Well dear friends, it is Autumn once more. Cooling temperatures (unless you live in Maryland as I do. It’s time for your meds Mother Nature!), Pumpkin Spice everything, spooky nights and new television programming.

With the impending departure of my favorite show, Supernatural, it is time to find some new thriller/horror shows to help fill the empty hole in my soul. I checked out the excellent Prodigal Son earlier this week, which fills the thriller portion of my needs. Last evening it was time to give Evil a shot, and it did not disappoint.

Premise:

Kristen Bouchard is a forensic psychologist. She makes her living by determining if suspects of crimes are mentally fit to stand trial. She has become a star witness for the District Attorney, going 34 for 34 in determining defendants are psychologically fit. For the current case, it is suggested that the perpetrator in a series of gruesome murders may be demon possessed. Kristen is a skeptic of the notion of demonic interference, but after being attacked by the killer in an interview after reciting the lords prayer, she feels that while an exorcism may not be in order, the determination of being fit to stand trial is in doubt. This gets her promptly dismissed from working with the prosecution. With 4 daughters to care for, a ton of school loan debt, and an absentee husband who is off giving tours of Everest, Kristen decides to take a job with Davis Acosta, a priest in training who works for the Catholic Church to determine if extraordinary occurrences are supernatural in nature, or are they bunk. Standing in their way is the mysterious Dr. Leland Townsend, a man of influence who seems determined to introduce Evil into the world.

A man who believes and a woman who does not team up to solve crimes? Hmm…

Players: 

• Dutch actress Katja Herbers takes the role of Dr. Kristen Bouchard. Herbers is probably best known to American audiences from her role as Emily on the HBO series Westworld. She has had multiple short term roles in various series, but Evil is her first real shot at becoming a household name in the US with a prime network role.
• The part of our man of faith, David Acosta, is portrayed by the stellar Mike Colter of Luke Cage fame. He has been a member of a number of television series, including The Good Wife, The Following, and American Horror Story and has some serious acting chops.
• Emmy award winning actor Michael Emerson returns to serialized TV as Dr. Leland Townsend. Emerson is no stranger to portraying a character with nefarious intentions, best known as Benjamin Linus on my all time favorite show, Lost.  Michael was a long time lead on the series Person of Interest and has multiple roles on both tv and the big screen.
• Character Actor Aasif Mandvi plays Ben Shakir, the cynical partner of David Acosta. Best known for his comedy ( I loved him on The Daily Show), Shakir has had dozens of roles in films and series.

The Verdict:

The pilot was a fun ride, taking me down the paths I love such as demons, murder, and questions of faith. It had the right mix of horror, humor, emotion, and mystery that should make my fall a killer one.

4.5 prayers out of 5

Evil can be seen every Thursday at 10:00 pm on CBS