Chris Carter Has a 99-Episode Plan for The After; Amazon Starting with 8 for Now

Steve Barton   |  

Jul 13, 2014

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Toward the end of March Amazon Studios gave Chris Carter’s “The After” a series order, but we didn’t know when it would debut or how many episodes it would have in its first season. Well, we still don’t quite know the former, but we do have some info on the latter…

So far Amazon has slotted “The X-Files” creator’s new project for eight episodes, but if Carter has his way, it’ll run for at least 99. As he told reporters during Amazon’s summer Television Critics Association press tour session, he based the mystery-focused “The After” on Dante’s Inferno.

The Divine Comedy, which is comprised of Inferno plus Purgatorio and Paradiso, has 99 cantos in its story (along with an introduction). “I’m using that as my model,” Carter revealed.

Other than “early 2015,” Amazon hasn’t announced the show’s exact release date, but per THR, it’s not following the “binge” model of all episodes hitting at once. Carter said his series will be released in four, two-hour installments.“Amazon is going to show these an episode at a time,” he explained, “which I think is really good for this type of show. The audience likes to tease the clues out.”

The slower rollout will give them additional opportunities to utilize transmedia platforms like Twitter to help supplement the content. “Now there are really interesting opportunities with technology…,” he said, adding that “The After” will have “a good mix” of drama “from the group dynamic and from the supernatural, if you will. I’ve always resisted the science fiction label, but there’s a significant [amount] of science fiction in this.”

“The After” stars Aldis Hodge, Andrew Howard, Arielle Kebbel, Jamie Kennedy, Sharon Lawrence, Sam Littlefield, Louise Monot, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Adrian Pasdar, Jason Lewis, Brynn Bowie, Madison Bowie, Giovanni Lopes, Fred Cross, Stacey Rand, Greg Collins, Don Harvey, Rolando Boyce, Dove Meir, and J.R. Cruz.

Synopsis:
Eight strangers are thrown together by mysterious forces and must help each other survive in a violent world that defies explanation. The date of March 7th serves as a common thread that ties them together.

Curious? You can still visit the Amazon Pilot Season Page to watch the first episode of “The After.” Look for more soon.

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