Resurrection on ABC | Interview with Executive Producers

Resurrection on ABC Sundays at 9|8c

I’ve now watched both of the first two episodes of Resurrection, the second of which airs tonight on ABC (9|8c). I’m succumbing to my addiction as this is one of the best new shows on TV.

You’ll definitely want to tune in tonight to watch the second episode of Resurrection on ABC. We learn a little bit more about what is going on in the town of Arcadia and even more questions are raised. I find myself drawn to the mystery of the story and trying to figure out why all of the people who are dead are coming back to life. Now, we just need to figure out why it’s happening and what is going to happen once they’ve returned.

It raises the question, how would you react if someone you lost came back to life years later. I can’t wrap my head around it. Would they come back whole (the same) or would something be different? I can’t wait to see the next episode and you don’t want to miss the second episode of this exciting story.

Interview with Executive Producers Tara Butters (@breadandbutters) and Michele Fazekas

After screening the second episode in the ABC offices (with the executive producers in the room), we had a chance to interview both Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas. They both were very open with their answers and provided a lot of new information regarding how the concept for the story came about and how they work together.

Q: Are we going to find out how these people were brought back? 

T: That’s one of the central questions of the entire series.

M: As writers, one of the things we try to do was we try to answer some questions, but like anything when you get 1 answer, it kind of makes you have more questions. And in some ways, it’s almost beside the point because they’re back now. Regardless of how they came back. And it is something that Marty and Maggie are investigating and trying to figure out.

In the meantime, these people are still here. Much of the drama comes from, “What do you do now that you have this 8-year-old boy? How do you deal with that?” Henry’s got a very complicated reaction to this. He feels like “If I embrace this boy as my son, am I betraying the memory of the child that I lost.”

Why is it happening is a question, but that’s not the central theme of every single episode.

Q: Are more people coming back?

M: I think it’s safe to say yes.

Q: Just in that town?

M: We focus on just Arcadia for those 8 episodes. It’s 8 episodes including the pilot. We have certainly planned more and there’s a cliffhanger at the end of the season that hopefully makes people want to come back for the second season.

Jacob’s like a stone that’s thrown into a pond and the kind of ripple effects he has upon his return and how it affects Fred and Maggie’s relationship upon his return. These characters are all affected by his return in different ways, some good and some bad. 

As more return, we kind of multiply it.

Q: Are we gonna get some idea of how they’re coming back?

T: There are some answers but we don’t answer everything. We still want to have an investigative drive. Do we know yet? The way we pitched this is… there are several questions. Why here? Why Arcadia? Why is it happening? How is it happening?

When we pitched the season to ABC, we pitched them the last scene of the last episode of the series. So we know where we want to go.

Based on the book The Returned by Jason Mott

Q: Music is great.

T: If you listen to it there’s an underlying weirdness, there’s some weird creepy thing, just even if it’s the tone, that he puts in there. Even in the sweet scene between Francis and her son, it’s like, “this kid is dead.” So it’s never going to be like a normal thing. He’s amazing.

Q: We found this story was very personal and tough to watch.

M There’s something interesting about men with this show too because I showed my husband just the trailer for it. And he’s like, “That looks great! I will never watch that show.” Because it really does get to you.

M: It will be impossible to keep secrets too long. I can’t imagine going to other towns. It’s not in our game plan.

Q: Was LOST an influence?

T: Absolutely. I don’t think you can do a show like this without having some influence. I feel very strongly that this show shouldn’t be more than 13 episodes a season, because my favorite seasons of LOST were the shorter seasons because they could be so much more.

M: When you’re building these continuous storyline episodes, you can’t jump around, you have to sort of build them in order. And if you change something back here, it sort of affects this. So that’s why we really liked having a smaller number of episodes, so you can really craft it and be smart about it. Versus just kind of filling space.

Cast Photo: ABC’s “Resurrection” stars Mark Hildreth as Pastor Tom Hale, Kurtwood Smith as Henry Langston, Landon Gimenez as Jacob Langston, Frances Fisher as Lucille Langston, Omar Epps as J. Martin Bellamy, Devin Kelley as Maggie Langston, Matt Craven as Fred Langston, Samaire Armstrong as Elaine Richards and Sam Hazeldine as Caleb Richards. ©(ABC/Bob D’Amico)

About the Show from ABC.com

The people of Arcadia, Missouri are forever changed when their deceased loved ones suddenly start to reappear. An 8-year-old American boy (Landon Gimenez) wakes up alone in a rice paddy in a rural Chinese province with no idea how he got there. Details start to emerge when the boy, who calls himself Jacob, recalls that his hometown is Arcadia, and an Immigration agent, J. Martin Bellamy (Omar Epps), takes him there. The home he claims as his own is occupied by a 60-year-old couple, Henry (Kurtwood Smith) and Lucille Langston (Frances Fisher), who lost their son, Jacob, more than 30 years ago.

While they look different, young Jacob recognizes them as his parents. Lucille is overjoyed at the seeming miracle of her son’s reappearance. Henry is reluctant to accept that Jacob is back. Those closest to the family want answers, including Sheriff Fred Langston (Matt Craven), whose wife Barbara drowned 30 years ago while trying to save Jacob, and Fred’s daughter, Maggie (Devin Kelley), a local doctor. Pastor Tom Hale (Mark Hildreth) seeks a spiritual reason for what’s happening in his community. When things take an even more shocking turn, Maggie’s life-long friend, Elaine Richards (Samaire Armstrong), finds herself drawn into Arcadia’s growing mystery.

Bellamy, an outsider in the town, joins forces with Maggie to figure out why the unexplainable is happening in Arcadia. As their investigation plays out, Maggie learns some unsettling truths about her own past. Will they be able to solve the mystery of Arcadia before the rest of the world catches on to events there? And will they be able to protect Jacob from forces beyond their control?

Resurrection was developed by Aaron Zelman (Damages, The Killing), who is executive producer. Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters and JoAnn Alfano are executive producers. Dan Attias is director and executive producer. Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner are executive producers for Plan B and Jon Liebman is executive producer for Brillstein Entertainment. The pilot was directed by Charles McDougall. Resurrection is produced by ABC Studios.

And for more information about where Resurrection was filmed, visit cometourgeorgia.com.

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Disclosure: This was included as part of an all expense paid press trip. I received no monetary compensation for this post. All opinions are completely my own.