It’s been so long since we’ve had a great science fiction mystery to get the water cooler gossip going, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s JH Wyman. The former Fringe and Almost Human mastermind has cooked up one of this season’s hottest new mysteries in Debris, the latest NBC series poised to join the ranks of Manifest and The Blacklist as one of the most interesting thrillers on the network, but this one carries a sci-fi twist that will keep everyone guessing.
The only talking points for the enigma-shrouded series is that it revolves around alien debris that has fallen from the sky to the surface of the Earth and each piece of Debris has a strange and unsettling effect on everything it comes into contact with. A new agency called Orbital, lead by Craig Maddox (Norbert Leo Butz), is tasked with tracking down the Debris and any and all mysteries that come with it, forcing MI6’s Finola Jones (Riann Steele) and FBI’s Bryan Beneventi (Jonathan Tucker) to work together.
The series’ deliberately vague marketing does leave more questions than answers, and the same is true after having viewed the premiere episode. However, what sets Debris apart from other secrecy stacked shows is that it is first and foremost emotion driven. Without giving too much away, the pilot’s Debris case centers around something primally affecting and moving to just about anyone who would view it and this is driven home by great and at times heartbreaking performances by Tucker, Steele and even players who only appear in this episode who get a lot to do, namely Alisha Newton, who should get tons of attention for her performance here. Most shows don’t bring in powerhouse dramatic moments until they’re a few episodes in. The fact that Wyman goes for the jugular right away is commendable, even more so when the pilot pulls it off without a hitch.
Many comparisons have been made to Wyman’s previous series, Fringe, and while Debris does echo lots of the creepy imagery and sci-fi madness that that series had — a few death scenes in the pilot feel like Fringe‘s greatest hits — there are key differences that work to this show’s advantage. Bryan and Finola’s relationship is, at least for now, strictly professional and the pilot does a great job keeping the pair tense yet effective. They both get moments to talk about the impact the Debris is not only having on the world, but themselves, further exacerbated by key personal connections to the unfolding mystery that is best kept secret for now.
Rest assured, Debris isn’t just about mystery for mystery’s sake; it’s a personal tale and one that provides plenty of opportunities for juicy drama as the show goes on. While the central weirdness of the Debris and its effects on people does turn up the creep factor, every twist feels not just shocking, but earned. A couple times during the pilot, my jaw dropped and that’s the sign of good TV.
Debris is a compelling and emotionally resonant series with all the potential to be the next big hit for NBC. For Fringe fans, it may be the perfect follow up, and even for newcomers, it’ll have you talking long after it ends.
Debris premieres Monday, March 1 at 10pm on NBC.