Last year, WGN America kicked off a slate of original series that included a complete re-imagining of the Salem witch trials. In their version, witches are real -- and super sexy. In fact, almost everyone is sexy; but a lot of really, really weird and unsexy things also happen (see: magic pet frog suckling a leg teat. I kid you not).
In my review of the Season One premiere, I summed it up as: "a mess, but it’s WGN America’s mess," and prognosticated that, "like [lead character] Mary’s (Janet Montgomery) embrace of her new dark powers, if it draws an audience, they will surely come to love it.
And thus it has come to pass. The series' second season -- currently in production in Louisiana (a far cry from its 17th century Massachusetts setting) -- is adding Lucy Lawless and Stuart Townsend to its cast in recurring roles. According to the press release, Lawless will play a Countess who is the last descendant in a long and legendary line of German witches, while Townsend will appear as Samuel Wainwright, a "mysterious" doctor looking to uncover Salem's secrets.
Season Two is set to premiere Sunday, April 5th at 10 p.m. ET on WGN America.
Click on the first-look image here for a Hi-Res version:
And also take a gander at the full press release for all of of the details regarding the Salem Season 2 return:
LOS ANGELES, January 28, 2015 – WGN America has set the premiere date for the highly anticipated second season of its hit supernatural thriller “Salem,” which will make its return onSunday, April 5 at 10:00 p.m. ET/ 9:00 p.m. CT. The network also released the first-look photo from the new season of “Salem,” currently in production in Shreveport, LA for its 13-episode sophomore run, featuring recurring guest stars Lucy Lawless (“Xena: Warrior Princess,” “Spartacus”) and Stuart Townsend (“Betrayal,” “The League of Extraordinary Gentleman”).
From creators and writers Brannon Braga (“Cosmos,” “24”) and Adam Simon (“The Haunting in Connecticut”), “Salem” season two opens at the dawn of the witch war set into motion at the end of season one, with its catalyst and Salem’s deadliest witch, Mary Sibley (Janet Montgomery, “Made in Jersey,” “Human Target”) at the center of the mayhem as she faces off against new and old adversaries vying for her throne. In the wake of the destruction caused by the Grand Rite, completed by Mary and inadvertently triggered by Isaac Walton (Iddo Goldberg, “Mob City”) in the season one finale, the fates of Captain John Alden (Shane West, “Nikita, “ER”), Cotton Mather (Seth Gabel, “Arrow,” “Fringe”), Tituba (Ashley Madekwe, “Revenge”), Anne Hale (Tamzin Merchant, “Jane Eyre”), Mercy Lewis (Elise Eberle, “The Astronaut Farmer”) and Isaac hang in the balance.
New to the embattled 17th-century village for the second season of “Salem” are Lucy Lawless as Countess Marburg, one of the last descendants of a legendary line of ancient German witches; Stuart Townsend as Samuel Wainwright, a mysterious doctor looking to uncover the secrets ofSalem as he keeps a few of his own; Joe Doyle (“Raw”) as Baron Sebastian Marburg, the charming and cultured son of the Countess; and Oliver Bell (“The Saint”) as Mary’s long-lost son, who was revealed in the season one finale to have been secretly kept alive all along by her coven.
“Salem,” called “perversely entertaining” by The New York Times and “a sexy good time” by The Hollywood Reporter, is a bold re-imagination of the infamous 17th century witch trials in colonial Massachusetts.
“Salem” is executive produced by Brannon Braga, Adam Simon, Kelly Souders, Brian Peterson and Prospect Park’s Josh Barry and Jeff Kwatinez. Nick Copus directs and serves as co-executive producer. The series is produced by Fox 21.
Follow “Salem” on Twitter and YouTube @SalemWGNA. “Like” the series on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SalemWGN.
Follow the “SALEM” Cast on Twitter:
· Janet Montgomery: @jayrmonty
· Shane West: @ShaneWest
· Seth Gabel:@sethgabel
· Ashley Madekwe: @smashleybell
· Tamzin Merchant: @tamzinmerchant
· Elise Eberle: @eliseeberle
· Iddo Goldberg: @IddoG
· Lucy Lawless: @reallucylawless
· Stuart Townsend: @stu_townsend
· Joe Doyle: @royal_doyle
Co-Creator:
· Brannon Braga: @BrannonBraga