This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (November 2017) |
FreakyLinks is an American science fiction series that combined elements of horror, mystery, and comedy. It was created by Gregg Hale and David S. Goyer (under the pseudonym Ricardo Festiva), and aired on Fox from October 6, 2000 until June 22, 2001, for a total run of 13 episodes. The feel of the show closely modeled that of The X-Files and other supernatural-themed shows that were popular at the time.
| FreakyLinks | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Horror Mystery Comedy Science fiction |
| Created by | Gregg Hale Ricardo Festiva |
| Starring | Ethan Embry |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies | Haxan Films Regency Television 20th Century Fox Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox |
| Release | October 6, 2000 – June 22, 2001 |
Setting and plot
editFreakyLinks centered on Derek Barnes (played by Ethan Embry), who, assisted by his friends Chloe (Lisa Sheridan) and Jason (Karim Prince), ran a website called "FreakyLinks.com" that sought out the dark and forbidden truths behind paranormal phenomena and urban legends.
Derek took over the site after his twin brother, Adam, died under mysterious circumstances. The show's episodes revolved around Derek and his friends investigating supernatural claims for the website and uncovering clues that might reveal the truth of his brother's fate.
Cast
edit- Ethan Embry as Derek Barnes / Adam Barnes
- Lisa Sheridan as Chloe Tanner
- Karim Prince as Jason Tatum
- Lizette Carrion as Lan Williams
- Dennis Christopher as Vince J. Elsing
Production and marketing
editFreakyLinks, originally titled Fearsum until a few months before airing, was developed by Haxan, the creators of the film The Blair Witch Project.[1]
Haxan decided to follow a marketing strategy similar to Blair Witch's and created a website, long before the show was set to air, called "Freakylinks.com," which was cleverly designed to look like an amateurish, home-brew website made by real-life paranormal enthusiasts.[2]
The website was fairly successful and seemed to create some amount of "buzz," but this did not translate into high ratings when the show finally aired. The show went on hiatus for a few months before returning to the air to finish out the season, but it was not renewed for the next fall television season.
An online petition was created to ask the Fox Network to bring the show back for another season; however, this was unsuccessful.[citation needed]
Legacy
editIn 2006, Lisa Sheridan reflected on the show:
“That was a blast. Probably the most fun thing about the show was that as part of the storyline, all our characters carried around video cameras wherever they went. There were portions of each script that our characters shot on video, and the show’s producers realized pretty quickly that it was far too time-consuming to have a cameraman dress up as one of us and shoot those sequences as opposed to us doing it ourselves. So little by little my fellow actors, Ethan Embry, Karim Prince, Lizette Carrion, and I wound up shooting a chunk of each episode. Funnily enough, there was a lot of improv on the show because of that. We’d be playing around with different shots and the editors would like what they saw and keep it in the show.”[3]
Ethan Embry was also very enthusiastic about the show and said “people like it“: “I had a lot of fun making it. It was the Blair Witch guys that created that show. And when we did the pilot, it was a lot darker tone-wise. It was more about suicide and the devil and the Antichrist, but when they picked it up, a new showrunner came on and they scrapped the whole devil idea and made it a little more like popcorn fare. I think that decision was fine, but they were consistently trying to figure that show out the entire time we were working on it.“[4]
Episodes
editThis section needs a plot summary. (August 2021) |
| No. | Title [5][6] | Directed by [6] | Written by [6] | Original air date | Prod. code [6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Subject: Fearsum" "Pilot" | Todd Holland | Gregg Hale & Ricardo Festiva | October 6, 2000 | 1AEF79 |
| 2 | "Subject: Threethirteen" | Stephen Cragg | Michael R. Perry | October 13, 2000 | 1AEF02 |
| 3 | "Subject: Edith Keeler Must Die" | David Straiton | Juan Carlos Coto | October 20, 2000 | 1AEF03 |
| 4 | "Subject: Coelacanth This!" | Jef Levy | Russel Friend & Garrett Lerner | October 27, 2000 | 1AEF01 |
| 5 | "Subject: Desert Squid! Myth or Legend?" | Scott Lautanen | Russel Friend & Garrett Lerner | November 3, 2000 | 1AEF04 |
| 6 | "Subject: The Harbingers" | Jay Tobias | Juan Carlos Coto | January 5, 2001 | 1AEF05 |
| 7 | "Subject: Still I Rise" | Joe Napolitano | Adisa Iwa | January 12, 2001 | 1AEF06 |
| 8 | "Subject: Me and My Shadow" | Thomas Wright | Mark Verheiden | January 19, 2001 | 1AEF07 |
| 9 | "Subject: The Stone Room" | David Grossman | Juan Carlos Coto | January 26, 2001 | 1AEF08 |
| 10 | "Subject: Live Fast, Die Young" | David Barrett | Michael R. Perry | June 1, 2001 | 1AEF10 |
| 11 | "Subject: Police Siren" | Randy Miller | Adisa Iwa | June 8, 2001 | 1AEF11 |
| 12 | "Subject: Sunrise at Sunset Streams" | Bill Norton | Russel Friend & Garrett Lerner | June 15, 2001 | 1AEF09 |
| 13 | "Subject: The Final Word" | David Straiton | Mark Verheiden | June 22, 2001 | 1AEF12 |
References
edit- ^ "Net pilot slates filling for fall". Variety. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ Higley, Sarah; Weinstock, Jeffrey (2004). Nothing that is: Millennial Cinema and the Blair Witch Controversies. Wayne State University Press. p. 78. ISBN 0814330649.
- ^ "Sci-Fi Blast from the Past - Lisa Sheridan (Invasion)".
- ^ "Interview: Ethan Embry on THE DEVil's CANDY, His Time on THE WALKING DEAD, and FREAKYLINKS". 14 March 2017.
- ^ From the Writers Guild of America, West catalog: "Signatory Project Confirmation [search: "FreakyLinks"]". Writers Guild of America, West. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
- ^ a b c d From the United States Copyright Office catalog: "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search: "FreakyLinks"]". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
External links
edit- Freakylinks.com – The original Freakylinks.com website, now part of Haxan's portfolio
- FreakyLinks at IMDb
- FreakyLinks at epguides.com