NBC just canceled Debris, J.H. Wyman’s (Fringe) newest show, after one season. However, it would be a real shame for Debris to end with such an unsatisfying conclusion. Debris shouldn’t just be saved because of its (outstanding) plot, but also because it’s got great characters, endless narrative possibilities, and is unlike anything else on TV. Before we get into that, though, we should briefly look back at the first season.
Major spoilers for Debris’ first season ahead!
Where We’ve Been
In the first season of Debris, Bryan Beneventi (Jonathan Tucker) and Finola Jones (Riann Steele) work for Orbital, a multi-national government organization dedicated to investigating and recovering pieces of a crashed alien spacecraft. Also trying to find this debris is INFLUX, a terrorist organization headed by Anson Ash (Scroobius Pip). Throughout the season, Bryan and Finola’s investigations expand their understanding of the debris. Each piece exhibits a unique power that influences the people and environment around it.
In the season finale, “Celestial Body,” Bryan and Finola find the mapmaker (a piece of debris believed to be the key to mapping out where the remaining pieces have fallen). They’re aided by George (Tryone Benskin), Finola’s previously-dead father (it’s a whole thing). George wants to get to the mapmaker before anyone else can. However, he betrays the debris’s location to INFLUX, revealing he’s been working for them this whole time after they resurrected him. Together with Anson and Otto (John Noble), George deactivates the piece of debris and escapes, leaving Bryan and Finola shocked, confused, and searching for answers.
Why Save Debris?
The easiest answer is that the first season ends on an immensely unsatisfying cliffhanger. More questions are asked than answered and a host of new plotlines are teased. Bryan survived some kind of debris-related accident before the show’s events, but what happened? And how does Otto know about it? Speaking of Otto, who is he, and what do he and INFLUX want with the debris? Who are Brill (Sebastian Roche) and Dakheya Nakai (Julian Black Antelope)? What do they know of the debris and the mysterious ball of light it’s created? How do they have another Finola held in suspension inside their cave? Just what, exactly, is actually going on here?
There’s so much story left to tell. I mean, the finale literally ends with Brill saying, “Let’s begin.” In various interviews, Wyman’s stated that the first season is more of an “origin story” for the series Debris is destined to become. And it shows. A lot of the first season’s episodes were case-of-the-week ones, with Bryan and Finola investigating a different piece of debris. As time went on, the overarching plotline became clearer and clearer. The finale only brings that plotline into sharper focus, pushing all of the characters into a world filled with new possibilities. It’s no longer about finding the debris. Now, it’s about stopping INFLUX and understanding the history and significance of the debris. And that’s wildly exciting.
Characters
Normally, shows like Debris or The X-Files spend the first episode or two introducing the two partners, allowing audiences the chance to understand the show’s premise as its characters do. Debris doesn’t do this. Instead, it starts sometime into Bryan and Finola’s partnership, meaning they’re already an established team when we first meet them. At times, this made for some slightly uneven characterization. It was occasionally difficult to believe they still knew so little about each other as their partnership went on. But by the end of the season, it was easy to root for them. Both characters felt fully defined, with interesting backstories and meaty connections to the debris. And their partnership was real and rooted in emotional vulnerability.
A second season could see both characters continue to be challenged. We’ve seen Bryan working through his trauma this season, finally coming around to Finola’s more hopeful point of view. But he’s still dealing with the aftermath of whatever happened during his previous encounter with the debris. Meanwhile, Finola’s had her sense of optimism challenged by her father’s betrayal. So, it would be interesting to see Finola potentially lose her hopeful streak. These are characters worth continuing to follow.
Endless Possibilities
By its very nature, Debris is a show of endless possibilities. Every piece of debris has a different effect on its surrounding environment, meaning any single episode could be wildly different from another. While it looks like a second season would focus more on its serialized plotline than its case-of-the-week stories, there is still a lot of room for innovation and creative storytelling. The first season opened the doors to time travel, alternate universes, and literal resurrections. A second season could easily run with those ideas while also introducing new ones. A show with a central premise that lends itself to so many cool ideas should be an asset for any network, right?
The same is true for the characters Debris focuses on. Sure, Bryan and Finola are the emotional centers of the show. But with its ever-expanding cast, Debris could decide to focus on any one of its side characters. Every member of INFLUX is just begging to have their backstory explored – none more than Otto and Anson. An episode focusing on Brill and Dakheya would be thrilling. Especially if it revealed some history about the debris. Even Maddox (Norbert Leo Butz), the head of Orbital, and his family are intriguing. He’s stolen a piece of debris to help his son communicate, but what happens next? Does he end up in some kind of trouble? Does the debris affect his son in some unexpected way?
Debris has so many possible storylines and characters it could explore. And there are no rules for what it has to be. Meaning it could be whatever a network wanted.
The More Sci-Fi on TV, the Better
Real talk – there aren’t a lot of serious science fiction shows on network TV or cable. Procedurals, comedies, and regular dramas are the name of the game. When TV networks do have sci-fi shows, many of them end up being over-the-top and a bit tongue-in-cheek. But not Debris. Debris is a first-contact show without any aliens. Sure, some might appear eventually. But for now, it’s all about how humanity reacts to finding these otherworldly things. In an interview with TVLine, Wyman says he finds “the cynical nature of what’s going in the world just overwhelming” and that he thinks “people have sort of lost their belief in wonder and awe.” You can feel these ideas at play through the first season. And it makes it stand out against a lot of other shows.
At its heart, Debris is about discovery. How do you react to discovering something you don’t know? Do you weaponize it? Should you try and spread its power to the masses? Do you try to understand it? Is there even a correct answer? There aren’t many shows like Debris and it would be a shame to lose it so soon. It may not have the biggest fanbase, but it has a dedicated one. Perhaps Debris would fare better on a streaming service. Serious science fiction seems to do well on these services. Regardless, any network or streaming service should feel lucky to have a show like Debris. And I hope someone saves it from its early death.
What do you think? Do you want to see a second season of Debris?
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Part-time writer, part-time theatre nerd, full-time dork.
