''Midnight, Texas'' 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 broadcast on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
.
''Midnight, Texas'' is based on the book series of the same name by author
Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris Schulz (born November 25, 1951) is an American author who specializes in Mystery fiction, mysteries. She is best known for her book series ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', which was adapted as the TV series ''True Blood''. The ...
, who also wrote ''
The Southern Vampire Mysteries
''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', also known as ''The True Blood Novels'' and ''The Sookie Stackhouse Novels'', is a series of books written by bestselling author Charlaine Harris. The first installment, ''Dead Until Dark'' (2001), won the Ant ...
'', the novels which were adapted into the ''
True Blood
''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development.
The serie ...
'' television series. The series premiered on July 24, 2017. On February 14, 2018, NBC renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on October 26, 2018.
On December 21, 2018, NBC canceled the series after two seasons, and the series finale aired on December 28, 2018. Producing studio Universal Television is shopping the series to other outlets.
Synopsis
On the run from his past, young psychic Manfred Bernardo is told by the ghost of his grandmother to seek out refuge in Midnight, Texas. There, he will find a community that can help him. Full of diverse characters—including a vampire, a witch, a fallen angel, a half-demon and a werecreature—Midnight faces numerous threats from the outside world as it welcomes the newcomer.
Cast and characters
Main
*
François Arnaud as Manfred Bernardo, a psychic who moves to Midnight trying to outrun trouble that is following him.
*
Arielle Kebbel
Arielle Caroline Kebbel (born February 19, 1985) is an American actress and model. She has appeared in various television series, including ''Gilmore Girls'' (2003–2004), ''The Vampire Diaries'' (2009–2017), ''Life Unexpected'' (2010), ''90 ...
as Olivia Charity, a freelance assassin with as many secrets as guns she owns, and wife of Lemuel.
*
Peter Mensah
Peter Mensah (born 27 August 1959) is a Ghanaian English actor, best known for his roles in the films '' Tears of the Sun'', '' Hidalgo'', '' The Incredible Hulk'', ''300'', and television series such as Starz' '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'', '' ...
as Lemuel "Lem" Bridger, a vampire with a dark past who first came to Midnight in the 1950s and never left, and Olivia's husband.
*
Dylan Bruce
Dylan Bruce (born April 21, 1980) is a Canadian actor known for his roles as Chris Hughes on the CBS daytime soap opera ''As the World Turns'' and Paul Dierden on BBC America and Space's ''Orphan Black''.
Early life
Bruce was born on April 21, 1 ...
as Bobo Winthrop, the human proprietor of Midnight Pawn, landlord to Lemuel, Olivia, and Manfred. Also, the best friend of Fiji, later her boyfriend.
*
Parisa Fitz-Henley
Parisa Fitz-Henley (born July 22, 1977) is a Jamaican-born American actress, best known for her role as Reva Connors in ''Jessica Jones'' and ''Luke Cage''. From 2017 to 2018, Fitz-Henley starred in the NBC drama ''Midnight, Texas''.
Early life
...
as Fiji Cavanaugh, a quirky free-spirited witch who owns Midnight's magic shop and struggles to come to terms with how powerful she really is.
*
Jason Lewis as Joe Strong, a
fallen angel
In the Abrahamic religions, fallen angels are angels who were expelled from heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" never appears in any Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven"Mehdi Azaiez, Gabriel Said R ...
who has prophesied darkness heading towards Midnight and husband of Chuy, who admonishes him for revealing his angelhood to others.
*
Sarah Ramos as Creek Lovell (season 1; special guest, season 2), the mortal "girl next door beauty" waitress and gas-station attendant who becomes the love interest of Manfred, much to her father's distaste. Eventually, she reaches her limit with Midnight, and leaves town in "Head Games". She returns in "No More Mr. Nice Kai" but was later killed.
*
Yul Vazquez
Yul Vazquez (born March 18, 1965) is a Cuban-American actor and musician. He has appeared in '' Runaway Bride'' (1999), ''Bad Boys II'' (2003), ''War of the Worlds'' (2005), '' American Gangster'' (2007), ''The A-Team'' (2010), '' Captain Philli ...
as Reverend Emilio Sheehan (season 1; special guest, season 2), a quiet weretiger who presides over the Wedding Chapel and Pet Cemetery and their Midnighter patrons. He leaves Midnight in "To Witch Hell and Back" after Kai removes his weretiger curse.
Recurring
* Joanne Camp as Xylda, a former psychic and Manfred's grandmother and con-partner who now appears as a ghost to watch over him. She moves on after her tether to the world is broken.
*
Kellee Stewart
Kellee Stewart (born March 31, 1976) is an American actress.
Early life
Stewart grew up in Norristown, Pennsylvania and graduated from Norristown Area High School in 1993. Stewart also attended the BFA Acting Program at State University of New ...
as Simone Davis/Madonna Reed, a fierce protector of her fellow Midnighters, and waitress and bartender at Midnight's Home Cookin' diner. It is revealed in season two she was operating under a fake name while spying on Olivia and she leaves town.
*
Bernardo Saracino
Bernardo Saracino is an American actor. He is a native of New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialL ...
as Chuy Strong, a half-
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, along with his husband, Joe, fears others will find out what they are. He is killed by Joe in season two.
* Bob Jesser as Shawn Lovell (season 1), the owner of Midnight's Gas 'N Go, who is an overly protective father to his children and distrusts Manfred.
* John-Paul Howard as Connor Lovell (season 1), the younger brother of Creek, who is as protective of her as she is of him. He harbors a secret of his own.
* Joe Smith as Mr. Snuggly (real name Jedediah), Fiji's talking
familiar
In European folklore of the medieval and early modern periods, familiars (sometimes referred to as familiar spirits) were believed to be supernatural entities that would assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic. According to r ...
cat, who was previously the human lover of her aunt Mildred whom she turned into a cat to protect him.
*
Nestor Carbonell
Nestor may refer to:
* Nestor (mythology), King of Pylos in Greek mythology
Arts and entertainment
* "Nestor" (''Ulysses'' episode) an episode in James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses''
* Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, ...
as Kai Lucero (season 2), one of the owners of Midnight's new hotel, along with his wife Patience. Their sudden arrival in town causes a stir and has the Midnighters suspicious about what is really going on.
*
Jaime Ray Newman
Jaime Ray Newman (born April 2, 1978) is an American actress, producer and singer. She is known for starring as Kristina Cassadine in the soap opera '' General Hospital'', Mindy O'Dell in the drama series ''Veronica Mars'', Kat Gardener in the fa ...
as Patience Lucero (season 2), one of the owners of Midnight's new hotel, and Kai's wife.
*
Josh Kelly as Walker Chisum (season 2), an openly gay demon hunter who has an intense connection with resident angel Joe Strong.
Episodes
Season 1 (2017)
Season 2 (2018)
Production
Development
In October 2015, it was reported that
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
was developing based on
Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris Schulz (born November 25, 1951) is an American author who specializes in Mystery fiction, mysteries. She is best known for her book series ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', which was adapted as the TV series ''True Blood''. The ...
' best-selling series ''Midnight, Texas'' for the fall of 2016. Monica Owusu-Breenis will pilot and serve as an EP alongside David Janollari. In January 2016, it's announced that NBC ordered the
pilot episode
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
of the series, with
Niels Arden Oplev
Niels Arden Oplev (; born 26 March 1961) is a Danish film director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Oplev was born in Oue, Denmark. His 1996 film ''Portland'' was entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival.
He directed ''The Gi ...
aboard to direct the pilot and executive produce.
The series was commissioned on May 13, 2016 which will be composed of 13 episodes.
On February 14, 2018, it was announced that NBC renewed the series for a second season. Along with the announcement it was reported that the showrunner Monica Owusu-Breen will be replaced by Nicole Snyder and Eric Charmelo, who were consulting producers on Season 1.
Casting
At the end of June 2016, it was announced that
Jason Lewis promoted to a series regular which had been written as a guest starring/recurring interpreting to Joe Strong. On January 11, 2017, it was announced that Bob Jesser has booked recurring role in the series as Shawn Lovell, Creek's protective father. On July 26, 2017, it was announced that
Breeda Wool
Breeda Wool is an American actress, writer and producer. She is best known for her roles as Lou Linklatter in the Audience crime drama series ''Mr. Mercedes'' (2017–2019) and Faith Deluth in the Lifetime/ Hulu drama series ''UnREAL'' (2015 ...
will appear in an episode playing Bowie, described as a "regal, formidable angel warrior".
Simultaneously with the announcement of the renewal, it was confirmed that
Yul Vazquez
Yul Vazquez (born March 18, 1965) is a Cuban-American actor and musician. He has appeared in '' Runaway Bride'' (1999), ''Bad Boys II'' (2003), ''War of the Worlds'' (2005), '' American Gangster'' (2007), ''The A-Team'' (2010), '' Captain Philli ...
and
Sarah Ramos would not return as series regulars for the second season.
On July 21, 2018, three new recurring roles were announced.
Nestor Carbonell
Nestor may refer to:
* Nestor (mythology), King of Pylos in Greek mythology
Arts and entertainment
* "Nestor" (''Ulysses'' episode) an episode in James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses''
* Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, ...
and
Jaime Ray Newman
Jaime Ray Newman (born April 2, 1978) is an American actress, producer and singer. She is known for starring as Kristina Cassadine in the soap opera '' General Hospital'', Mindy O'Dell in the drama series ''Veronica Mars'', Kat Gardener in the fa ...
were cast as Kai and Patience Lucero, owners of the new Crystal Desert lodge, while
Josh Kelly was booked as Walker Chisum, an openly gay demon hunter with an "intense connection" to Joe.
Trace Lysette was cast in a guest role as "a dark witch bearing a shocker for the town's resident good witch."
Filming
The pilot was filmed in April 2016 in
Albuquerque
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
and
Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas is a city in and the county seat of San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities (one a city and the other a town), both were named Las Vegas—West Las Vegas ("Old Town") and East Las Vegas ("New Town" ...
. The rest of the production of the first season also took place in
Santa Fe,
Bernalillo
Bernalillo () is a town in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 8,320. It is the county seat of Sandoval County.
Bernalillo is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Histor ...
and
Belen, employing over 450 New Mexico crew members and approximately 1,800 New Mexico background talent, and wrapped up in February 2017. Most of the scenes were shot at night and once wrapped at 7 or 8 a.m., five times a week.
Marketing
The official trailer of the series was released on March 20, 2017.
Home media
DVD releases
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 61% approval rating for the first season, with an average rating of 5.34/10 based on 28 reviews.
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, assigned a first-season score of 50 out of 100, based on 16 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Ratings
Season 1
Season 2
References
External links
*
{{authority control
2010s American drama television series
2010s American LGBT-related drama television series
2010s American supernatural television series
2017 American television series debuts
2018 American television series endings
Angels in television
Demons in television
English-language television shows
Television series about ghosts
NBC original programming
Television shows set in Texas
Serial drama television series
Vampires in television
Witchcraft in television
Television series by Universal Television
Television shows based on American novels
Fictional populated places in Texas
LGBT speculative fiction television series