Perhaps the most anticipated new drama of the season is about to begin. From Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights) comes Bates Motel, a modernized prequel series to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller Psycho. Freddie Highmore stars as a young Norman Bates and we will witness the events that unfold in his life that eventually lead to him becoming the psychotic murderer we see in the film from 1960. Vera Farmiga stars as his mother Norma, and Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke, Nicola Peltz, Mike Vogel, and Nestor Carbonell round out the cast.
In the pilot episode Norman and Norma move to a new town and Mother becomes the owner of a motel. “This town looks really beautiful on the outside. But underneath it is something very dark and malevolent,” shares Cuse. Pay attention, because over the course of the 10-episode season there will be many twists and turns you won’t see coming according to Highmore. He tells EW that there is “a big revelation at some point in the middle of the season” that will force audiences and the characters to shift their perspective in a big way. “It’s nice to perhaps have this weird false sense of hope that Norman might turn out okay, that there’s something in him you think, ‘Maybe he doesn’t have to go down this line,’” he opines.
In a recent interview with EW, Cuse described the show as “one part Friday Night Lights, one part Lost and one part Twin Peaks.” He continued, “We also liked the idea that there’s two parts to every person. There’s the superficial veneer, which in this town is the very beautiful bucolic place and everybody seems great, but underneath that all these characters have these dark desires and secrets. We felt like that would be a wonderful territory in which to land Norma and Norman.”
Bates Motel premieres Monday, March 18 at 10PM on A&E. Check out the gallery below to view five new teaser posters, a couple inspired by previously released trailers.
Update: I hope you checked into Bates Motel this week, because a lot of people did and if these early numbers are any indication it’s that the show is here to stay. 3 million total viewers tuned into the 10PM airing of the series premiere, 1.6 million of which fall into the coveted 18-49 adult demographic. If you include the encore airing, a grand total of 4.6 million watched the pilot episode of Bates Motel on Monday night (2.4 million in the 18-49 demo). These impressive numbers make it the highest rated original drama for A&E ever (the previous record-holder was the gone-too-soon Breakout Kings).
A&E president Bob DeBitetto on Bates premiere: “Bates Motel represents the very best of quality storytelling with an incredible cast led by Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore. We are extremely pleased with the initial viewer response to this edgy and provocative series and are confident that it will continue to draw in new audiences.”