''Evil'' is an American

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

television series created by

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

and

Michelle King Michelle King (née Stern; born 1958) is an American television writer and producer. She is married to Robert King, who is also her writing partner. The couple created the legal drama series ''The Good Wife'', which earned them a Writers Gui ...

that premiered on September 26, 2019, on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

. The series is produced by

CBS Studios CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount Television, as a renaming of the o ...

and King Size Productions. The series features an ensemble cast led by

Katja Herbers Katja Mira Herbers (born 19 October 1980) is a Dutch actress. She is best known for portraying Dr. Helen Prins on the WGN America drama series ''Manhattan'' (2014–2015), Emily Grace in the HBO science fiction drama series ''Westworld'' (2018� ...

Mike Colter Mike Randal Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the streaming television series ''Luke Cage'' (2016–2018), '' The Defenders'' (2017), and ''Jess ...

, and

Aasif Mandvi Aasif Hakim Mandviwala (born March 5, 1966), known professionally as Aasif Mandvi (, ), is a British-American actor, comedian and author. He was a correspondent on ''The Daily Show'' from 2006 to 2017. Mandvi's other television work includes the ...

Kurt Fuller Kurt Fuller (born September 16, 1953) is an American character actor. He has appeared in a number of television, film, and stage projects. He is best known for his roles in the films ''No Holds Barred'' and ''Ghostbusters II'' (both 1989), ''Way ...

, Marti Matulis,

Brooklyn Shuck Brooklyn Shuck (born March 29, 2005) is an American actress best known for her role as Lynn Bouchard in the CBS/Paramount+ supernatural drama series ''Evil'' (2019–present). Career Brooklyn Shuck is an actress known for her numerous Broadway ...

, Skylar Gray, Maddy Crocco, Dalya Knapp,

Christine Lahti Christine Ann Lahti (born April 4, 1950) is an American actress and filmmaker. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1984 film '' Swing Shift''. Her other film roles include '' ...And Justice for All'' (19 ...

Michael Emerson Michael Emerson (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor who is best known for his roles as serial killer William Hinks on ''The Practice'', Benjamin Linus on ''Lost'', Zep Hindle in the first ''Saw'' film, Cayden James on ''Arrow'', and H ...

, Ashley Edner and

Andrea Martin Andrea Louise Martin (born January 15, 1947) is an American-Canadian actress, singer, and comedian, best known for her work in the television series '' SCTV'' and ''Great News''. She has appeared in films such as '' Black Christmas'' (1974), ''W ...

also star. In October 2019, the series was renewed for a second season. In May 2021, it was confirmed that the series would move from CBS to

Paramount+ Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

. The second season premiered on June 20, 2021. In July 2021, the series was renewed for a third season which premiered on June 12, 2022, and concluded on August 14, 2022. In July 2022, the series was renewed for a fourth season. ''Evil'' has received critical acclaim, with particular praise for its acting, characters, writing, direction, and cinematography.

Premise

A skeptical

forensic psychologist Forensic psychology is the development and application of scientific knowledge and methods to help answer legal questions arising in criminal, civil, contractual, or other judicial proceedings. Forensic psychology includes both research on various ...

(Herbers) allies with a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

seminarian A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

(Colter) and a similarly sceptical technology contractor (Mandvi) to investigate purported supernatural incidents.

Cast and characters

Main

as Dr. Kristen Bouchard, a

hired by David Acosta to help him distinguish between legitimate instances of demonic possession and insanity. Kristen is not religious and does not believe in demons or the supernatural, but finds her skepticism tested many times as she walks a thin line between what science can account for and what it has yet to explain. *

as David Acosta, a former journalist studying to be a Catholic priest. He currently works as an assessor, tasked with investigating and confirming events such as miracles and reports of demons. He takes

hallucinogen Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorized ...

s in order to see visions, but he is not sure if they are from God or his own mind. *

as Ben Shakir, a contractor who works with David as his technical expert and equipment handler. He plays

devil's advocate The (Latin for Devil's advocate) is a former official position within the Catholic Church, the Promoter of the Faith: one who "argued against the canonization ( sainthood) of a candidate in order to uncover any character flaws or misrepresent ...

, providing scientific explanations for supernatural phenomena. *

as Dr. Kurt Boggs, a

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

and Kristen's therapist * Marti Matulis as George, a

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

who appears to Kristen in her dreams. Matulis portrays many of the other demons and creatures in the series, including the AR Demon in "Rose390", one of the Ghoul Orderlies in "Room 320", Townsend's Devil Therapist in "Justice × 2", "Book 27" and "U Is for U.F.O.", the

Archangel Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

in "A Is for Angel", the Jinn in "F Is for Fire", "Z Is for Zombies" and "I Is for IRS", Brother Paul in "S Is for Silence", Eddie in "D Is for Doll", the Winged Demon in "C Is for Cannibal", and the Manager Demon in “The Angel of Warning” **

Euan Morton Euan Douglas George Morton (born Iain Middleton on 13 August 1977) is a Scottish actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Boy George in the musical ''Taboo'', receiving nominations for the Laurence Olivier Award and Tony Award for hi ...

voices George,

Michael Cerveris Michael Cerveris (born November 6, 1960) is an American actor, singer, and guitarist. He has performed in many stage musicals and plays, including several Stephen Sondheim musicals: ''Assassins'', ''Sweeney Todd'', '' Road Show'', and '' Passio ...

voices Townsend's Devil Therapist, and

Kevin Chapman Kevin Chapman (born July 29, 1962) is an American actor known for playing an assortment of characters ranging from the obnoxious brother Terrence Garrity in FX's '' Rescue Me'' to street enforcer Val Savage in Clint Eastwood's ''Mystic River'' ...

voices the Manager Demon, all uncredited *

as Lynn Bouchard, Kristen's eldest daughter * Skylar Gray as Lila Bouchard, Kristen's second daughter * Maddy Crocco as Lexis Bouchard, Kristen's third daughter * Dalya Knapp as Laura Bouchard, Kristen's youngest daughter *

as Sheryl Luria, Kristen's supportive, hard-living mother *

as Dr. Leland Townsend, Kristen's professional rival and an expert in the occult. He is obsessed with encouraging others to commit evil acts. He has a particular interest in David, stemming from his contempt for those who believe themselves incapable of sin. The episode "Justice × 2" reveals that he is really Jake Perry, a former insurance adjuster from

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

working to influence others into acts of evil. * Ashley Edner as Abbey (season 2; guest season 3), a

succubus A succubus is a demon or supernatural entity in folklore, in female form, that appears in dreams to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. According to religious tradition, a succubus needs male semen to survive; repeated sexual activity ...

that taunts Ben during his dreams **

Ciara Renée Ciara Renée Harper (born October 19, 1990) is an American actress and musician. She is best known for her roles on Broadway as The Witch in ''Big Fish,'' the Leading Player in ''Pippin'', and Elsa in '' Frozen.'' She played Esmeralda in ''The H ...

voices Abbey in a recurring role *

as Sister Andrea (recurring season 2; season 3), a powerful nun who advises David and serves as Leland's polar opposite

Recurring

* Darren Pettie as Orson LeRoux (seasons 1–2), a convicted serial killer who is evaluated by Kristen *

Brooke Bloom Brooke Bloom is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as ''Ronah'' in the drama film ''She's Lost Control (film), She's Lost Control'' (2014). Career Her first on-screen appearance was a role as Grunge Girl in the episod ...

as Emily LeRoux (seasons 1, 3), Orson LeRoux's wife *

Danny Burstein Danny Burstein (born June 16, 1964) is an American actor and singer, most known for his work on the Broadway stage. A seven-time Tony Award nominee, Burstein won the 2020 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance as Har ...

as Lewis Cormier (seasons 1–2), Kristen's former boss and the D.A. of

Queens, New York City Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...

* Boris McGiver as

Monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

Matthew Korecki (seasons 1–3), a distinguished priest who Kristen, David and Ben receive and report their cases to * Sohina Sidhu as Karima Shakir, Ben's sister and a tech expert *

Clark Johnson Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954), is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in ''Night Heat'' (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in ''E.N.G.'' (1989� ...

as Father Amara (season 1), an

exorcist In some religions, an exorcist (from the Greek „ἐξορκιστής“) is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or performs the ridding of demons or other supernatural beings who are alleged to have possessed a person, ...

and David's spiritual advisor *

Noah Robbins Noah Robbins is an American actor. Background Robbins is a native of Washington, D.C. and graduated from Georgetown Day School in 2009. Robbins made his Broadway debut in the 2009 production of ''Brighton Beach Memoirs ''Brighton Beach Me ...

as Sebastian Lewin (season 1), a young man targeted by Leland * Nora Murphy as Rose390 (seasons 1–2), a young girl

avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...

in a video game whose creator attacks David *

Karen Pittman } Karen Pittman is an American actress. Born in Mississippi and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Pittman received a Bachelor of Arts in Voice and Opera at Northwestern University and a Masters of Fine Arts from NYU's Graduate Acting Program. Pittma ...

as Caroline Hopkins (season 1), a woman on whom The Catholic Church performs an exorcism * Nicole Shalhoub as Vanessa Dudley (seasons 1–2), one of the co-hosts of the ghost-themed

reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

"Gotham Ghosts" and Ben's on-again/off-again girlfriend *

Li Jun Li Li Jun Li is an American actress, known for her portrayal of Iris Chang in the ABC series '' Quantico'', Rose Cooper in the Fox series ''The Exorcist'', and Jenny Wah in the Netflix series ''Wu Assassins''. Early life Li was born in Shanghai, ...

as Grace Ling, a supposed doomsday prophet under investigation by The Catholic Church *

Kristen Connolly Kristen Connolly (born July 12, 1980) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Dana in the 2011 film ''The Cabin in the Woods'', Christina Gallagher on the Netflix series ''House of Cards'' and Jamie Campbell on the CBS series ''Zo ...

as Detective Mira Byrd (seasons 1–2), a

homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

detective in the

NYPD The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

and Kristen's friend *

Patrick Brammall Patrick Brammall (born 30 March 1976) is an Australian actor and writer. He is best known for his roles as Sean Moody in the ABC comedy '' A Moody Christmas''; as Leo Taylor in Series 5 of Channel Ten's ''Offspring;'' and as Sergeant James Ha ...

as Andy Bouchard, Kristen's husband, father of their daughters and a professional climbing guide who is often away from the family *

Peter Scolari Peter Thomas Scolari (September 12, 1955 – October 22, 2021) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Michael Harris on ''Newhart'' (1984–1990), Henry Desmond on ''Bosom Buddies'' (1980–1982) and Wayne Szalinski on ''Hone ...

as Bishop Thomas Marx (seasons 1–2), a skeptical Catholic Church official who assigns David's cases prior to his

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

. His appearances in Season 2 were some of Scolari's final performances before his death in 2021. *

Renée Elise Goldsberry Renée Elise Goldsberry (born January 2, 1971) is an American actress and singer known for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical ''Hamilton'', for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musica ...

as Renée Harris (seasons 1–2), a

defense attorney A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various ...

working for The Catholic Church * Taylor Louderman as Malindaz, a popular

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

beauty

vlog A video blog or video log, sometimes shortened to vlog (), is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in ...

ger who is one of Leland's clients *

Dylan Baker Dylan Baker (born October 7, 1959) is an American actor. He gained recognition for his roles in the films such as ''Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' (1987), ''Happiness'' (1998), '' Thirteen Days'' (2000), ''Road to Perdition'' (2002), ''Spider-M ...

as Father Kay (season 2), one of David's teachers at The Catholic Church *

Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell (born October 31, 1957) is an American actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theater since the 1990s. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2000 for ...

as Father Joe Mulvehill (season 2), a spiritually exhausted exorcist suffering from a crisis of faith * Stephen Dexter as "Fry Guy" (seasons 2–3), a man that Kristen assaults after he was repeatedly rude to her, leading to the creation of a

viral video A viral video is a video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhong Lan, Alexander Haupt ...

* Brian d'Arcy James as Victor LeConte (seasons 2–3), an agent of The Entity, the Vatican secret service *

Anthony DeSando Anthony DeSando (born December 4, 1965), also known as Anthony Joseph De Santis, is an American actor. DeSando often portrays a joker or dapper villain in mob films such as ''New Jack City''. Early life DeSando was born in Jersey City, New Jer ...

as Father Rodrigo Katagas (seasons 2–3), a high-ranking member of The Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei aka The Holy Office *

Tim Matheson Tim Matheson (born Timothy Lewis Matthieson; December 31, 1947) is an American actor and director. Some of his best-known acting roles include the title character of the 1960s animated ''Jonny Quest'' TV series, Eric "Otter" Stratton in the 197 ...

as Edward Tragoren (seasons 2–3), a sinister business consultant and friend of Leland who romances Sheryl

Guest

Dakin Matthews Melvin Richard "Dakin" Matthews (born November 7, 1940) is an American actor, playwright, theatre director, and theatrical scholar. Best known as Herb Kelcher in ''My Two Dads'' (1987–1989), Hanlin Charleston in ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007) ...

as Father Augustus * John Glover as Byron Duke *

Dascha Polanco Dascha Yolaine Polanco (born December 3, 1982) is a Dominican-American actress. She is known for portraying the role of Dayanara "Daya" Diaz on the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'', and for the role of Cuca in the 2021 movie ''In the He ...

as Patti Hitchens * Luke Judy as Eric McCrystal *

Michael Stahl-David Michael Stahl-David (born October 28, 1982) is an American actor, known for his role as Sean Donnelly on the NBC drama series ''The Black Donnellys'' and his lead role as Robert "Rob" Hawkins in the J. J. Abrams-produced film ''Cloverfield'' and ...

as Tom McCrystal *

Heather Lind Heather Lind (born March 22, 1983) is an American actress. She is known for her portrayal of Anna Strong in the AMC series '' Turn: Washington's Spies''. She is the twin sister of actress Christina Bennett Lind.

as Sara McCrystal *

Scott Ian Scott Ian (born Scott Ian Rosenfeld, December 31, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the thrash metal band Anthrax. Ian is the guitarist and a founding member of the crossover thrash band Stormtroo ...

as The Butcher * Annaleigh Ashford as Bridget Farrell *

Vondie Curtis-Hall Vondie Curtis-Hall is an American actor, screenwriter, film director, and television director. As an actor, he is known for his role as Dr. Dennis Hancock on the CBS medical drama '' Chicago Hope'' created by David E. Kelley and as Ben Urich in ...

as Leon Acosta *

Jeremy Shamos Jeremy Shamos (born February 22, 1970) is an American actor. Early life Shamos was born in New York City but raised in Denver, Colorado. He has a M.F.A. from New York University. Career Shamos is a character actor, his most notable roles are ...

as Dr. Phillip Lynch-Giles *

Jayne Houdyshell Jayne Houdyshell (born September 25, 1953) is an American, Tony-winning actress known for her performances on stage and screen. Houdyshell made her Broadway debut in the 2005 production of ''It's a Wonderful Life''. The following year she earn ...

as Judge Sarah Carla Shire * Megan Ketch as Judy James *

Gbenga Akinnagbe Olugbenga Enitan Temitope Akinnagbe ( ; born 12 December 1978) is an American actor and writer, best known for his roles as Chris Partlow on the HBO series ''The Wire'' and as Larry Brown on the HBO series '' The Deuce''. Early life Akinnagb ...

as Lando Mutabazi *

Brandon J. Dirden Brandon J. Dirden (born 1978) is an American actor, best known for portraying Martin Luther King Jr. in the Broadway production of Robert Schenkkan's ''All the Way''. Career A Morehouse College and University of Illinois graduate, Dirden made h ...

as Raymond *

Jessie Mueller Jessica Ruth Mueller (born February 20, 1983) is an American actress and singer. She started her acting career in Chicago and won two Joseph Jefferson Awards in 2008 and 2011 for her roles as Carrie Pipperidge in ''Carousel'' and Amalia Balash i ...

as Anya *

Matilda Lawler Matilda Lawler is an American actress best known for starring roles in the film '' Flora & Ulysses'' and the HBO Max miniseries '' Station Eleven''. Early life Lawler was born in 2008 to parents Matthew and Mara Lawler, who themselves are actors. ...

as Matilda Mowbray *

Zuleikha Robinson Zuleikha Robinson (born 29 June 1977) is a British actress. She first came to attention as Yves Adele Harlow, a mysterious thief on the 2001 series ''The Lone Gunmen''. She has appeared in the films ''Hidalgo'' (2004), ''The Merchant of Venice'' ...

as Jane Castle *

Welker White Welker White (born September 1, 1964) is an American film and stage actress known for her roles in the Martin Scorsese films ''Goodfellas'' (1990), '' The Wolf of Wall Street'' (2013) and ''The Irishman'' (2019), in which she portrays the wife ...

as Michele Sawyer *

Wayne Duvall Wayne Duvall (born May 29, 1958) is an American actor known for appearing as Homer Stokes in ''O Brother, Where Art Thou?'', as well recurring roles as the television series ''Billions'', ''The District'', ''The Leftovers'', '' BrainDead'', ''The ...

as Louie Wolff *

Fredric Lehne Fredric George Lehne (born February 3, 1959) is an American actor of film, stage, and television. Acting since 1978, he has appeared in more than 200 films, mini-series, and television episodes, as well as stage productions across the United St ...

as Mick Carr *

Corey Cott Corey Michael Cott (born March 30, 1990) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for playing Jack Kelly in the Broadway musical '' Newsies,'' replacing Jeremy Jordan, and for originating the role of Donny Novitski in the Broadway musi ...

as Officer Turley *

Kenneth Tigar Kenneth Tigar (born September 24, 1942) is an American actor, primarily on American television, and translator. Life Kenneth Leslie Tigar was born into a Jewish family in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and raised in the Greater Boston Area. He recei ...

as Winston * Frank Wood as Brother Jacob *

Michael Esper Michael James Esper (born December 1, 1975) is an American actor, best known for his stage work. Early life Esper was born in Manhattan and raised in Montclair, New Jersey. He is the son of acting teachers William and Suzanne Esper, of the W ...

as Scientist *

Reed Birney Reed Birney (born September 11, 1954) is an American actor. Birney is known for his performances on stage and screen often acting on and off Broadway. Birney gained acclaim in 2016 for his role in '' The Humans'' winning the Tony Award for Best F ...

as Father Thunderland *

Ato Essandoh Ato Essilfi Bracato Essandoh (born July 29, 1972) is an American television and film actor. Early life Essandoh was born in Schenectady, New York to Ghanaian parents and graduated from New Rochelle High School in 1990. He received a B.S. in che ...

as Nathan Katsaris *

Taylor Trensch Taylor Hunt Trensch (born May 3, 1989) is an American stage and film actor. Early life and education Trensch was born in Tampa, Florida. He began his education at Howard W. Blake High School in Tampa, Florida. He was an acting major and stud ...

as Mitch Otterbean *

Wallace Shawn Wallace Michael Shawn (born November 12, 1943) is an American actor, playwright, and essayist. His film roles include Wally Shawn (a fictionalized version of himself) in '' My Dinner with Andre'' (1981), Vizzini in ''The Princess Bride'' (1987), ...

as Father Frank Ignatius *

Ruthie Ann Miles Ruthie Ann Miles (born April 21, 1983) is an American actress, best known for her roles in musical theatre and on television. Off-Broadway, she has played Christmas Eve in ''Avenue Q'' and starred as Imelda Marcos in ''Here Lies Love'', winnin ...

as Dr. Beverly Swan *

Kayli Carter Kayli Carter (born July 8, 1993) is an American actress. She portrayed Sadie Rose in the Netflix western TV series '' Godless'', and Amber McCarden in the movie '' Bad Education'', opposite Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney. Her role in ''Priva ...

as Amalia *

Annie Golden Annie Golden (born October 19, 1951) is an American actress and singer. She first came to prominence as the lead singer of the punk band the Shirts from 1975 to 1981 with whom she recorded three albums. She began her acting career as Mother in ...

as Traci *

Lena Hall Celina Consuela Gabriella Carvajal (born January 30, 1980), known professionally as Lena Hall, is an American actress and singer. She originated the role of Nicola in the Broadway theatre, Broadway musical ''Kinky Boots (musical), Kinky Boots'' ...

as Marie Taylor *

Malina Weissman Malina Weissman (born March 12, 2003) is an American actress and model, best known for playing the roles of Violet Baudelaire in the Netflix series ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'', young April O'Neil in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' and y ...

as Candice Berganza *

Michael Chernus Michael Louis Chernus (born August 8, 1977) is an American actor. He has acted on film, television, and the stage. He is perhaps best known for his role as Cal Chapman on the Netflix original comedy-drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013 ...

as Dr. Paul *

Gia Crovatin Gia Alessandra Crovatin is an American actress and producer. She is best known for her film roles as Dylan in the 2015 comedy film '' Dirty Weekend'' and Sasha in the comedy film '' I Feel Pretty''. Her television roles include Drew in the comedy ...

as Renee *

Patrick Page John Patrick Page (born April 27, 1962) is an American actor, low bass singer, and playwright. He originated the roles of Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in '' Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'', the Grinch in ''Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christm ...

as Father Luke *

Dana Gourrier Dana Michelle Gourrier is an American actress, known for her roles as Cora in the film ''Django Unchained'' (2012), and as Minnie Mink in ''The Hateful Eight'' (2015), both directed by Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born Ma ...

as Yasmin *

Nate Mann Nate Mann is an American actor. Mann attended Germantown Academy, graduating in 2015. He would first study acting at Walnut Street Theatre, and then at Juilliard School, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2019. Mann made his stage debut in ...

as Henry Trezza

Episodes

Season 1 (2019–20)

Season 2 (2021)

Season 3 (2022)

Production

CBS ordered a pilot for the potential series in January 2019, created by the writing team Robert and Michelle King. Katja Herbers and Mike Colter were cast in February, with Michael Emerson and Aasif Mandvi cast in March. A series order was officially made in May 2019. A day after that, it was announced that the series would premiere in the fall of 2019 and air on Thursday nights at 10:00 p.m. during the 2019–2020 television season. On July 18, 2019, Christine Lahti was cast as Sheryl Luria, replacing

Deirdre O'Connell Eleanore Deirdre O'Connell (16 June 1939 – 9 June 2001) was an Irish American actress, singer, and theatre director who founded the Focus Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Biography O'Connell was born in the South Bronx district of New York City, o ...

who was in the original pilot. On July 25, 2019, it was announced that Kurt Fuller, who guest starred in the pilot, had been promoted to a series regular. The series debuted on September 26, 2019. On October 22, 2019, CBS renewed the series for a second season. The filming of the second season was delayed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...

, but later began in October 2020 and was rerouted into a more "character-focused season." Filming concluded in June 2021. On May 18, 2021, it reported that the series would move to

for the second season. On May 23, 2021, it was announced that the second season would premiere on June 20, 2021. On July 8, 2021, Paramount+ renewed the series for a third season which ran from June 12, 2022, to August 14, 2022. Filming for this season started on November 15, 2021, and was completed in May 2022. It consisted of 10 episodes. On July 5, 2022, Paramount+ renewed the series for a fourth season.

Release

Marketing

On May 15, 2019, CBS released the first official trailer for the series. In September 2020, CBS announced that the first season would be made available on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

in October 2020 in order to generate attention for the upcoming second season. The series left Netflix in the US on October 1, 2021, due to becoming a

exclusive.

International broadcast

''Evil'' premiered in Canada on

Global Global means of or referring to a globe and may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 1989 * ''Global'' (Todd Rundgren album), 2015 * Bruno ...

on September 26, 2019.

CBS Studios International Paramount Global Distribution Group or Paramount Global Content Distribution is the international television distribution arm of American media conglomerate, Paramount Global, originally established in 1962 as the international distribution divis ...

announced on October 22, 2019, that ''Evil'' would air in Spain on

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

in January 2020. On October 29, CBS announced ''Evil'' would be available on

Globoplay Globoplay is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Grupo Globo. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced by Estúdios Globo with the service also hosting content from other provider ...

in Brazil on November 1. ''Evil'' premiered in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

on October 31 on

Universal TV Universal TV, formerly Universal Channel, is an international pay television network specializing in movies and television series in the thriller, drama, comedy, horror, crime and investigation genres, owned by NBCUniversal International Netwo ...

through an exclusive licensing agreement between CBS Studios International and NBCUniversal International Networks. CBS Studios International has also signed a licensing agreement with French broadcaster

TF1 Group TF1 Group (french: Groupe TF1) is a French media holding company. Its best-known property is the broadcast network TF1. The group was formed after TF1 was privatized in April 1987. It is controlled with a 43% stake by Bouygues, and is quoted ...

for ''Evil'' to air in France, where it premiered on May 19, 2021. In India, ''Evil'' initially premiered on the streaming service Voot Select in April 2020, followed by a network television premiere on June 23, 2020, on

Zee Café Zee Café is an Indian pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The channel mainly syndicates popular American and British television shows to appeal to the English-speaking population of India. History Zee English was ...

. In July 2020, the British

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channel

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announced that they had bought the British rights to ''Evil'' and the show premiered in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

on September 21, 2020. In Germany, the show first premiered on the

pay-TV Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, but ...

channel

ProSieben Fun ProSieben Fun is a pay-TV channel from ProSiebenSat.1 Media that was launched on 3 May 2012. The channel targets 14-39 year olds. ProSieben Fun shows repeats of ProSieben and Sat.1 shows, plus exclusive premieres (including ''Germany's Next Top ...

on August 7, 2020, followed by a free-TV premiere on February 17, 2021, on

ProSieben ProSieben (, ''sieben'' is German for "seven"; often stylized as Pro7) is a German free-to-air television network owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media. It was launched on 1 January 1989. It is Germany's second-largest privately owned television company ...

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

reported a "certified fresh" 92% approval rating based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 7.70/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Smartly-written and effectively unsettling, ''Evil'' works best when it dares to delve into the depths of the uncomfortable questions it poses."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which uses a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

, assigned a score of 76 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The first season was named as one of the best television shows of 2019 by ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'',

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

, and ''

TVLine ''TVLine'' is a website devoted to information, news, and spoilers of television programs. History In late 2010, ''Entertainment Weekly''s Michael Ausiello announced that he would be leaving ''EW'' after nearly two years in their employ to est ...

''. In 2021, the show was named the best show on television by

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

. At the

1st Critics' Choice Super Awards The 1st Critics' Choice Super Awards, presented by the Critics Choice Association, honoring the best in genre fiction film and television, were held on January 10, 2021. They were broadcast by the CW, during which Patrick Stewart and Sonequa Mar ...

, the series received four nominations: Best Horror Series, Best Actor in a Horror Series (Colter, Emerson) and Best Actress in a Horror Series (Herbers). The second season has a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 8.80/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "''Evil'' successfully slips into the streaming world with a spooky second season that doubles down on the scares without losing its sense of humor." On Metacritic, the second season received a score of 84 based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". The third season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 8.50/10. On Metacritic, the third season received a score of 92 based on reviews from 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Ratings

Home media

CBS Home Entertainment CBS Home Entertainment (formerly CBS Video Enterprises, Inc., MGM/CBS Home Video, CBS/Fox Video and CBS Video, currently branded as CBS DVD for DVD releases and CBS Blu-ray for Blu-ray releases) is a home entertainment company owned by Paramoun ...

released the complete first season on DVD on June 30, 2020. The complete second season was released on DVD-R on June 7, 2022.

References

External links

* * {{Paramount+ 2019 American television series debuts 2010s American drama television series 2020s American drama television series 2010s American supernatural television series 2020s American supernatural television series American thriller television series CBS original programming Catholic drama television series Demons in television Paramount+ original programming Television series by CBS Studios Television series created by Robert and Michelle King Television shows set in New York City