The fourth year of From started out treading water, but things have picked up by mid-season and the creative team seems to be prepping this one for its endgame.
What Is It?
This series focuses on the residents of a mysterious small town that traps everyone who enters. No matter which road they take, they cannot leave, and they must struggle to survive against terrifying creatures that emerge from the surrounding forest each night while searching for answers to the town’s many secrets.
In Season 4, the townspeople finally begin uncovering the truth behind the nightmare that surrounds them, but their search for answers only leads to even greater dangers because “knowledge comes at a cost.” The sinister Man in Yellow takes center stage as new revelations threaten to upend everything the survivors believe, and Boyd faces mounting pressure as the town edges closer to either escape or complete destruction.
Airing: MGM+ (Releases One Episode per Week)
Starring: Harold Perrineau, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Eion Bailey, David Alpay, Elizabeth Saunders, Shaun Majumder, Scott McCord
Created By: John Griffin
Johnny Jay’s Thoughts:
This series premiered back in 2022, but I didn’t start watching it right away. It was on the Epix channel/streaming service, which I did not have at the time, and I did not subscribe just to watch this one show. But then some notable buzz started to develop, and I was somewhat intrigued, getting it on my to-watch list. The second season arrived a year later and From continued to get good feedback, so I eventually subscribed to the service (Epix had changed to MGM+ by that point) and binged the first two seasons over about a three-week period. It definitely hooked me in, and I stuck around for the third season and now the fourth.
From definitely gives off strong Lost vibes, not surprisingly seeing as it shares several of the same executive producers and Harold Perrineau was one of the central characters early on in the ABC series. From is heavier on the supernatural and horror elements, but it shares the theme of people trapped in an isolated space that has many mysteries and dangers. And like Lost, From has developed and expanded its mythology while also adding and subtracting characters each season. More importantly, it has been well written for the most part, avoiding too many leaps of logic or too much divergence from the central storylines. It has also become one of my favorites among the current genre entries, and I look forward to each new season.
As the fourth year of From began, the show seemed to be treading water a bit as the people of the town grew increasingly frustrated and started to give up as they faced a lack of answers and no success at finding a means of escape. But things pick up quickly as the Man in Yellow becomes the central antagonist, though in a form that the townspeople do not recognize. New strange events start to occur, such as the appearance of many crows and Fatima’s baby growing into one of the monsters, which renews the urgency to try and find a means of escape. Tabitha and Jade continue to explore the possibility that their previous visitations to the town might be the key, while Julie believes that her dreamwalking may provide some answers. Meanwhile, Sara starts hearing voices again, and they instruct her to do things that may harm the other townspeople.
I am through the fifth episode of the fourth season and enjoying the show pretty much the same as I have in past years. It continues to maintain an intensity and creepiness to the episodes as it builds on its mysteries while also delivering a trickle of insights from time to time. And unlike many of the mystery-box shows, the storylines have not gotten overly muddled even if it can be a challenge to keep up with everything going on.
The cast is definitely a strong point, with Perrineau continuing to prove his acting chops as the central lead. But he does not have to carry the show as he is surrounded by a large troupe of supporting players with performers more than up to the task of holding their own (David Alpay as Jade and Scott McCord as Victor are two favs of mine). The show juggles quite a number of characters, and you need a scorecard to keep up with them all, but even the bit players manage to stand out.
I am fully engaged in the show and will definitely stick it out through the rest of the current season. And even though supernatural entries are not usually my thing, this is yet another among several from the last few years—like SurrealEstate, Revival, and Widow’s Bay—that have really caught my attention. If you have been on the fence about watching From, I would say it is time to give it a shot. This show has been consistently good up through its current season, and there is still more to come.
What’s Next?
This series was renewed for a fifth season prior to the premiere of its fourth, and it will be wrapping up at that point. I can see where they are setting things up for the endgame, and at this point I am hoping that they stick the landing and give us a good finale. The wait between seasons has typically not been that long, and I expect the fifth to arrive in mid- to late 2027.
Are you watching From and are you still wrapped up in the mysteries or has the show become too convoluted? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments section below.
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