“I want people to remember why they like this show.”
Fans of Syfy’s Wynonna Earp have been anxiously waiting for their beloved series to return on their screens — and the wait is finally over! OMFGTV jumped on the phone with Showrunner/Executive Producer Emily Andras to talk about the premiere — and trust us, you don’t want to miss it!
“It is just full of action,” Andras says of the season opener. “We pick up literally the second after the events of season 1. We hit the ground running, quite literally, and we do not stop. At the same time, all these crazy emotional baggage events that we have to deal with from season 1: Wynonna just killed her own sister and Bobo Del Rey, and Dolls has been taken — a man she has very complicated feelings about. Obviously Waverly has done something crazy; she has touched the tentacle residue left over from whatever demonic creature was trying to cross the Ghost River Triangle.
“So we touch on all those things. But it’s really also both fresh and exciting, a new environment for our show, but at the same time it’s a resetting of the chess board. It’s reminding everybody who these characters are and what their relationships are to one another. But the clock is ticking.”
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When it comes to the premiere, Andras’ #1 goal was for it to be enjoyable. “I just knew I wanted it to be a really fun premiere,” she says. “I really wanted it to be fun more than anything. I think we have a whole season to kind of get back to the relationships and all that stuff. But I want people to remember why they like this show.”
Earpers fell in love with the show’s tone and energy early on in the first season, and Andras knew she had to do everything she could to carry that over into the second season. But would that be possible when they’re expanding their world and adding new cast members? The second season sees new faces, new environments, and new monsters. How did she and her team prepare for something like this?
The biggest thing she stressed to her team going into the second season was that “I just really need it to feel like the first season.” She made sure her writers and crew knew how important it was to “have the same tone, and familiarity, and warmth as the first season.” But they could have fun with it! “It can be more, but it just has to be the same.”
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According to Emily, a big help in carrying that tone and familiarity over is the fans — the Earpers — because they gave the second season a “natural confidence, because people have already bought what you’re selling.” Andras says there’s not as much explanation needed going into the second season since we already know these characters and their relationships to one another, so that gives them the chance to “hit the ground running with action and plot.” Which they literally do.
Last season’s finale left the audience with several cliffhangers that must be addressed in the second season. “Past Emily totally screwed future Emily,” jokes Andras, because now she has to find a way to answer, or at least address, all of them early on. “In a way, though, that was a good guideline that was almost fun!”
She wanted to make sure the cliffhangers are resolved and that they are “super, super satisfying.” And for the ones that are not addressed immediately? “If we’re delaying certain answers to cliffhangers, we just have to be clear that eventually they need to be answered.”
There are 2 big additions to the cast this season and they are Varun Saranga (“Workin’ Moms”) who plays Jeremy, and Tamara Duarte (“Longmire”) who plays Rosita. Earpers know how magical the cast was in the first season, so it’s okay to be skeptical when you find out there are going to be some new players in the new season. But don’t fear because they totally fit in! Emily gave her casting director very specific instructions regarding the types of people she wants on the show. “Don’t send me any dicks!”
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Don’t worry, Emily, Varun and Tamara seem to be the total opposite of that! “They kind of fell in love with the show, I daresay, so they are a really good fit!” And it seems like Jeremy and Rosita will be right in the middle of the action this season. “I think those two characters have a lot of surprises coming up, and as always things aren’t always how they appear, but they were wonderful additions.”
One thing that really stood out in the first season of Wynonna Earp was the amount of talent in such a small show. Everyone involved was incredibly talented, and Emily agrees that the talent only increases this season. “I feel like everybody’s game has jumped 50%, and I didn’t think it could! It just blows my mind. You just wait! I feel like we’re just getting the gears going.”
One actor that really stood out to Andras this season was Tim Rozon, who plays Doc Holliday. “Tim’s on freakin’ fire this year! He’s so good.” Emily even goes so far to call him the “anchor on set” because he is “such a generous actor with everybody else.” That’s probably because Tim is a huge fan of the show. “Nobody loves the show more than Tim Rozon. He is just such a cheerleader, he’s really supportive, he’s just really a leader for us.” From badass gunslinger on-screen to the man with the biggest heart off-screen, Tim Rozon will not disappoint this season.
Please do yourself a favor and tune into Wynonna Earp at 10pm Friday nights on Syfy!
