The Strain (TV series)
A CDC team battles an ancient vampiric virus in New York.
The Strain is a horror drama television series from the United States that originally ran on FX. Its broadcast began on July 13, 2014, and concluded on September 17, 2017, spanning four seasons and 46 episodes in total. The show was developed by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, who adapted it from their own trilogy of novels. Carlton Cuse acted as executive producer and showrunner. Del Toro and Hogan wrote the first episode, titled "Night Zero," which del Toro also directed. The network ordered a first season of 13 episodes on November 19, 2013, and the pilot was first shown at the ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas, in early June 2014.
On August 6, 2014, FX renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes, which premiered on July 12, 2015. A third season of 10 episodes was ordered on August 7, 2015, and began airing on August 28, 2016. The network renewed the show for a fourth and final season on September 27, 2016, which premiered on July 16, 2017.
The story follows Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, who leads the CDC’s Canary Project in New York City. He is called to examine an airplane that has landed with all passengers dead. His team discovers a viral outbreak that resembles an ancient form of vampirism. As the infection spreads, Goodweather and his colleagues, along with some city residents, fight to save humanity. Over time, Goodweather gains new allies and uncovers a hidden underworld, political corruption, and a sinister plan for global domination.
**Cast and characters**
**Main cast** Corey Stoll plays Dr. Ephraim "Eph" Goodweather, head of the CDC Canary Team in New York. David Bradley portrays Professor Abraham Setrakian, a Holocaust survivor who runs a pawnshop in New York and is of Armenian descent. Jim Watson appears as a younger Setrakian in flashbacks. Mía Maestro is Dr. Nora Martinez, a CDC Canary Team member and Eph’s closest ally (seasons 1–2). Kevin Durand plays Vasiliy Fet, a solitary rat exterminator of Ukrainian heritage who becomes involved in the fight for humanity. Jonathan Hyde portrays Eldritch Palmer/The Master, a wealthy, elderly, disabled man seeking immortality. Charlie Gallant plays a young Palmer in flashbacks. Richard Sammel is Thomas Eichhorst, an undead vampire follower of the Master who has known Setrakian for 70 years.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Vampire / Horror / Drama
- Creator
- Guillermo del Toro / Chuck Hogan
- Based On
- The Strain · Guillermo del Toro · Chuck Hogan
- Showrunner
- Carlton Cuse
- Voices
- Robin Atkin Downes
- Composer
- Ramin Djawadi
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 4
- Num Episodes
- 46
- List Episodes
- List of The Strain episodes
- Executive Producer
- Guillermo del Toro / Carlton Cuse / Chuck Hogan / Gary Ungar / J. Miles Dale / David Weddle / Bradley Thompson / Regina Corrado
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Strain was developed after del Toro initially pitched it as a television series in 2006, but negotiations broke down when a network president asked him to make it a comedy. Del Toro then asked Chuck Hogan to co-write the concept as a novel series, and the first book was released in 2009, followed by two sequels. After the third book's publication, the authors talked with cable networks, and FX was deemed most suitable because they wanted to follow the books closely and liked the idea of a close-ended series of three to five seasons. The pilot episode, 'Night Zero,' was written by del Toro and Hogan and directed by del Toro, premiering at the ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas, in early June 2014.
Reader's Guide
The Strain is significant as a television adaptation of a successful horror novel trilogy, bringing Guillermo del Toro's distinctive visual and narrative style to the small screen. The series ran for four seasons and 46 episodes, with Carlton Cuse serving as executive producer and showrunner. It explores themes of viral outbreak, political corruption, and ancient evil, updating vampire mythology with a scientific, procedural approach. The show's cast includes Corey Stoll as Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, David Bradley as Professor Abraham Setrakian, and Kevin Durand as Vasiliy Fet, among others. Its legacy lies in its faithful adaptation of the source material and its contribution to the horror television genre during its run on FX.
Did You Know?
- A thirteen-episode first season was ordered on November 19, 2013.
- The series is based on a novel trilogy of the same name by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan.
- During the course of the series, 46 episodes aired over four seasons.
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