Sci Fi TV Obscurities: The Whispers (2015)

Sci Fi TV Obscurities: A look at sci fi and fantasy TV shows that made it to the air only briefly before getting cast to the television wasteland.

What Is It? This series follows a silent invasion of Earth where some unseen entity uses children to do its bidding. Impressionable youths under the age of ten are contacted by a mysterious being known as Drill, who communicates with them through lights and other electrical instruments, giving them instructions that often lead to malicious acts. FBI child specialist Claire Bennigan is brought in to investigate, and she discovers connections between the children’s actions and her missing husband, deepening the mysterious circumstances.

Aired: ABC, 2015, 1 Season, Totaling 13 Episodes

Starring: Lily Rabe, Barry Sloane, Milo Ventimiglia, Kristen Connolly, Derek Webster

Developed By: Soo Hugh

Is It Must Watch Sci Fi? No. There is a good premise in there somewhere, but the show meandered and never succeeded in realizing its potential.

The Skinny: This series was inspired by Ray Bradbury’s short story “Zero Hour”, with plenty in the source material that could have led to a sleeper sci-fi entry. And it started out well enough with definite creepiness and a Children of the Corn vibe. But after a few episodes, it became clear the show lacked vision to play up the horror elements at its core, or perhaps those were scrubbed away by network executives trying to appeal to the broadest audience.

Instead, the show leaned into a procedural angle (with plenty of soap-opera asides thrown in), focusing on the adults trying to figure out what was going on with the kids. It also piled mystery upon mystery (along with the all-too-tired flashbacks) rather than getting down to telling a good story, a common pitfall for broadcast networks at that time in their ongoing attempt to find the next Lost.

The cast was solid enough, with Lily Rabe (American Horror Story) doing a good job in the lead role. But some characters were shuffled aside, like Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), who seemed to do little more than walk around with a “WTF?” look on his face much of the time. And the show didn’t focus enough on the kids or the horror element they brought; instead, it leaned on a jumble of mysteries in place of actual stories while catering to the average prime-time viewer.

This is definitely one that might have fared better on cable networks like FX or TNT or on one of the streaming services just ramping up scripted originals at the time. But the final product screamed network pandering and interference, and it disappeared quickly after failing to live up to its potential.

Cancelled Too Soon?  Yes. This show followed a trend in the 2010s where broadcast networks scheduled genre entries in the summer months, hoping to keep some eyes on screens during that low-viewership period. Shows like Under the Dome (CBS, 2013–15) and Zoo (CBS, 2015–17) had some success, but more often than not these summer entries disappeared after a season or two.

The Whispers actually started out with decent numbers, but those soon dropped off. And ABC had apparently lost faith in the show just a month after it premiered, releasing the cast and crew from their contracts. The network claimed there was still a chance for renewal, but ratings continued to slide, and the series ended after a single season. The writers did resolve some of the storylines, but they also left the door open in case a second season materialized.

Should It Be Rebooted? There is probably no reason to consider a reboot of The Whispers because it never even developed much of a cult following, and it failed to unlock the potential of its premise. That said, if producers went back to Ray Bradbury’s short story, there’s plenty of material to mine for a creepy, fun sci-fi series.

Interesting Facts:  Season 3 of the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood (subtitled Children of Earth) explored themes similar to The Whispers, though it was not based on Bradbury’s story. Many consider it the best season of that series, and the creators of the ABC series may have been influenced by it.

The show was originally titled The Visitors, but ABC changed the name to avoid confusion with its failed reboot of V (“V” stands for Visitors) from a few years earlier.

Where Can You Watch It?  The series was released on DVD, but it has since gone out of print.  It is available to purchase VOD, and you can find episodes on YouTube from time to time.

Read More About the Show: Wikipedia | IMDb.com

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