Haven (TV series)

Lore & Background

The series follows FBI Special Agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose), who is dispatched to the small town of Haven, Maine, on a routine case and becomes increasingly involved in the return of 'The Troubles', a plague of supernatural afflictions that have occurred in the town at least twice before. Parker eventually quits the FBI to join the Haven Police Department and begins to realize that her arrival may have been pre-arranged and that her name and memories may not be her own. She and her partner, police detective Nathan Wuornos (Lucas Bryant), frequently face problems caused by the Troubles and by townspeople who take drastic measures against those who are Troubled.

Haven was originally developed for ABC Television in 2007 by writers Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn, with production company Piller Segan. In September 2009, E1 Entertainment announced it was working with Stephen King to develop a television series based on his novel The Colorado Kid. The entertainment company ordered the concept straight to series, with thirteen episodes planned. In November, Syfy announced it had acquired the series. Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn wrote the pilot episode; according to Ernst, the original idea had no supernatural involvement, which prompted Stephen King to ask 'Where's the supernatural element?' after he read their notes.

Reader's Guide

Haven premiered on July 9, 2010, on Syfy and concluded on December 17, 2015, after five seasons. In August 2015, Syfy canceled the series. The series was the first property to be produced for Syfy Pay channels around the globe, excluding Canada and Scandinavia. It was renewed for a third 13-episode season beginning September 21, 2012, a fourth 13-episode season, and a split 26-episode fifth season, with the first half airing in 2014 and the second half in 2015. Haven premiered to mixed reviews, with an average score of 63% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes; Seasons 4 and 5 rated 80%. Metacritic only aggregated a rating for the first season. The series regularly alludes to the written works of Stephen King, including references to Derry and Haven as fictional Maine towns, a copy of a novel from Misery, a character released from Shawshank Prison, and plot elements such as precognitive visions and killer plants. The 'Troubles' coincide with the arrival of a stranger every 27 years, the same amount of time between appearances of the creature in Stephen King's It.

Did You Know?

• The series was loosely based on Stephen King's novel The Colorado Kid (2005).
• Filming occurred primarily in Chester, Nova Scotia, and throughout the South Shore of the province.
• The promo of the series premiere features the song 'Short Change Hero' by The Heavy.
• Chiller acquired the rights to air Haven in June 2013, premiering on July 14, 2013.

The Premise and Central Mystery

When FBI Special Agent Audrey Parker arrives in the small Maine town of Haven for what she expects to be a routine assignment, she discovers the community is once again gripped by "The Troubles" — a recurring plague of supernatural afflictions that has struck its residents at least two times before. Parker, who approaches the paranormal with a genuine willingness to believe, becomes entangled not only in protecting townspeople from these afflictions but also in a deeply personal thread: a possible connection to the mother she has never known. Over the series, Parker leaves the FBI to join the Haven Police Department alongside detective Nathan Wuornos. Together they confront both the direct effects of the Troubles and the sometimes violent reactions of townspeople who take drastic measures against those afflicted. As the seasons progress, Parker uncovers the unsettling truth that her presence in Haven may have been pre-arranged, and that her very name and memories might not belong to her. By the final seasons, she is revealed as Mara, a figure whose true identity is woven into the town's cyclical history.

Development and Production Journey

The path to Haven's screen debut was anything but straightforward. Writers Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn originally developed the concept for ABC Television back in 2007, partnering with production company Piller Segan. The project sat dormant for several years before E1 Entertainment announced in September 2009 that it was collaborating with Stephen King to adapt his 2005 novel The Colorado Kid into a thirteen-episode series. By November of that year, Syfy had acquired the project and ordered it straight to series. Ernst has recalled that the original pitch contained no supernatural elements at all — a gap that prompted King to ask, "Where's the supernatural element?" after reading their notes. Casting moved quickly once the supernatural framework was in place: Emily Rose was locked in as Audrey Parker in February 2010, with Eric Balfour and Lucas Bryant joining in late March. Canadian broadcaster Canwest Global Communications secured domestic rights that same month. Production kicked off in April 2010 under director Adam Kane, with filming spread across the South Shore of Nova Scotia — Chester, Lunenburg, Halifax, and Mahone Bay all served as stand-ins for the fictional Maine setting, making Haven an American-Canadian co-production from the ground up.

Stephen King's Fingerprint on the Story

Though Haven is only loosely based on Stephen King's 2005 novel The Colorado Kid, the series is saturated with allusions to the author's broader body of work. The fictional town of Haven shares its Maine setting with King's Derry, and the show's writers and producers have acknowledged that King's catalog served as a constant wellspring of ideas. Specific episodes draw directly from his novels. In "A Tale of Two Audreys," a young boy in a yellow rain slicker chases a newspaper boat down a gutter on Witcham Street before plunging his arm into a storm drain — a scene lifted from the opening chapter of It (1986). The episode "Fear and Loathing" features a Troubled individual who takes the shape of a person's worst fear, at one point appearing as a clown, a clear visual nod to Pennywise from the 1990 film adaptation. Other storylines echo King's work: a character receives a novel written by a figure from Misery (1987), another is released from Shawshank Prison, and one episode centers on precognitive psychometric visions triggered by touch. Perhaps most striking, the Troubles recur on a 27-year cycle — the same interval between appearances of the creature in It.

Broadcast Run and Critical Reception

Haven debuted on Syfy in the United States on July 9, 2010, with the Canadian premiere following on Showcase three days later. International distribution began in October 2010, and the series was notably the first property produced for Syfy Pay channels worldwide, excluding Canada and Scandinavia. The show was sold for broadcast across multiple territories, including Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The series enjoyed steady renewal momentum. A third thirteen-episode season was greenlit in October 2011 and premiered in September 2012, followed by a fourth season approved in November 2012. In January 2014, Syfy ordered an ambitious split fifth season of twenty-six episodes, divided between 2014 and 2015. However, in August 2015, the network pulled the plug after five seasons, and the final episode aired on December 17, 2015. Critically, the series received mixed responses. Rotten Tomatoes gave the full run a 63 percent fresh rating, though seasons four and five scored notably higher at 80 percent. Metacritic only aggregated a score for the first season. Home video releases followed, with Entertainment One putting out the first two seasons on Blu-ray in Region A in 2011 and 2012.