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'The Ark's Jonathan Glassner promises they're not leaning into tragedy: 'I won't write a show like that'
It's not all doom and gloom aboard the Ark One on SYFY.
Science fiction has always been an aspirational genre within the realm of speculative storytelling. A vast majority of fictional futures revolve around that wonderful day when human beings put aside their petty squabbles and band together for the greater good.
The Ark is no different, although that may not look like the case two episodes into the new SYFY series. Appearing on the latest installment of the official after-show that takes viewers behind-the-scenes of the project, co-creator, co-showrunner, and executive producer Jonathan Glassner promised that tragedy won't always be on the agenda throughout the coming weeks.
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"I won't write a show like that — it's too depressing" he explained. "This is a show about people rising to their best selves. I think it's a great look at humanity and what we can be if we're put in enough of a pressure cooker. I mean, it will always be a pressure cooker and people will die. Other characters will die along the way, but for the most part, it's just solving problems and trying to live the best life they can in this horrible circumstance."
Check out the after-show for Episode 2 below:
He later continued: "I think the show ends up being very escapist just because they solve these things. They go on and they form friendships and relationships. This group of people who hardly knew each other at the beginning are gonna be a family very quickly because they have no choice but to be a family. And I think that's part of the heart of the show."
Most of the problems fall squarely onto the shoulders of Lt. Sharon Garnet (Christie Burke), who reluctantly assumes control of the ship and its remaining passengers when the individuals in charge are suddenly killed in an unforeseen catastrophe.
Watch Episode 2 of The Ark below:
"I'm always more interested in the thing that a character is fighting against," Burke explained. "So yes, she's bold and tough through her actions and through her quick ability to make decisions. But for me, it's what's happening underneath that; second-guessing that instinct, maybe the inability to let people in or trust people. And why is that the case? The layers to her, I think, are what make her the most interesting, but I also think there's layers to her that even she herself doesn't understand or know yet. [It's] been really exciting to find in scenes with these amazing actors where I myself am going, 'Oh, that's what this scene is about.' It's almost like I'm discovering her as much as she's discovering herself in this journey. Because I feel like on a show or in a story where you're faced with tragedy and you're always in a life or death, situation, you really get to know what you're made of."
The Ark airs on SYFY every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET. New episodes are available to stream on Peacock the day after they premiere. Click here to watch the second episode for free.
Looking for more sci-fi content? Check out shows like Resident Alien, Brave New World, Project Blue Book, Eureka, Heroes, Intergalactic, and more streaming now on Peacock.
