Emergence shows off Stranger Things vibes at SDCC premiere

Another amnesiac crime thriller following fast behind the Starz series The Rook, Emergence is ABC's upcoming genre show about a police chief (Allison Tolman), a child with no memory and a lost identity (Alexa Swinton), and lots of string-and-corkboard conspiracies. The show, created by Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas, has plenty of mysteries already afoot - and at least one character that seems to have some superpowered control over electricity.

At the show's panel at San Diego Comic-Con, SYFY WIRE heard Fazekas and Butters speak alongside cast members Tolman, Swinton, Donald Faison, Clancy Brown, Owain Yeoman, Ashley Aufderheide, Robert Bailey Jr., and Zabryna Guevara. This stacked group followed up the show's entire premiere episode, which had major Stranger Things vibes. The nameless girl, dubbed Piper, seems to have some magnetic/electrical powers and has a mysterious organization after her - after she shows up after a strange plane crash that possibly originated from a local goverment research facility. Yikes.

There's an escape, a lot of subterfuge, and a really solid car crash that looks like the vehicle hit an invisible wall. Lots of great performances set up the final thrilling twist: Piper cuts some sort of microchip-looking device out of her neck and dumps it down the drain. Wait - what? The crowd was almost as hyped as the cast, because it looks like ABC has plenty in store for fans.

You can check out the trailer for the show below:

Fazekas and Butters explained that Spielberg was a big influence for infusing sci-fi into their family drama, while they were definitely conscious about creating a show in a culture drenched in binging.

As the many plot threads develop, including the possibly-kindled romance between Faison and Tolman's characters, fans will have plenty to look forward to as the weird governmental phonies keep trying to hunt down Piper. Or was it Olivia? While her identity, and the origins of her powers, remain secret, Emergence has sunk its hooks in deep with this pilot.

Emergence premieres on Sept. 24.

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