An upcoming horror anthology series, THEM, has gotten a two-season, straight-to-series order at Amazon.
The streaming service announced the news during the Television Critics Association press tour on Saturday.
The series is executive produced by Lena Waithe and written and executive produced by Little Marvin.
It is from Vertigo Entertainment and is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television, where Vertigo has an overall deal. This series is outside of Waithe’s recent first-look deal with Showtime, and was set prior to the pact.
Roy Lee, Miri Yoon Vertigo Entertainment’s Michael Connolly are also exe producers.
The first season, THEM: Covenant, will “follow the still-to-be-cast characters of Alfred and Lucky Emory who decide to move their family from North Carolina to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood. The family’s home on a tree lined, seemingly idyllic street becomes ground zero where malevolent forces both real and supernatural threaten to taunt, ravage and destroy them.”
“My heart was still pounding an hour after I heard this pitch. The show is edge of your seat scary and addictive while also being provocative and socially relevant. We are thrilled to be in business with the incredibly talented Lena Waithe, Little Marvin and Vertigo.” said Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said.
“The idea behind the show is “do you know your neighbors. Little Marvin’s fresh, relevant voice explores the horrors that lurk down the street, around the corner and even right next door in this season of our event series. This is the perfect lean in, edge of your seat show for Prime Video customers and we can’t wait to deliver it,” said Vernon Sanders, co-head of television at Amazon Studios in a statement. “
“Little Marvin’s script stayed with me for weeks after I read it. He’s written something that’s provocative and terrifying. The first season will speak to how frightening it was to be black in 1953. It will also remind us that being black in 2018 is just as horrifying. This anthology series will examine the cultural divides among all of us and explore us vs THEM in a way we’ve never seen before,” said Waithe.
Little Marvin added, “I’ve always felt that dark, surreal times deserve dark, surreal mirrors to show us ourselves. And at this point in time one of the best ways to examine fractures in our world through the visceral and raw lens of horror. I’m beyond thrilled that our series has found its home with the fine folks at Amazon.”