The CW's New Mid-Season Show "Cult": Why You Should Watch

This thriller-drama has been teased to viewers for more than a year – but the premiere date is finally just around the corner. Picked up for a half-order first season, The CW’s Cult is one of those shows that – even the cast can admit – may be difficult for some viewers to understand without seeing it for themselves. However, the storyline seems promising – and the show has a great deal of potential to draw in a wide range of viewers. We’ll definitely be checking this one out – and recommend that you give it a shot as well.

The Scenario

Now, let’s see if we can get the synopsis explanation down. Cult is an hour-long thriller drama that revolves around another (made up) TV show by the same name: Cult (coincidentally, also on the same network: The CW). As you may have guessed from the title, the fictional TV show is about a cult leader Billy Grimm (Robert Knepper) and his followers. This fictional TV show has a highly involved (and fairly crazy) following, which drives fans of the show to re-enact events that occur on the show – such as kidnapping and murder, for instance. Now, for the actual TV show we’ll be watching: Nate (James Pizzinato), one of the fictional TV show’s fans, begins to explore the numerous disappearances surrounding the show, only to wind up missing himself! His brother Jeff Sefton (Matt Davis), along with one of the fictional TV show’s production assistants Skye Yarrow (Jessica Lucas), uses his skills as an investigative journalist to try and get to the bottom of this insane group of “fans” – and hopefully figure out what happened to his brother before it’s too late.

Whew. See what we mean about being difficult to understand?

The Cast

It’s a fifty-fifty guess as to whether this was a coincidence or clever casting ploy: many of the core cast members for this new show have had well-known roles in the types of TV shows that would tie-in well with Cult. With fans of Prison Break recognizing Cult‘s “cult leader” Billy Grimm (Robert Knepper) as their former villain T-Bag, Vampire Diaries fans seeing their beloved whiskey-drinking vampire hunter/history teacher Alaric Saltzman (Matt Davis) as Jeff Sefton, and both Veronica Mars and Supernatural fans hearing of Alona Tal’s new role, these casting decisions are sure to – at least initially – draw in some viewers. Also, Cult stars Jessica Lucas, of Melrose Place (the new one) and Friends With Benefits (the TV show, not the movie) fame. Of course, many of the cast also had roles on C.S.I. – but let’s face it: who hasn’t had at least a guest appearance or two on that show? Regardless of the casting intentions,we’ll have to wait and see if Cult can capitalize on the various audiences and manage to hold onto them… but no pressure, right?

The Real-Life Interactivity

From the beginning, show-runner Rockne S. O’Bannon has hinted at the show having some sort of interactive tie-in. It is quite fitting, particularly with the show’s content and the viewers’ access to social media and other content. So far, we have only had a few hints as to what this “interactive” element will entail, but you can begin to explore it yourself by visiting the website: www.fandomain.com. Currently, it’s just another trailer for the show – but keep an eye on it, as we have a feeling that may be the site that evolves into something more… fun.

Of course, you can also check out the show’s official “CW” site, “Like” the show’s Facebook, and follow the various Twitter accounts: Matt Davis (@ErnestoRiley), Jessica Lucas (@iamjessicalucas), Robert Knepper (@robert_knepper), Alona Tal (@talalona), Rockne O’Bannon (@Rockne_S), and the Cult writing team (@CultWriters).

The Trailer

Check out the first release trailer from 2012’s Comic Con below: