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TV Review: ‘Dig,’ USA Network

kent.gibbons@futurenet.com (Kent Gibbons) — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 19:45:00 +0000

Going after DaVinci Code intrigue and Homeland action – the marketing promos also namedrop Indiana Jones and The FBI -- USA’s new series, Dig, has a great title, a solid cast, and, maybe best of all, a compelling main setting in Jerusalem’s Old City.

There are intersecting storylines also set in Norway and New Mexico, but the real action is on and under the millennia-old streets of Jerusalem, with as many background shots of the golden Dome of the Rock as possible.

FBI agent Peter Connelly (Jason Isaacs) is stationed there, working for Lynn Monahan, played by Anne Heche. Monahan, his occasional sex buddy, offered him the posting after Connelly’s daughter died and his marriage collapsed. One night he spots a redheaded American archaeologist (Alison Sudol) who closely resembles Connelly’s dead daughter. She leads him to an underground dig site where, irritatingly, she has carved her initials into the wall. (Do archaeologists do that?)

It’s a metaphorical rabbit hole for our hero, who will soon be investigating a murder that he, in theory at least, could be implicated in, and that elicits clues leading into ancient secrets and Ark of the Covenant invocations.

In New Mexico, meanwhile, there’s a walled compound where, it appears, a religious sect is training a young boy to carry out an unspecified but very important mission. David Costabile (who played Gale the chemist in Breaking Bad) and Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) are part of that. In Norway, a red heifer has been born and must be protected from dangerous enemies so that it can help fulfill a prophecy.

There are plots and subplots cooking right and left, and ancient stones and symbols, that keep the action moving and the viewer guessing. They will come together, eventually, over the course of more than the three (out of 10) one-hour episodes I watched. But we learn from the opening moments that the end of the world could be coming.

The storytelling is not at the level of co-creator Gideon Raff’s Homeland (the other co-creator is Tim Kring, of Heroes.) But Dig is certainly fun and colorful and worth watching. For more, check out the show's site.

USA Network Event Series 'Digs' Super Bowl Spot

Mike Reynolds — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 21:30:00 +0000

Their pro football interests aside, executives at NBCU’s flagship entertainment service now have another reason to dig corporate cousin NBC's presentation of Super Bowl XLIX.

USA Network's upcoming drama will benefit from Big Game exposure, as Dig will be highlighted in a 15-second spot during the first quarter of the NFL championship tussle between the defending champion Seaattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.

Running in the first quarter, the unit features clips from the international production, and series stars Jason Isaacs (Awake) and Anne Heche (Save Me). Dig, from Universal Cable Productions and Keshet, tells tale of a murder mystery set against the backdrop of modern day Jerusalem in which an FBI agent (Isaacs) investigates the death of a young American and becomes embroiled in some of the Holy Land’s darkest secrets.

Dig joins E!'s The Royals in securing a promotional berth in what will be the biggest telecast of 2015 and perhaps in U.S. television history, The 10-event miniseries will debut on USA's lineup on March 5 at 10 p.m. (ET).

USA Network Partners With Wattpad

Will Hagle — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:00:00 +0000

USA Network has partnered with Wattpad in order to offer exclusive content for its forthcoming series DIG on the social platform.

Wattpad, which allows readers and writers to publish, read and share stories via its mobile platform, will feature a prequel of DIG as well as content from the series prior to its fall debut. The prequel will be written in 12 parts and introduced to readers in a weekly, serialized manner. The prequel will be available via the Wattpad app as well as on Wattpad.com

The forthcoming USA Network series, which follows an FBI agent uncovering a massive conspiracy, is creative and executive produced by Tim Kring and Gideon Raff, with Jason Isaacs and Anne Heche in leading roles.

'Dig' Creators, Stars Field Queries on Political Implications of USA Series

jessika.walsten@futurenet.com (Jessika Walsten) — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 19:45:00 +0000

Beverly Hills, Calif.-- Dig cocreators and stars addressed whether they were concerned that the Jerusalem-set series would have political ramifications as the shows deals with Biblical prophecies amid mounting turmoil in the region.

Series cocreator and executive producer Tim Kring explained that Dig, which USA president Chris McCumber described as “a Da Vinci Code -ike thriller,” is at its heart a murder mystery and that as the story unfolds there are references to Biblical prophecies.

“The truth is we don’t take necessarily a stand on it, because this stuff is all out there,” said Kring during the TCA summer press tour panel here for the series on Monday. “It’s actually real prophecies and there are real speculation about this and so our show doesn’t take one position. We just set this mystery inside this.”

Kring fielded questions with series stars Anne Heche and Jason Isaacs as well as cocreator and executive producer Gideon Raff.

“Nobody is what they seem and nothing is what it seems and even Peter is not what he seems,” said Isaacs in response to a query about whether or not Orthodox Jews will be the villains in the series. “…To say more than that would be to make it less fun for the audience.”

Kring added: “There are enough villains to go around.”

The panel also addressed whether filming would resume in Jerusalem in light of the fighting in the region.

Raff, who was born and raised in Jerusalem, explained that production is currently on a preplanned hiatus between the pilot and the remaining five episodes but that the team will continue to assess the situation.

“Our hearts go out to everybody in Israel and in Gaza over what’s happening right now,” said Raff. “And hopefully it will be resolved very soon.”

Other highlights from the panel included:

*Kring said he and Raff set out to do a closed-ended series that has a distinct beginning, middle and end. But the characters within the series could be brought back for another story.

*Isaacs opened up about what it was like filming in Jerusalem: “It’s heavy stuff. Whether you’re a believer or non believer…Jerusalem is what’s called the 'Earth Navel,' the belly button. It’s where the ley lines cross and I didn’t believe in any of that stuff until I was standing in Jerusalem and you could just feel all of it.”

*Kring was asked if he had had any time to think about Heroes Reborn, which was greenlit by NBC in February. He stayed mum on the series, only saying that he is focused on right now on Dig.

*“I like women who have a sense of themselves and who they are even in serious situations…I really like complicated characters,” said Heche of the roles she tends to choose, adding that often her personality becomes a part of the characters she plays.