Southold-set Science Fiction Thriller 'Emergence' Canceled

ABC has canceled Emergence, its twisty sci-fi thriller about a Southold police chief who finds herself in the middle of a dark conspiracy after finding an amnesiac little girl on the beach after a plane crash.

Emergence was plagued with low ratings from the start, and its highly serialized structure made it hard for new viewers to jump in without starting from the beginning. Critically, though, the series was a hit—we loved the atmospheric North Fork setting and terrific performances from series leads Allison Tolman, Owain Yeoman and Alexa Swinton. The show was clearly inspired by East Hampton’s Steven Spielberg‘s family-oriented science fiction film E.T., as well as the Amazing Stories franchise.

Over the course of the season, Jo (Tolman) discovers that Piper (Swinton), the sweet little girl without a past, is actually an advanced artificial intelligence. Along the way, she discovers that amiable journalist Benny (Yeoman) is also an artificial intelligence, and came to Southold with the express purpose of securing Piper and carrying out a mysterious transmission that could have devastating implications for the entire world.

Tolman took to Twitter to express her feelings on Emergence‘s cancellation.

I loved Jo, I loved our crew, I loved my cast mates, I loved New Jersey, I loved our fans. And it’s a really scary time to lose so many things you love all at once. I am bereft.

— Allison Tolman (@Allison_Tolman) May 24, 2020

Watch the first and only season of Emergence on Hulu.