There has always been a spot for techno-thrillers and apocalyptic tales on television, but every generation faces a different set of fears that drives these stories. From nuclear fallout to viral pandemics, every decade we get new series and films that prey on what frightens us. In this modern age of global reliance on energy, a story about what would happen if we suddenly lost what keeps our world moving is scarier than anything. Last Light preys on those fears.
Last Light, based on the novel by Alex Scarrow, follows the Yeats family. Andy Yeats is a chemist who is called in when something malicious renders the oil that powers vehicles and infrastructure suddenly stops working. Separated by thousands of miles from his wife and children, Andy must find a way home to them while also discovering how to stop the collapse of society as we know it. Built around the family journeying back to each other, Last Light also looks at how losing our access to oil would impact everything from law and order to basic human decency.
I recently had the chance to discuss Last Light with the cast and director behind the series. Matthew Fox, best known for Party of Five and Lost, discussed his return to television for the first time in over a decade. He talked about what drew him specifically to this series and the ability to tell stories like this now when it couldn’t have happened before. Joanne Froggatt, formerly of Downton Abbey, discussed how she found the ability to create a family dynamic with characters spread across the globe. Series director Dennie Gordon talked about helming such a massive scale series set across the world and what message she wants audiences to take from the series. Check out the full interviews in the embed above, and read our review here.
Last Light premieres on September 8th on Peacock.