Sound the siren: USA Network鈥檚 adaptation of horror-film franchise The Purge commences tonight, exploring a timely and uncharted landscape of the politically tinged cinematic thrillers.
The new 10-episode series (which airs at 10 p.m., and simulcast on Syfy) has 鈥渁ll the ingredients of horror and suspense,鈥� says executive producer Anthony Hemingway, who directed the first two episodes. But under the surface, 鈥渨e鈥檙e really trying to expound upon what the films never really had a chance to do and delve into character and story.鈥�
In the dystopian Purge mythology, which began with a 2013 film, a Trumpian political party called The New Founding Fathers of America rose to power with the country in chaos and, to reduce the high crime rate, passed the 28th Amendment. The law permits, for 12 hours one night a year, all criminal activities, including murder.
The series follows characters during the course of one Purge night. Miguel (Gabriel Chavarria) is a Marine who risks his own life amid the mayhem seeking to rescue his sister Penelope (Jessica Garza) from a Purge-worshipping cult. Couple Rick (Colin Woodell) and Jenna (Hannah Anderson) attend a swanky NFFA party to further their business interests. And Jane (Amanda Warren), who has hit the glass ceiling at her investment firm (where there鈥檚 some workplace harassment), hires an assassin to remedy her plight during a late night at work.
While the four movies (including this summer鈥檚 The First Purge) are visceral 鈥減unches in the face,鈥� Purge creator and executive producer James DeMonaco opted for a slower burn for TV: Most of the series takes place on the Purge night, but several flashbacks about the lives of the main characters reveal 鈥渄ecisions made back then that led to their choices on this particular Purge,鈥� he says.
A more mysterious character is Joe (Lee Tergesen), a seemingly ordinary suburban guy who dons a mask 鈥� the signature of many Purgers 鈥� and acts out violently while listening to tapes of a pro-Purge life coach.
He is a believer, though not necessarily a bad guy, at least in his own mind, Tergesen says. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions 鈥済oing out there and quoting the Bible to justify locking up kids, he doesn鈥檛 think, 鈥業鈥檓 evil!鈥� He鈥檚 righteous, and when you鈥檙e righteous, you鈥檙e dangerous. And so that鈥檚 Joe.鈥�
Hemingway describes it as 鈥渁n art project鈥� of metaphor and morality that also includes a 鈥渞ipped from the headlines鈥� aspect to reflect our current social climate.
DeMonaco says he wrote episodes about Jane fighting back at work when the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke last fall.
And Tergesen recalls getting scripts around the time of the Parkland, Florida, high-school shootings in February and thinking: 鈥溾�楢re we already in the Purge?鈥� Those things are so terrifying when people just decide to forget about the rules of civilization and wreak havoc, especially with the president we have, it just seems like that鈥檚 where the world is pushing us.鈥�
