''Harper's Island'' is an American horror mystery limited series created by Ari Schlossberg for

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

. Schlossberg, Jeffrey Jackson Bell and

Jon Turteltaub Jonathan Charles Turteltaub (born August 8, 1963) is an American film director, writer and producer. Early life, family and education Turteltaub was born on August 8, 1963, in New York City, one of two children born to comedy writer Saul Turtel ...

served as executive producers. The series features an

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

led by Elaine Cassidy alongside

Christopher Gorham Christopher David Gorham (born August 14, 1974) is an American actor. He is best known for his work on television, particularly for playing Henry Grubstick on the ABC comedy-drama series ''Ugly Betty'', Auggie Anderson on the action-drama serie ...

Katie Cassidy Katie Cassidy (born November 25, 1986) is an American actress. Following several minor television roles, she came to attention as a scream queen after starring in the horror films ''When a Stranger Calls (2006 film), When a Stranger Calls'' (2006 ...

, Cameron Richardson, Adam Campbell, C.J. Thomason, and

Jim Beaver James Norman Beaver Jr. (born August 12, 1950) is an American actor, writer, and film historian. He is most familiar to worldwide audiences as Bobby Singer in ''Supernatural''. He also played Whitney Ellsworth on the HBO Western drama series '' ...

. The plot follows a group of family and friends that travel to the titular locale for a destination wedding, only to learn that there is a killer among them. At the center of the mystery is Abby Mills (Elaine Cassidy), whose mother was one of several people murdered by John Wakefield seven years prior. The series premiered on April 9, 2009, and was marketed as a thirteen-week limited event. The final two episodes aired on July 11. By the end of its run, ''Harper's Island'' averaged 9.36 million viewers, ranking #50 in

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

. The first three episodes aired on Thursdays, but was moved to Saturdays during the week of April 28. Because of this,

Global Television Network The Global Television Network (more commonly called Global, or occasionally Global TV) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English language, English-language terrestrial television, terrestrial television network. It is currently Canada's se ...

premiered the following episodes two days prior to the United States. The series was initially intended to be an

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

featuring a new setting and characters in the second season. However, on July 14, 2009, CBS cancelled the series after one season. The show gained a strong cult following since its release, with some critics and fans noting it as being ahead of its time.

Plot

The show takes place on Harper's Island, where John Wakefield went on a killing spree and murdered a number of people before supposedly being killed by the island sheriff, Charlie Mills. One of the victims was the sheriff's wife. After her death, Sheriff Mills sends their daughter, Abby, to live with family in L.A. and she hasn't returned since. After 7 years, Abby is finally returning to the island for her best friend Henry's wedding, but now the killing starts again and everyone is a suspect. The guests manage to unlock secrets of the island and of Wakefield as the series progresses.

Cast and characters

Main

* Elaine Cassidy as Abby Mills, the groom's best friend *

as Henry Dunn, fiancé of Trish Wellington *

as Patricia 'Trish' Wellington, the radiant bride-to-be *

Gina Holden Gina Holden (born March 17, 1975) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Coreen Fennel in '' Blood Ties'', Dale Arden in ''Flash Gordon'', Monica Eaton in '' Suits'' and Shea Allen in ''Harper's Island''. Early life Gina Holden ...

as Shea Allen, Trish's big sister and

Maid of Honor Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party at some Western traditional wedding ceremonies. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often the bride's close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ce ...

* Cameron Richardson as Chloe Carter, one of Trish's bridesmaids * Adam Campbell as Cal Vandeusen, Chloe's boyfriend and a doctor *

Matt Barr Matthew Jerome Barr (born February 14, 1984) is an American actor, best-known as Johnson "Johnse" Hatfield in '' Hatfields & McCoys'' (2012), Danny McNamara in the CBS/Paramount+ action–adventure television series ''Blood & Treasure'' (2019– ...

as Christopher "Sully" Sullivan, Henry's best man * C.J. Thomason as Jimmy Mance, a local fisherman and Abby's high school sweetheart *

as Sheriff Charlie Mills, the sheriff on Harper's Island and Abby's father

Recurring

Richard Burgi Richard William Burgi (, born July 30, 1958) is an American film and television actor best known for the roles of Det. Jim Ellison on '' The Sentinel'' and as Karl Mayer on ''Desperate Housewives''. He also portrayed Paul Hornsby in the ABC da ...

as Thomas Wellington, real estate mogul and Trish and Shea's father * Victor Webster as Hunter Jennings, Trish's ex-college boyfriend * Dean Chekvala as J.D. Dunn, Henry's brother * Harry Hamlin as "Uncle" Marty Dunn, Henry and J.D.'s uncle and surrogate father * David Lewis as Richard Allen, Shea's husband * Cassandra Sawtell as Madison Allen, Shea and Richard's daughter *

Claudette Mink Claudette Mink (born April 4, 1971) is a Canadians, Canadian former actress. Education She is a graduate of George Brown Theatre School."First Mate doesn't coast through The Guard; Strong script drew Claudette Mink to character" by Rosalind Duane ...

as Katherine Wellington, Trish and Shea's stepmother * Brandon Jay McLaren as Danny Brooks, a groomsman and Henry's best friend from college *

Chris Gauthier Chris Gauthier (27 January 1976 – 23 February 2024) was an English-Canadian actor best known for his roles as Neville in '' Need for Speed: Carbon'' and William Smee in ''Once Upon a Time''. Early life Chris Gauthier was born in Luton, Engl ...

as Malcolm Ross, a groomsman * Sean Rogerson as Joel Booth, a groomsman * Amber Borycki as Beth Barrington, a bridesmaid and Trish's former college roommate *

Sarah Smyth Sarah Smyth (born October 12, 1982) is a Canadians, Canadian acting, actress who starred on the three seasons of the Canadian show ''Naked Josh'' and known for ''50/50 (2011 film), 50/50'' (2011), ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning T ...

as Lucy Daramour, a bridesmaid and one of Trish's childhood friends *

Ben Cotton Ben Cotton (born July 26, 1975) is a Canadian film and television actor. His most notable roles are on the TV series ''Stargate Atlantis'' playing scientist Dr. Kavanagh, his portrayal of "Leon Bell" in the game Dead Rising 2, Shane Pierce, the ...

as Shane Pierce, a local fisherman who pretty much hates everyone * Anna Mae Routledge as Kelly Seaver, Shane's ex-girlfriend * Ali Liebert as Nikki Bolton, Abby's friend who manages The Cannery * Beverly Elliott as Maggie Krell, the manager of The Candlewick Inn *

Callum Keith Rennie Callum Keith Rennie (born 14 September 1960) is a Canadian actor, based in British Columbia. His breakthrough role was as punk rocker Billy Tallent in the music mockumentary ''Hard Core Logo'' (1996), followed by a starring role as Det. Stanle ...

as John Wakefield, the perpetrator of the 2001 murders

Guest

* Julia Anderson as Tyra Coulter, a police officer from Seattle who is new to the force * Jay Brazeau as Ike Campbell, a medical examiner * Nicholas Carella as Patrick Lillis, the sheriff's deputy * Clint Carleton as Ben Wellington, Trish and Shea's cousin and Thomas' nephew * Chilton Crane as Karena Fox, a local psychic medium * Terrence Kelly as Reverend Fain, the priest of the church * Melanie Merkosky as Robin Matthews, newly hired journalist and main character of the ''Harper's Globe'' online series * Maxine Miller as Julia Mitchell, a local elderly woman * Aaron Pearl as Deputy Garrett, the sheriff's other deputy and jail guard *

Sarah-Jane Redmond Sarah-Jane Redmond is a British actress and acting coach, living in Canada, whose work has spanned film, television and theatre productions, often in science fiction roles. She has taught acting at the New Image College of Fine Arts in British Co ...

as Sarah Mills, mother of Abby and wife of the sheriff, one of the victims of the 2001 murders * Michael Rogers as Darryl Riggens, a police officer from Seattle * Dean Wray as Cole Harkin, the survivor of the 2001 murders and the sheriff's former deputy

Development

In March 2008, CBS ordered a 15-minute pilot presentation of the project. In May 2008, the show was retooled, with

Jeffrey Bell Jeffrey Jackson Bell is an American writer and producer best known for his work on television. He began his career writing for ''The X-Files'', where he stayed for three seasons, then became a writer/director/producer on ''Angel'', becoming its ...

coming on board as

showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...

and

as an executive producer. Schlossberg remained on board as a co-executive producer along with Karim Zriek and Dan Shotz. Bell subsequently rewrote the first episode, which Jon Turteltaub would direct. During the retooling process, six of the pilot presentation's fifteen original cast members were replaced, including Ryan Merriman (Henry Dunn), Samantha Noble (Trish Wellington), Bill Dow (Sheriff Mills) and

Bill Pullman William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. Pullman made his film debut i ...

(Uncle Marty). The roles of Thomas Wellington and Hunter Jennings were also recast. Actors who remained with the show from pilot-presentation to the aired television pilot include Elaine Cassidy, Cameron Richardson, Adam Campbell, C.J. Thomason,

, Cassandra Sawtell, Brandon Jay McLaren,

and Sean Rogerson. The series was shot on

Bowen Island Bowen Island (; ), British Columbia, is an island municipality that is part of Metro Vancouver, and within the jurisdiction of the Islands Trust. Located in Howe Sound, it is approximately wide by long, and at its closest point is about w ...

, an island municipality about two kilometers west of

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, and at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

. The actors and actresses were not told about their characters' deaths until the day that each script was given. The only two actors to know the length of their contracts were

, as his death was seen as a major turning point in the series, and Harry Hamlin, as his contract was for a single episode.

Episodes

Ratings

Despite falling ratings, CBS aired all ''Harper's Island'' episodes, although the show was moved from its original night and time to Saturdays. At the end of the 2008-2009 television season the show ranged at #50 being viewed in approximately 9,360,000 homes in North America. In Australia, ''Harper's Island'' ratings were very low, being beaten by competing shows on other networks. Throughout its run, the series alternated times slots. In Canada, the show continued to air Thursday nights on

. In Denmark, ''Harper's Island'' was moved after episode 5 from Thursdays at 10:50 pm to around midnight. In Ireland the show stayed on its original Monday night airing at 10:00 pm. In the United Kingdom, the show's ratings started off under average but as the series progressed it became the

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...

channel's number one show on Sundays, and therefore maintained the 9:00 pm slot. In Finland, the program was aired at 9:00 pm during the whole season. The series has been aired multiple times on

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

's RTM channel tv2, every Wednesday and Thursday nights airing at midnight.

''Harper's Globe''

''Harper's Globe'' is a social

web series A web series (also known as webseries, short-form series, and web show) is a series of short scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet (i.e. World Wide Web), which first emerged in the late 1 ...

, designed to complement ''Harper's Island''. The series is created by EQAL (creators of ''

lonelygirl15 ''lonelygirl15'' is an American science fiction thriller web series created by Miles Beckett, Mesh Flinders, Greg Goodfried, and Amanda Goodfried. It was independently released on YouTube from June 16, 2006, to August 1, 2008, and was also bri ...

'', '' KateModern'', '' LG15: The Resistance'') and

CBS Interactive Paramount Streaming (formerly CBS Digital Media, CBS Interactive, and ViacomCBS Streaming) is a division of Paramount Global that oversees the company's video streaming technology and direct-to-consumer services; including Pluto TV and Paramo ...

. The show premiered its weekly episodes on March 18, 2009, and ran for a total of sixteen weeks. It stars Melanie Merkosky, who played the character Jennie in ''lonelygirl15''. Creator Miles Beckett says of the series, "The story of ''Harper's Globe'' is about a girl named Robin, with a very mysterious past, who's gone to Harper's Island to work for the newspaper, Harper's Globe, and to digitize articles from the newspaper and to create a community online for the Harper's Globe newspaper and the citizens of Harper's Island. And then she gets pulled into the story as it begins to unfold on the island." The character Ben, who was the first character to die in ''Harper's Island'', was first seen in a ''Harper's Globe'' episode. The series also features appearances by Harper's Island characters Sheriff Mills, Nikki Bolton, Maggie Krell and John Wakefield.

Home media

On September 8, 2009,

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 an American home video company that distribut ...

(distributed by

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. **Paramount Picture ...

) released ''Harper's Island: The DVD Edition'', a complete series box set on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. Special features included audio commentaries on four episodes, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, CBS on-air promos, and the complete ''Harper's Globe'' webisodes. The DVD set was released on February 8, 2010, for Region 2, and released on March 4, 2010, for Region 4. The series received its first Blu-Ray release on November 18, 2024 from Via Vision Entertainment.

Streaming

The entire series was available on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

between summer 2014 and July 1, 2015, when it was removed from the service after the Netflix license had expired. The show became available on

Amazon Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

, free for Amazon Prime members, otherwise available for purchase. The series is also available on

Pluto TV Pluto TV is an American free ad-supported streaming television service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global. Founded by Tom Ryan (business executive), Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin and Nick Grouf in 2013 and based in ...

and on

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

's free streaming platform, CW Seed. It is also available on

BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available Over-the-top media service, over-the-top on a wide range of devices, including Mobile phone, mobile phones and Tablet computer ...

in the UK.

References

External links

*
''Harper's Island''
at

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, 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 ...

''Harper's Island''
{Dead link, date=May 2024 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes at

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

2000s American drama television series 2009 American television series debuts 2009 American television series endings 2000s American television miniseries American English-language television shows Serial drama television series Slasher television series 2000s American horror television series 2000s American mystery television series Television shows set in Washington (state) Television series about fictional serial killers Television series by CBS Studios Television shows filmed in Vancouver Mystery drama web series CBS television dramas