In 2004, a little show called Lost aired and changed the way we talk about TV with others. It was a phenomenon like no other. We can say that the series paved the way for the future of TV. Although many rose to the same status as Lost afterward, only a handful could awaken that: “Oh my God, what is going on, and why do I have to wait a week to find out?” feeling. Well. I have excellent news for you if you miss that feeling as I did. It’s a series called: From. 

My brother told me about this series, until then – I hate to admit it – but I didn’t even know it existed. One word in my brother’s description convinced me to watch it: Monsters. It was the same word he used to tell me about Stranger Things, so you can see the pattern here regarding my taste. I needed a new horror/mystery show, so I jumped in to see what all the fuss was about. 

Let’s imagine you get stuck somewhere because your car battery dies, or you get a flat tire or… I don’t know; something happens. The town you got stuck in already feels weird, as you see abandoned cars, everyone walking and not looking at their phone – the horror – and just giving off this all together off-vibe. Then the town’s sheriff tells you, “Oh, by the way, you can never leave again, no matter which way you turn with your car, you will always end up back in the town.” You shrug off the weirdo and try anyway, only to have the exact thing happen to you that he was talking about. So you get stuck and find out even more great news that at night, human-like monsters will try to lure you out and eat your insides, and you are only safe if you stay in the house with a specific talisman protecting your ass. Well… this is almost exactly what happens with the Matthews family. They also bump into a magical fallen tree that forces them to get off the road into the unknown, but you know, almost exactly like how I described it. This is the basis of the series, and the mystery keeps growing with each episode.

It’s not a huge community, but as we get introduced to more people, we learn that the amount of time they’ve been there varies. The resident who lived in the town for the longest is Weirdo, I mean Victor (Scott McCord). He is the kind of guy that people see and immediately start to judge, even though he didn’t do anything wrong. He just tries to exist and barely has any social cues or anything like that. To be fair, if you had grown up in a town where monsters killed your whole family and you had to witness some of the craziest shit, well… you would be a bit weird too. Victor is one of the story’s key figures and, in my humble opinion, one of the best characters. Boyd Stevens, aka the sheriff, is played by previous Lost regular Harold Perrineau, who is perfect casting. Boyd is the kind of person who always tries his best, which usually leads to some VERY unfortunate events. It’s hard to feel angry when it comes to him because in a weird place like the town, who could blame him for trying, right? He does make some rather bad decisions along the way, mind you, but he is also the one who saves the people from the constant hide-and-seek game at night once he finds the talismans that prevent the monsters from entering the houses. Then there are the new arrivals, aka the Matthews family, who are dealing with some tough times as life gives them another problem to handle. They are all forced to face their demons from the get-go, and – obviously – they are that much-needed push that makes the townspeople go: maybe, we shouldn’t just accept this as normal. 

I absolutely loved the character dynamics they were able to pull off in the two seasons we got so far. I originally planned to write this article as a “Please watch From, so we get a season 3” campaign letter, but the good news is that season 3 is already confirmed! Super happy as season 2 ended on a note where I would have pulled all my hair out if they had decided to cancel it. So, I am now even more CONFIDENT in recommending this series to all of you. Yes, it has flaws (like everything out there, let’s be honest), but it builds on great characters, a fantastically mysterious story, and so many unknowns that you just simply can’t wait to find out more. 

The horror elements are outstanding, and they balanced it in a way where it is never an in-your-face gore fest but still gives you the creeps. The monsters, with their creepy smile and human form that only changes right before they rip you apart, are some of the best out there lately and genuinely give you that rather uncomfortable feeling. The casting is top-notch. Ricky He, who plays deputy sheriff Kenny, has been added to the list of Kennys that you can’t help but love. Elizabeth Saunders plays the I’ve-seen-it-all Badass Donna. Jade (David Alpey) is that kind of grey character who you want to smack across the face at one point and hug tightly the next. I mean, he is a straight-up asshole many times, but he is also the only one from the moment he steps into town who wants answers and looks for a way out. He usually gives up on almost all of his ideas after any small inconvenience, but… you know… he still tries. 

And the list could go on regarding great characters, but I will just continue with: Please watch FROM. You will have that need-to-know-what’s-going-on feeling like you had with Lost, and you will most definitely fall in love with the characters and the mysteries surrounding them. In other words: you won’t regret starting this series.