The After

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The After
Genre
Created byChris Carter
Starring
Theme music composerJohn Debney
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes1
Production
ProducerCyrus Yavneh
CinematographyNelson Cragg
Running time54 mins
Original release
ReleaseFebruary 6, 2014 (2014-02-06)

The After is an American science fiction drama pilot created by Chris Carter for Amazon Studios. Along with Bosch, the premiere episode was one of two drama pilots Amazon released online in February 2014. Viewers were allowed to offer their opinions about the pilot before the studio decided whether or not to place a series order.[1]

The pilot was ordered in August 2013 and made available for free online viewing beginning on February 6, 2014.[2][3] On March 12, Amazon ordered The After to series.[4] The first season would have consisted of eight episodes, released in four two-hour installments.[5] On January 5, 2015, Amazon canceled the show without shooting another episode beyond the pilot.[6]

Premise

Although story elements were kept mostly under wraps, Amazon described the series as a post-apocalyptic drama centered on eight strangers who must work together in order to survive in a violent, unpredictable new world.[1][7]

Cast

Production

The After was first announced in August 2013, breaking creator Chris Carter's 11-year absence from television after the conclusion of The X-Files.[2] The pilot was originally made available on Amazon on February 6, 2014 and viewers were able to assess the final product and offer feedback before the studio made a final decision about a series pick-up.[1] The After subsequently received an eight episode order for the first season, which would have premiered in February 2015.[5]

Carter stated that he hoped the series would run for a total of 99 episodes, and that he used Dante Alighieri's epic poem The Divine Comedy (which features exactly 99 cantos) as his model for the show.[5] In January 2015, Amazon Studios cancelled the order of the series.[11]

Following the show's abrupt cancellation, Carter said: "It might have taken us 11 years to make 99 episodes, in my mind. But I wanted to do The Inferno or, as I should say, all of Dante. That was my approach: to try to mimic the 99 cantos. It was a tough sell. It was eight characters in hell, basically. I think that’s the reason we parted ways."[12] He also cited creative differences with Amazon's executives saying: "With "The After" I wanted to do Dante, I wanted to do the "Inferno" and it's not a genre piece and so what's scary to people is if it's something they don't recognize. If it's something new or something original. And of course when something original works, then everyone wants to copy it. But if you're trying to do something that no one's ever seen before it's frightening. And I can understand that."[13]

During The X-Files revival promotion, Carter said: "I think there was just a difference of opinion about the direction of the show. It was a hard sell from the beginning. It was eight characters in hell, and I really didn’t do a bible for the show because I wanted to discover what that was about. It was a hard sell, and it would have been an investment for them, if they were going to do eight episodes, of $40 million. I can understand their reluctance, and I still think I had eight great episodes.”[14]

Roy Price, Amazon's chief also said a similar statement about the show: "Not everything works out. It wasn't the money. It was a tough concept, and hard to crack. Who knows, maybe it will come together one day?"[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c Porter, Rick (October 31, 2013). "Amazon orders Michael Connelly pilot 'Bosch,' details 'X-Files' creator's 'The After'". Zap2It. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (August 26, 2013). "Chris Carter's Drama 'The After' Gets Pilot Order At Amazon". Deadline. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  3. ^ Hibberd, James (February 6, 2014). "Amazon's new pilots released: Judge for yourself". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  4. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 12, 2014). "Four Amazon Pilots Go To Series, 1 On Hold". Deadline. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Ng, Philiana (July 12, 2014). "Chris Carter Modeling Amazon's 'The After' With 99-Episode Goal". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  6. ^ "Amazon kills Chris Carter's The After without shooting a single new episode". 5 January 2015.
  7. ^ Willmore, Alison (October 31, 2013). "Amazon Makes It Official: 'Bosch' and Chris Carter's 'The After' Will Be Its First Two Drama Pilots to Be Tested Online". Indie Wire. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  8. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (October 3, 2013). "Chris Carter's Amazon Pilot 'The After' Nabs Jamie Kennedy, Adrian Pasdar, Aldis Hodge". Deadline. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c d Andreeva, Nellie (October 7, 2013). "Quartet Join Amazon Drama Pilot 'The After', 'Bosch' Casts One". Deadline. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Shows A–Z – after, the on amazon". The Futon Critic. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  11. ^ "No happily ever "AFTER" for Chris Carter series". Fangoria. January 5, 2015. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  12. ^ "Chris Carter tells the truth about The X-Files' return". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 2019-01-02. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
  13. ^ "Interview: Chris Carter talks 'X-Files,' maintaining mystery of Mulder, Scully". Brand On Sun. Archived from the original on 2015-05-01. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
  14. ^ Lesley Goldberg (15 January 2016). "Chris Carter on Why Amazon Scrapped 'The After' — and What's Next - Hollywood Reporter". The Hollywood Reporter.
  15. ^ Lacey Rose (3 August 2015). "Amazon Studios Chief Roy Price Addresses Woody Allen, 'Top Gear' Controversies - Hollywood Reporter". The Hollywood Reporter.

External links