, 2014 (2014-03-09) – January 25, 2015 (2015-01-25)
External links
Website

Resurrection is an American fantasy drama television series about dead people who return to life. It is based on Jason Mott's novel The Returned (2013). It was co-produced by ABC Studios and Plan B Entertainment, led by Brad Pitt, Aaron Zelman, JoAnn Alfano, Jon Liebman, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Michele Fazekas, and Tara Butters, and aired from March 9, 2014 to January 25, 2015. On May 7, 2015, ABC cancelled it after two seasons.

Premise

The series follows the residents of Arcadia, Missouri, whose lives are upended when their loved ones return from the dead, unaged since their deaths. Among the returned is Jacob Langston (Landon Gimenez), an eight-year-old boy who drowned in 1982. Having been found alive in China, Jacob is brought back to the United States by an immigration agent named J. Martin ("Marty") Bellamy (Omar Epps), who defies orders and returns Jacob to his parents, Henry (Kurtwood Smith) and Lucille (Frances Fisher). Jacob's surprise return inspires his uncle, Arcadia Sheriff Fred Langston (Matt Craven), and Fred's daughter Dr. Maggie Langston (Devin Kelley), whose wife/mother drowned while allegedly trying to rescue the boy, to learn more about this mystery. Caleb Richards (Sam Hazeldine), the father of Maggie's best friend Elaine Richards (Samaire Armstrong), becomes the second Arcadia resident to return, and he warns that there are many more to follow.

Cast and characters

Main cast

• Omar Epps as Immigration and Customs Agent J. Martin "Marty" Bellamy/Robert Thompson
• Frances Fisher as Lucille Langston
• Matt Craven as Sheriff Fred Langston
• Devin Kelley as Dr. Maggie Langston
• Mark Hildreth as Pastor Tom Hale
• Samaire Armstrong as Elaine Richards
• Landon Gimenez as Jacob Langston
• Kurtwood Smith as Henry Langston

Recurring cast

• Kathleen Munroe as Rachael Braidwood
• Kevin Sizemore as Gary Humphrey
• James Tupper as Dr. Eric Ward
• Tamlyn Tomita as Dr. Toni Willis
• Travis Young as Ray Richards
• Veronica Cartwright as Helen Edgerton
• Lori Beth Sikes as Janine Hale
• April Billingsley as Barbara Langston
• Ned Bellamy as Sam Catlin
• Sam Hazeldine as Caleb Richards (season 1)
• Jwaundace Candece as Mrs. Camille Thompson
• Shawn Shepard as Mr. Wallace Thompson
• Nadej Bailey as Jenny Thompson
• Christopher Berry as Deputy Carl Enders
• Glenn Fleshler as Mikey Enders (season 2)
• Michelle Fairley as Margaret Langston (season 2)
• Donna Murphy as Elegant Woman/Angela Forrester (season 2)
• Kyle Secor as Brian Addison (season 2)
• T.J. Linnard as William Kirk (season 2)
• Jim Parrack as Preacher James Goodman (season 2)

Episodes

Main article: List of Resurrection (U.S. TV series) episodes

Season		Episodes	Originally aired		Nielsen ratings
			First aired	Last aired	Rank	Average viewers (in millions)
	1	8	March 9, 2014 (2014-03-09)	May 4, 2014 (2014-05-04)	#11	12.96
	2	13	September 28, 2014 (2014-09-28)	January 25, 2015 (2015-01-25)	#81	6.93

Development and production

In January 2013, ABC ordered the project to pilot status and in March brought in Charles McDougall as director as part of a two-year deal he signed with ABC Studios. On March 7, 2013, ABC released its list of potential hour-long pilot pick-ups, with the title changed to Forever. The title changed again after ABC ordered it to series in May 2013.

On May 7, 2015, ABC announced that it had cancelled Resurrection after two seasons. The network cited low ratings as the reason for its cancellation. It was high-rated in its first season, but saw a big drop in ratings in its second season. Resurrection produced by ABC Studios was one of the biggest cancellations for ABC along with two other shows Cristela and the Ioan Gruffudd drama Forever.

Reception

Critical reception

Resurrection scored 60 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 29 reviews, indicating a "mixed or average" response. Another review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 52% rating with an average rating of 5.7 out of 10, based on 33 reviews.

Season ratings

Season	Timeslot (ET)	Episodes	First aired		Last aired		TV season	Rank	Avg. viewers (millions)
			Date	Viewers (millions)	Date	Viewers (millions)
1	Sunday 9:00pm	8	March 9, 2014 (2014-03-09)	13.90	May 4, 2014 (2014-05-04)	8.16	2013–14	11	9.32
2		13	September 28, 2014 (2014-09-28)	7.55	January 25, 2015 (2015-01-25)	3.73	2014–15	81	4.73

Broadcast

In Australia, the series premiered on March 25, 2014 on Seven Network. Its debut episode was the highest rating series premiere for two years in Australia, attracting an audience of 1.9 million mainland capital city viewers (beating previous record holder Revenge whose first episode reached 2.06 million viewers) and 2.82 million viewers nationally. It also topped all three key advertising demographics. The second season premiered on February 22, 2015, at the new time of 10:30 p.m. every Sunday. The second season premiered to just 112,000 in its new time period, the worst ever result for the series. In New Zealand, it premiered on July 16, 2014 on TV2.

In Canada, the series was simsubbed on Citytv for the first season and CTV for subsequent seasons.

In Ireland, the series debuted in summer 2014 on RTÉ Two. In the United Kingdom, the show began airing on pay-TV channel, Watch on August 18, 2014. The second season premiered on March 19, 2015.

Home media release

ABC and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment scheduled the release of the first season of Resurrection in DVD format for June 10, 2014. The two-disc set features all eight episodes and bonus features, such as "On Location in Georgia", "Resurrection: Building a Mystery", bloopers, and deleted scenes.

See also

• They Came Back, a 2004 film with a similar premise
• Les Revenants, a 2012 French TV series with a similar premise
• The Returned, a 2015 American TV adaptation of Les Revenants

External links

• Official website
• Resurrection at IMDb
• Resurrection at TV.com

• "Filming for “Resurrection” returns to Norcross", by Joshua Sharpe, Gwinnett Daily Post