‘You Don’t Want to Run The Risk of Being Boring – And We Are Definitely Not!’ The Cast of LA BREA Sets Up The Scary Thrill Ride

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede There are many TV shows in the modern era that have “slow build” types of stories. It takes a little while for the drama to ratchet up. But the new series LA BREA, which debuts Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 9 p.m. ET on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, clearly does not fall into the “slow build” category. Within minutes, the entire world changes for all the characters due to a devastating event, and viewers get to see it all unfold right before their eyes. What happens in the early stages of the first episode of LA BREA has been depicted in teasers, trailers, poster art, and publicity material for the show. But for viewers who have managed to avoid all of that, and would prefer to go into the series completely fresh, this is a SPOILER ALERT, because the basic premise of LA BREA is about to be discussed. On an otherwise normal morning in Los Angeles – i.e., traffic is completely snarled – a rumble in the earth pulls everyone away from their personal squabbles. A massive sinkhole suddenly develops at the famous La Brea Tar Pits, devouring entire buildings, cars, and of course, people. The Harris family – mom Eve, played by Natalie Zea, dad Gavin, played by Eoin Macken, son Josh, played by Jack Martin, and daughter Izzy, played by Zyra Gorecki – is literally split in two. Mom and son are presumed dead when they are among those who have fallen into the sinkhole, while dad and daughter remain up top, dealing with the aftermath of what is supposedly one of the worst natural disasters the world has ever seen. But Eve, Josh, and many others find themselves in an unexplainable and mysterious primeval world. Gavin begins to believe that his wife and son are still alive, because the visions that have plagued him for years are strangely beginning to make a bit more sense. “They really wanted the meat and potatoes up top,” said Zea, when asked about how quickly LA BREA grabs the attention of the audience. “And look, let’s be realistic, we do have to deal with modern-day attention spans, so I think it’s probably pretty smart.” Martin added, “I think in a show like this, with such a crazy concept and situation, you don’t want to run the risk of being boring – and we are definitely not!” So, considering everything that occurs in the first episode of LA BREA, with hints of wider conspiracies about just how “natural” this disaster really was, six of the main cast members – the afore-mentioned actors who play the Harris family, plus Jon Seda, who plays Dr. Sam Velez, and Chiké Okonkwo, who plays Ty Coleman – were asked to describe the show in just a few words. Here’s what they had to say: NATALIE ZEA: “Jack, you got this.” JACK MARTIN: “Crazy sinkhole devastates Los Angeles, and family.” NATALIE ZEA: “We got a regular Don Draper over here (referring to the brilliant ad executive in MAD MEN).” EOIN MACKEN: “It’s a crazy adventure of chaos.” ZYRA GORECKI: “You’ve got family, you’ve got running, and you’ve got crazy things happening constantly, and nobody knows what’s happening, ever.” EOIN MACKEN: “Oh wait, I got one, I got one! It’s something that Zyra said before, when we were talking about this: the unknown is scary, but also fun.” ZYRA GORECKI: “Yeah, that’s it! The unknown is scary, but also fun.” CHIKÉ OKONKWO: “I’m going to say, an epic grounded adventure.” JON SEDA: “Mysterious thrill ride.” CHIKÉ OKONKWO:  “I think we did great!” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv