EPIX is continuing to show their streaming service is a contender. They have multiple fantastic series from The Godfather of Harlem to Belgravia, and now FROM. 

Created and executive produced by John Griffin (Crater), directed and executive produced by Jack Bender (Lost), FROM tells the story of a mysterious smalltown that once you enter you can never leave. While the residents are stuck, fighting to find some sort of normalcy they must also survive the threats. from the surrounding forest and terrifying creatures of the night. 

While watching, it’s difficult not to compare the series to LOST. That series set the tone and the bar for stranded mystical mysteries, and monsters. However, I find FROM is able to forge its own path while telling its own more terrifying story.

FROM’S INCREDIBLE CAST

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FROM stars the incomparable Harold Perrineau (LOST/Claws) as Boyd Stevens. A man with his own dark secrets who is trying to keep the town and its people safe. Perrineau is absolutely stellar in this series, bringing heart and soul into a terrible situation.

The Matthews family is the latest of the town’s victims. Mother Tabitha (Catalina Sandino Moreno), father Jim (Eion Bailey), teenage daughter Jessica (Hannah Cheramy), and their young son Ethan (Simon Webster). On top of what they come across in the town, each character is dealing with their own personal struggle from marital issues to teenage angst. Personally, I find everyone but the son to be pretty boring, I’m hoping as the series continues they will become more interesting like those around them. 

The stand-out character for me so far in FROM is Victor (Scott McCord). We learn that he has been in the town the longest, and has seen the darkest. While he is trying to figure out the past as it informs his present, I find myself wanting more scenes with him because it’s the only time the story moves forward.

UNEVEN STORYTELLING

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While I found myself completely sucked into FROM’s pilot episode, I found the following to be a little bit of a snoozefest. Let me preface this by saying I have only seen the first 4 episodes so far. However, episode 2 was boring, slow, and went absolutely nowhere. Episode 3 was much better as we dove into Victor’s storyline. Then, episode 4 was back to boringville. While I don’t expect the series to be monsters all the time, I don’t expect it to already feel like late seasons of The Walking Dead. 

Why are these characters not exploring the world they’ve been thrown into? At this point, we just have Jade (David Alpay), who originally thought he was in a LARPing Escape room which is the only reason he began investigating. 

With all my issues, I’m not completely checked out of this series. I’m hoping in later episodes we learn more about this world, the people, and the monsters…and where they’re FROM.