Season two of The Ark on SYFY has come to a close and well, it’s safe to say that Arkaholics everywhere are still buzzing about it. After all, we saw a major character death with a twist and also… aliens. So, what brought about such powerhouse storytelling decisions? Well, we sat down with Executive Producers/Co-Showrunners Dean Devlin and Jonathan Glassner to discuss this bold second season. John Betancourt: I would love to start by learning more about what influenced the decision to give Reece Ritchie a new role to play. Jonathan Glassner: Um, you know, we felt like we had sort of resolved his story last season, you know, he went from being the naysayer who said, you know, “Why are you in command?” And “That'll never work,” and, you know, to being a hero who ended up saving them in the end. And when we came back to the writers’ room this season, we sat, sat down and said, “What are we gonna—” we always start at the beginning, saying, “What are we gonna do with each character this season?” And when it came to Lane, we were like, you know, everything we came up with just felt like we just had already done it with him last season. So, then we decided that the best thing to do was what we did, which was we didn't want to lose Reece, so we wanted to give him a new character to play, and along the way, Lane, unfortunately dies. Dean Devlin: I, you know, I always find it interesting. I don't know if you ever watch any of these shows where people are given their DNA, you know, where you'll meet these people, and they're absolute racists, and they hate some race, and then they find out that they are that race, right? And so for me to have Lane be this guy who was so sure he knew everything in the beginning and he hated clones, to realize that the world was not the way he had it in his head, and that in fact, he is a clone, really was a wonderful resolve of that character and a perfect time to pass that torch to a different version of Lane, who actually may be a kinder, more gentler version. John Betancourt: Another great thing that you all do this season, that I really appreciated, was this is almost kind of like… a greatest hits of sci fi, because you have the grittiness in those first episodes. I love “The Inner Light” tribute with that episode with Ian and Garnet, you know, in their in their own special life, and I'm kind of curious what went into the decision to offer up this, this grand celebration of sci fi over 12 episodes. Dean Devlin: Well, you know, season one was really, to some degree, disaster of the week. You know, what else goes wrong each week? And while that was fun to kick us off, it really… we didn't feel was sustainable. So, we thought, going into season two, let's really start embracing some broader science fiction concepts, and, you know, and that led us to the alternate universe, that led us to the fever dream. So, you know, it opened up storytelling. And then Jonathan and his amazing team of writers, I mean, they just kept, week after week, surprising me and coming up with incredible ideas. And this really has become the show that I always hoped it could be, which is a giant love letter to the type of science fiction shows that Jonathan and I grew up watching, John Betancourt: Now, speaking of the classics, there's always been a hint of a little Battlestar Galactica in this from the from the get-go, which is wonderful. But I did also want to talk about the fact that you guys made another bold decision in getting to Trappist-1D now. Because this is something that could have definitely been drawn out, and I’m curious what led to the decision to bring them to their new home, now. Dean Devlin: Well before we started season two, Jonathan, and I had this conversation, and we said, what if all of season one and all of season two was the pilot for what The Ark is about. And if you think of it that way, you really see that at the end of the season finale, we set up what the series of The Ark really is about, and it's about a search and rescue mission. Jonathan Glassner: Well, it's also, you can't be headed somewhere for, you know, for 24 episodes and never get there. You know, it's just gonna start to get really old. And so, it was always the plan. First time Dean and I sat down and met, was that we'll actually get there at the end of season two, and that's what we did. John Betancourt: I loved it. I thought it was a great, bold decision, as was, of course, that surprise at the end, which obviously fans now have questions about. But I know that’s likely a season three exploration, but to satisfy the fans now… what can you say about that wild discovery? Jonathan Glassner: Nothing without major spoilers. John Betancourt: Fair enough. Jonathan Glassner: But, I mean, I think that both of those things that you're referring to set up another season or more, in a very good way, an exciting way. Dean Devlin: Yeah, I mean, if you think of our show, almost like an onion that just slowly gets peeled and it just gets more and more fragrant. So, you know, we started off as one thing, and then we opened it up to more sci fi concepts in season two, but now season three, between the New World and the surprises on that world and being able to go anywhere in the galaxy to try and rescue humanity. Literally every science fiction concept that we've ever loved, we can explore on the show now. John Betancourt: I think that will do. Let’s people know there’s some big stuff on the horizon. Now we've talked a lot about Greatest Hits today, things that you guys loved, and I'm curious what the most fulfilling aspect was for each of you as writers, in putting together this season, Jonathan Glassner: I would say it's the cast. You cast a show, and you never know what you're going to get, you know, you hope that you did it right and we nailed it. I mean, I think our whole cast, every last one of them, are amazing, and they always bring -- they always take a mediocre line of dialogue and make it a masterpiece, and they're just very good at expanding their characters and making them three dimensional. I just… couldn't be more thankful. Dean Devlin: Absolutely, same point. I love being surprised with the way an actor performs a bit or a scene or takes something that I thought was supposed to be funny, and they played it very sincere, or the opposite, something I thought was gonna be sincere, and they played hilarious. And then often, the things they're doing will inform us on where we want to take the show. We'll see a look between two actors and go, “Oh, what was… what was that?” And then suddenly, now we're exploring storylines. So yeah, I have to say what the writers’ room and the writers are brilliant, and it's so much fun, but watching it actually come to life, that's where the real surprises happen. John Betancourt: The last question I have for you today, what are you each most proud of when it comes to your work on season two? Dean Devlin: That we’re still alive. François Truffaut once said that filmmaking is much like the settlers coming from the east and going out west. They leave with the idea of great riches and a new life. And when they arrive, they're just happy, they're still alive. Jonathan Glassner: I'm always, I'm always happy when I feel like I've entertained an audience for 12 episodes. And you know, from everything I read from the fans, I think we did. And so, you know, that always is very satisfying to me. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
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Midnight Family truly is a unique series on Apple TV+. Since it blends together fiction and real world elements to tell a harrowing tale of a family of paramedics that are struggling to get by and struggling to save lives and to further explore the wonder of this series, we sat down with cast members, Renata Vaca, Diego Calva and Joaquín Cosío to discuss this incredible new series. Renata Vaca (Marigaby Tamayo) and Diego Calva (Marcus Tamayo)John Betancourt: What was it that attracted each of you this incredible project? Renata Vaca: For me, I saw the documentary a few years ago before shooting the series. So, for me, the documentary was like putting on the glasses of reality, just like face the truth about this terrible and hard subject. And then when I got the scripts and I read the story and read the characters, I fell in love with them, and I was really excited to portray this incredible and amazing family. Diego Calva: Well, I think one of the most cool parts when I read the script is I watched the documentary way before, and it was the understanding that I barely understood anything, right? And it was like an actual problem in my city, in my country, in a lot of Latin American countries. It was something that was going on. But I have to admit, also the cast, that was something that makes me like, “Okay, I want to be part of it.” I've been watching Joaquín Cosío, Dolores Heredia’s career my whole life. I worked with Renata before, so that was also part of, you know, like, what get me hooked into the script, and… because I said yes. John Betancourt: Now both of you do some incredible work in this show, and you truly sell the realism of the story as it is. And I'm very curious how each of you as actors brought forth that realism, because it really is much like watching a documentary. Renata Vaca: Thank you. I think that was one of the most important things for us. Even I remember having conversations with Natalia (Beristáin), she was like, “I really want this to feel like a documentary, because that's very refreshing.” It's very incredible to see not the actors acting, but like the character is living things and doing things. So, thank you for that. And talking personally, I really just opened my heart. Of course, I have this preparation with the medical and paramedical stuff, but I just opened my heart. And I was very lucky to have some very incredible cast members right by my side, helping me, and like catching me. And that really helped me a lot to really get into this incredible story. Diego Calva: And I have to say, when you have, like, the right combination of people, Renata just said, like, put the glasses to reality. I will say, take the glasses off and be able and brave enough to be blind, right, and just to take the job and do it. And we found the family. So, it was very easy to walk blindly and say, like, “She's gonna get my back.” John Betancourt: I really appreciated how much this series had to say, not only about the obvious lessons and the problems that are happening in the city, but also just so many interpersonal lessons and so many beautiful moments. But I very curious, above all, what's the big lesson that you want the audience to take away when they watch this show? Renata Vaca: I would love for the show to be like, like if you were outside a glass like, watching a family living their life, a family that that has an ambulance and has to work in this like crazy city, you know, and helping all these people. So, I would love people to feel that and really get more empathetic with this group of people that are living through this medical paramedic things. Diego Calva: And to be able to see all the mirrors, right? Like, in the end, we are talking about a documentary that is portraying real life, and we are doing a fiction. So, it's all about layers, right? And the mirror let you like looking, so like into yourself, but then it could become a glass, and you can see through. So, I really hope all the performance, all the crew, all the effort we put could be translucent and make you actually to have a little side of reality. John Betancourt: I'm just curious, from more generalized standpoint, what are each of you excited for the audience to experience? Diego Calva: Mexico City. Renata Vaca: Mexico City! I agree, yeah, yeah, Mexico City, and the adrenaline, and also the fact, because I think that Mexico is like this, magic place in where you can, like, laugh and cry and learn things. So, I would really hope people to sense that. Diego Calva: And it is a broken family, but we all love each other very much. (Laughs) John Betancourt: What does it mean to each of you then to be a part of such a refreshing and original and meaningful tale? Diego Calva: Well as a Mexican, as a Latino, I'm proud of being able to tell these stories, but not for like, a small group of people. I think the cool part of the streaming, right, is that we can tell these stories and for the rest of the world. So, I’m really proud, and I can't wait for people in Germany, in France, in all over the world, to see it and to feel it and to live it with us, because they’re gonna relate, too, because we all have families. It's not all about the Latin community. It's not only about Mexico City and our problems. It's about like family, and we all can relate with that. Renata Vaca: Yeah, I can't agree more. I mean, I love everything Diego said, and yeah, I hope they can, they can have that, and they can feel the love of this family. Joaquín Cosío (Ramón Tamayo)John Betancourt: What attracted you to this project as an actor?
Joaquín Cosío: It was very well written, very well constructed, and of course a character like Ramón who is a very vulnerable person, a father of a family subjected to a whole series of tensions, family conflicts, a person who apparently ordinary but who, nevertheless, suddenly arrives at a mistake in the way, a single one. And it spotlights those who work in these private ambulances in these pirate ambulances, as they are called, and that service very important in Mexico, gigantic, enormous, with a body of ambulances so reduced and so minimal, it is impossible to serve a city like ours, is where the private service or the pirate service appears that provide a service and that we have to thank. Finally, because in addition to that they do not charge, that is to say, they do not have a rate, properly, and some families don't have the money to give. The universe portrays them very well and the Tamayo family, with this Patriarch and his children, their expectations of life, their desires, their dreams, the concrete concept that they have to cultivate, which only their youngest son doesn't know, etc. John Betancourt: Now there’s a lot of realism in this series, which I appreciated, and I’m curious to hear your thoughts on what it was like to step into this world that doesn’t feel too far from our own. Joaquín Cosío: Yes, I think it's another virtue, the production. I was one of the first ones called and I was very shocked when they described a building on fire with few paramedics with a few conscientious firefighters. I'm going to the location, and I actually discover a building on fire and firefighters as extras, the production is top quality, very solid production, and very solid casting by adding Renata (Vaca), Diego (Calva) and others, it really helped to build this world and make it feel real. John Betancourt: Now this is a very intelligent series, one that harbors a lot of depth, and I’m curious what you hope audiences learn from this series from a message standpoint? Joaquín Cosío: Solidarity, generosity towards others. I think that something that the series shows a lot is this family, without resources, that lives to help others. And I think that the example that Ramón Tamayo gives his family, in some way, especially for Marigaby, that I want her to study hard to become a doctor. Maybe not so much in Marcus since he wants to be a rapper. But in some way, we talk about the importance of family with his fiancée, of that commitment, while we save lives and explore how beautiful that is. John Betancourt: What does it mean to you to be part of a show this original and unique? Joaquín Cosío: Yes, I feel very proud and very lucky, because they thought of me for a character like Ramón Tamayo, and I thank Apple TV Plus, Natalie Beristáin, and everyone who had to do with the construction, of the project. I can't feel luckier than my commitment to a person, this person, that is so endearing, at least for me. I love his vulnerability, courage and bravery. John Betancourt: The last question I have for you today, what are you most proud of when it comes to your work on this season? Joaquín Cosío: Of being able to be in a series with a top-level production. It's an ambitious series, with very important support. I feel very, very proud of being in it, of concentrating my work, of the level of production, to be able to build and tell this story that is, in all, a story of brotherhood, of love for many. Ramón Tamayo is a person who has a family he deeply loves, and he loves to drive an ambulance and help others. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. Natalia Beristáin is a highly accomplished director and writer, and currently… she serves as the showrunner of the new Apple TV+ series, Midnight Family. And to celebrate the first season of this show, we sat down with Natalia to discuss all things Midnight Family. John Betancourt I would like to start by getting to know what inspired you to come on as the showrunner of this series. Natalia Beristáin: Well, the invitation I got by the Fabula team. They had the rights for the documentary, but that was it, at the moment, and I was doing a show with them, and they asked if I wanted to develop it with them and think how this idea can become a fiction show. So having that opportunity like to develop it from scratch, or with this amazing promise that the documentary had, but making it our own and portraying my city, portraying what I live and hate and love every day in the city as a local, and with a local team as well, like local creative team, it was hard to pass. John Betancourt: You bring up a really good point about taking this in a very expansive direction, because I was very impressed with the fact that this series is, at times, it feels very much like a very scripted drama, but also it feels like a documentary, and it also feels very, very real and very raw, which I really appreciated. As a showrunner, what went into the decision to add such depth and add such realism to this particular story. Because this isn't something that medical shows tend to do. Natalia Beristáin: See I think it, I mean, we know these medical shows that have been going on for so many years, and there, obviously there's a formula there that works. But we wanted to take what we thought worked from that formula and make it our own and not try to make like a generic show, but a very specific show on not only the Mexican health issue context, but also, like, the way we live, our city and our like our Latin-ity and like, embrace that and be proud of that and portray that to the world. John Betancourt: Obviously, this is there's a lot of depth just when it comes to the human experience here. And as you just said, you know the situation in Mexico City when it comes to the to the medical setup there, ideally, what do you hope the audience takes away when they watch this show? Natalia Beristáin: See, totally I mean, for me, I mean, you have the medical drama, but it's about the human drama. And I think that it doesn't really matter where you're from or where you live. You can connect with that. You can connect with the fact that you're trying to pay the rent, you're trying to figure out who you are, in the middle of working, and you're falling in love for the first time. You're leaving your child because, not because you want to, but because you have to go and work and make money and all of that. That's the human drama, and that for me, is the core of our show, with the particularity that these characters live in an ambulance and have this adrenaline and rush and deal with life and death, but again, they just want to come to their house and take a bath. And, yeah, chill. John Betancourt: Obviously, this is a very ambitious tale as well. Just it's so grand and so sweeping as well. I love that too. What were some of the big challenges you encountered as a showrunner in assembling something so grand. Natalia Beristáin: Every single thing that you can think of. I mean, shooting nights. We had a very long 25-week shooting, and of course, just by the name you know, you know that you're going to have a lot of shooting nights. Assembling this amazing cast, which I'm so proud of, but it took a while to make it happen, having a scope of a show that could compete with any show out there, but that still doesn't lose its local flavor, if, and doesn't lose sight of what mattered to us, which, again, it's a character driven piece, so having all those layers happening at the same time, it was definitely not easy, But I'm proud of the job accomplished. John Betancourt: Obviously, this is something that, you know, that you put a lot of work into. You very deeply care about. I can tell them in how you speak about it. What does it mean to you now to have it out to the world? Natalia Beristáin: I'm just thrilled that it's out there. Finally. I'm thrilled that not only my work, but the team's work is going to be portrayed there, and the people worldwide can have a different look at what Mexico is, because usually at least the shows that happen on a bigger scale that portrayed Mexico or Latin American countries, they usually get, like, directors from outside to come and narrate our stories, which is fine, but this has that local point of view, and that, for me, is like something I'm really proud of. John Betancourt: Outside of that depth, we discussed, what else are you most excited for audiences to experience without giving any spoilers away? Natalia Beristáin: Well, it's going to be a little window to Mexico City or to the different cities that Mexico City has. It also, I think, it opens questions about, “How does the public health system work in my community? Do I know how it works?” There are also social like narratives that we're touching without making a big political thing out of it. But I think the Latino creative minds behind it, behind and on camera… I am so proud of the scope of our show. I'm so proud of the actors and actresses that are portrayed there. Story wise, the fact that we're telling a story that doesn't necessarily -- it's new characters. I think it's refreshing to see Latino characters that are not Narcos or criminals. It's another part of our society and that I'm proud of as well. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity After skipping an elimination during last week’s episode of The Anonymous on USA Network, they resumed with a vengeance during last night’s episode. For Jack, the loveable gamer that invented some amazing strategies during his time on the show, was sent home by Victoria. And to properly bid farewell to Jack, we sat down with him to discuss his experiences on the show. John Betancourt: I’d love to start by asking what I’ve asked all of your competitors, how you came to be involved in the show. Jack Usher: It’s actually a fun background story. My friends and I during Covid, during lockdown, we had nothing to do. Nobody could go to work or anything. So, to pass the time and stay connected, we got really hooked on the board game Settlers of Catan, and we played, you know, addictively. The joke was, we were the best players in the world, but we only played against each other. And then when Covid started letting up, and there were actually --we found there were in person tournaments. And we were like, “Let's see if we're actually any good,” you know, we go to the tournaments. One of my buddies wins the first tournament, qualifies for the US Nationals. I then, I'm like, I want to play in nationals. Go to five more tournaments. Six of us end up qualifying for nationals. I make semis, get knocked out by my friend. He then goes on to win the US Nationals. He then goes on to play in Worlds, comes in second place in the world. So, in a sense, we are some of the best players in the world. As ridiculous as that is, and casting reached out to him. They figured a Catan player might be good at this game. He's an actor, so he, you know, doesn't want to be pegged as the reality TV guy by casting, for, you know, actual traditional stuff, but he sent him my way, which I'm very appreciative of. Shout out to Eric Freeman, incredible Catan player, great friend, and that's how I got on the show. As ridiculous as that is. John Betancourt: Yeah, no, I love that. That's, that's quite the journey. But obbviously, I have to go right to the million-dollar question… that was an emotional goodbye. That was, definitely, I think, the most emotional goodbye of anybody to date on the show. How hard was it to go home? Jack Usher: For me, it was really tough. And I think it was maybe the toughest for me for a few reasons. One is that I was doing really well, and so I felt like I really started to feel like I could win the whole thing at the beginning of the show. You know, it's not even real yet. It's all ridiculous, and then you start really doing well, and then you can, kind of, like, taste it. There's also another element for me, where, you know, I'm the gamer, I'm the games guy. This is sort of my whole identity, in a way. And so, I was trying to, essentially, like, realize my own identity by winning and but in a sense, losing is… that is such a central part of gaming. It's like, if you're a gamer, you've lost, and I've lost. The thing that I tell people when I beat them at games, and they're like, “I'll never be as good as you,” or “How are you so good?” is I've lost more times than you've played. And so, you gotta ultimately, you know, losing is a good friend of mine, and there's as many lessons to be learned from losing, if not more than winning. So yeah, it was super tough, and I really wanted it. I don't know if anyone else there wanted it quite like how I did, but hey, that's, that's the game, and I was super lucky to play at all. John Betancourt: You also had some of the best strategies out there. I think really, you and Xavier probably had the two best strategies to go with. And I'm kind of curious how you came up with the amazing strategies that you came up with. Because, I mean, you won The Anonymous multiple times, I think, more than anybody else in the game, and you just kept figuring out ways to do it. Jack Usher: Yeah. So, it's so interesting. It's the first iteration of this show. And so, I basically came in and was just trying stuff. I'd like hypothesize an idea and then try it. And sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't, but some of them were very successful. So, my initial idea was I wanted to double bluff as a woman pretending to be a man, and so I thought the football handle was the most, in my opinion, gendered handle towards being a man. And I threw in some language about, oh, dudes, you know, I don't think they aired one, but people started making, like, puns on their own handles, like, “I'm just here eating my popcorn,” and I said something like, “Well, I think this conversation's been a touchdown,” which, to me, is so like, you know, someone who doesn't know anything about football really would say that, like, it doesn't really even make sense. So that was my try, that, in addition to putting Andy at risk, who, by the way, I had no intention of sending home, but I thought that that was probably my best chance, and it really worked. And then afterwards, on the second handle, I had to try something different, and I stumbled upon the Xavier strategy of pretending to be Lilly or Bismah. So, I was just trying stuff, and some of it really worked, and there were parts that didn't totally work, uh, I would definitely, if I were to do it again, I think my big error was being a little too vocal. Ultimately, towards the end, I think as I like, got closer to the end of the game, I started, like, doing too much, but I think I did pretty well in Anonymous mode. I don't think anybody at any point was had me locked in and pegged as a handle like how I think people did for a lot of people. John Betancourt: Now you kind of mentioned some of what you would do a little differently, maybe being a little less vocal. What else would you have done, strategy wise, differently now that you’ve had time to kind of reflect on this Jack Usher: Interesting yeah, what would I have done? I would not have partnered with Xavier for the partner challenge. John Betancourt: I wonder why, that was a tad messy. Stacking those boxes. Jack Usher: Oh, yeah, totally. I… that was, that was a brutal challenge. It was also so windy. I don't know if youcould tell that, but also because, we were already sitting there talking, and DANI announced the challenge and said, “You’ve got to partner up with someone.” And he was right there, pick someone now, and it was like, “Okay, we're here. Let's go.” In retrospect, I wasn't playing for safety in that challenge because I had just gotten safety, and I didn't want to be the guy who's always safe, because I wanted to lower my threat level. But I think by partnering with Xavier, you know, some of his shine, you know, rubbed off on me, and he was always going to be the most threatening player to anyone in the game at every stage. So, I think I had to get in with Xavier, but also maintain a little bit of a distance from him, which I think I failed to do, especially by partnering with him. John Betancourt: Now in staying with time to reflect, I'm very curious what you're going to miss the most about being on this show. Jack Usher: Wow. What am I going to miss the most? You know, it's a dumb answer, but the people. I really think the other players were super special people who I don't -- they're not necessarily the type of people I get to interact with every day. And I think as sometimes, as you get older, your pool of connections sort of whittles down. And so just getting to get out there and meet all these different characters, um, was really special, that… that was a really special element of the game. Um, so that's like, the lame answer, which is true, though, but maybe also just getting to be, like, unabashedly, like, underhanded. I think that that is fun. I don't… I'm very, you know, straight up in real life. And part of why I love to play games is because it's an arena where everybody knows the thing. Everyone knows you're playing to win, and lying is and deceit is totally part of the game. And so, I think having an arena to do that where it's totally acceptable, I will miss that, but I also have other games, so I'll get other chances. This Interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. |
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