A close-ended murder mystery set against the backdrop of a remote island wedding.
That was the premise of the gory 2009 CBS seriesHarpers Island.
it wasbinge-worthy TVahead of its time.
Chris Helcermanas-Benge/CBS/Getty Images
CBS took a risk with a then unfamiliar format.
We developed this idea [for] a show where we could kill people off.
We thought of a destination wedding, because weddings can be scary anyway.
Then I pitched it and wrote the pilot.
That was always our intent withHarpers Island.
Of all the networks, CBS was the one to take the chance with us.
The series premiered on April 9, 2009, to more than10 million viewers.
Harry Hamlins character was the first major cast member to be killed off.
So we wanted to kill him off in the first episode.
I remember this pulley system where [Martys] body would split in half.
ZREIK:It was a gruesome death for a pilot to be shown on CBS!
We got a lot of pushback on it from CBS on it.
If they can do that, we can do that.
And they looked at us and said, Well, theyreCSI.
One by one, characters got the ax.
ZREIK:I became the guy to have to deliver the news.
I tried to make a game out of it.
It got to the point where no one wanted to talk to me!
But they knew what they had signed up for they embraced it.
By the way, those were the best days to be on set.
It was their swan song and we tried to schedule that scene on that actors last day.
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Midway through filming, there was a major change to the story line.
So thats something that we came to decide upon in maybe the sixth episode.
and we tied it to the family history.
You cant just have death scenes [in a TV show].
So that was a good backstory, using Wakefield as a real character.
Before filming the eighth episode, Gorham learned of his characters murderous fate.
CHRISTOPHER GORHAM (STAR):When they told me it was really strange.
We got on the phone with head writer Jeff Bell and he said, The secret word is Henry.
And I just sat there going, Okay, what does that mean?
Then they walked me through the entire plot and it was exciting.
I walked back to my apartment with my head buzzing.
But I had to keep the secret from the cast until we started shooting the last two episodes.
She didnt want to know and it drove me absolutely nuts.
Ironically, Gorham, now playing a killer, actually saved a real life on set.
I asked if he was okay and he gave me that signal.
While some deaths were extremely graphic (i.e.
ahead spade through Mr. Wellington), those werent necessarily the toughest to film.
ZREIK:The one that stands out for me was Cam Richardsonsdeath on the bridge.
It was the most difficult to shoot.
We spent two days on that drawbridge.
We also had the best time trying to find the right piece of score to put to it.
It was also an emotional death [because] it was witnessed by three of our characters.
The end result were really proud of.
Katie Cassidy, who played Henrys fiancee Trish,had to fight the cold while shooting her death scene.
She had to run outside in the forest without any shoes on in a strapless dress.
So that shaking in her lips was actually cold.
Ultimately, Henry was also killed off too.
GORHAM:It was great actually.
I think it was the first time I died on screen and it was such a spectacular death.
The series aired its finale on July 11.
Although a season 2was unlikely, there had been some early ideas.
SCHLOSSBERG:There were early conversations not to use the same characters.
ZREIK:We wouldve loved to do a second season.
The two ideas [were] are on opposite ends of the spectrum.
But I think we were closer to the safari.
SCHLOSSBERGI want to give CBS a lot of credit because [this wasnt] their bread and butter.
Every connection, I think, wants to create a star.
And what good is it if then theyre [killed off] or the show is over?
GORHAM:Im thrilled thatHarpers Islandcontinues to excite and scare its audience.
Its an example of a show just a couple years ahead of its time.
Harpers Islandis available onHuluandAmazon Prime.
