As viewers continue to experience the Golden Age of TV, networks and streaming services are beginning to experiment with how they tell stories. The old model of airing a show, waiting for ratings, and renewing endlessly until the show isn’t profitable any longer seems to be out of the window. TV seasons are mostly treated as separate self-contained stories, with some series going the full-on anthology route and resetting each year. But TNT is trying something interesting with their critically-acclaimed hit series “The Alienist.” They’re bringing on an entirely new crew to tell a true sequel with a new title.
TNT announced that Frank Pugliese, the showrunner of the soon-to-end Emmy-winning Netflix series “House of Cards,” has been brought aboard to run the new season of “The Alienist,” titled “The Angel of Darkness” to continue to story of a young woman and a doctor on the search for a killer.
READ MORE: TNT’s ‘The Alienist’ Is A Grisly Gilded Age Mystery [Review]
Yes, TV shows have multiple seasons that can be viewed as sequels, in essence, but what TNT is doing is much more in line with how the film industry treats franchises. Instead of keeping the cast and crew that made “The Alienist,” the network has hired a new “filmmaker” to come aboard with some returning cast to tell an entirely new story with a brand-new series title.
For those worried that the series is getting a brand-new cast, then never fear! Actors Daniel Brühl, Dakota Fanning, and Luke Evans are all returning to the new series. “The Angel of Darkness” will now see Fanning’s Sara Howard open her own private detective agency and will require the help of Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Brühl) and John Moore (Evans) to help her track a killer.
“I am thrilled for the opportunity to work with the talented cast, crew and team that brought ‘The Alienist’ to life,” said Pugliese in a statement (via Deadline),. “Myself and the writers coming on board for ‘The Angel of Darkness’ are looking forward to continuing this story born from the wondrous imagination of Caleb Carr.”
Sarah Aubrey, executive vice president of original programming for TNT, said, “Following the tremendous success of ‘The Alienist,’ we are excited to welcome an immensely talented and accomplished showrunner who could not only do justice to Caleb Carr’s popular sequel but also add a unique point of view. With Frank, we have found a three-time Emmy Award nominee whose unique skills will surely catapult ‘The Angel of Darkness’ to the same heights of success as its predecessor.”
Production has yet to begin on the new series, so a release date announcement is premature.