“Revival” from SyFy channel. An Overview.

SYFY’s Revival is a supernatural mystery drama that premiered on June 12, 2025. Here’s a comprehensive overview:

🧟‍♂️ 1. Premise

• Set in rural Wausau, Wisconsin, the show centers on “Revival Day,” when the recently deceased inexplicably return to life. Unlike traditional zombies, the “Revived” behave normally, retain memories, and reintegrate into society—though they possess supernatural traits like rapid healing and invulnerability .
• The town is quarantined by the CDC, and tensions escalate as the living discriminate against the Revived. The story blends a murder investigation with supernatural chaos, dubbed “rural noir” or “farm noir” by creators .

🎬 2. Main Characters

• Dana Cypress (Melanie Scrofano): A local police officer and single mother investigating a brutal murder while navigating her strained relationship with her father and revived sister .
• Em Cypress (Romy Weltman): Dana’s sister, a Revived teenager hiding secrets about her death and Revival Day .
• Sheriff Wayne Cypress (David James Elliott): Dana’s authoritarian father and police chief .
• Ibrahim Ramin (Andy McQueen): A CDC researcher assisting Dana, with whom she shares romantic tension .

📺 3. Broadcast Details

• Premiere Date: June 12, 2025, at 10 p.m. ET on SYFY .
• Episode Release: Weekly on Thursdays (10 episodes total). Episodes stream on Peacock one week after airing .
• Free Access: The premiere episode, “Don’t Tell Dad,” is available for free on YouTube and the SYFY app .

⭐ 4. Reception

• Positive Notes: Critics praise Melanie Scrofano’s performance, the show’s dark atmosphere, and its blend of mystery and social commentary on discrimination. The Rotten Tomatoes score is 83% .
• Criticisms: Some reviews cite uneven pacing, underdeveloped subplots, and tonal shifts between horror, comedy, and noir. Comparisons to similar shows (The Returned, Glitch) note a lack of novelty . (Critics be damned. This is a very entertaining show!)
• Visual Style: Contrasts the comic’s “cold” aesthetic with warmer, 1980s-inspired horror visuals .

💡 5. Key Themes & Conflicts

• A murder mystery where both living and Revived are suspects .
• Societal chaos: Prejudice against the Revived, cult movements branding them “demons,” and CDC conspiracies .
• Personal drama: Dana’s struggle to protect Em while solving crimes linked to her family .

🎭 6. Behind the Scenes

• Adapted from Tim Seeley’s Image Comics series (47 issues). Though filmed in Canada, it pays homage to Seeley’s Wisconsin roots .
• Showrunners Aaron B. Koontz and Luke Boyce reimagined the source material as a TV series after initially planning a film .

Revival aims to balance supernatural intrigue with small-town drama, though its success hinges on resolving its many plot threads in later episodes. For mystery/horror fans, it offers a fresh take on resurrection tropes—with a standout lead performance .

Key Facts at a Glance