The expanse of the night sky envelopes both a sleepy midwestern town and a distant exoplanet in the new Amazon drama “Night Sky.”
The series stars J.K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek as a couple in a rural midwestern town. They tend to their farm, which contains a mysterious shed that leads to a far-off planet. The show takes a unique spin on space travel, love, and discovery. The creators of the show, Daniel Connolly and Holden Miller, blended elements commonly found in the genres of sci-fi and drama and intertwined them to become one. They described their approach to mixing both genres as “one show, telling one story and using the different elements to enhance the other.” The imagery and character development help explore a deeper aspect of the series, showing a couple maintaining a secret and growing old together. The inclusion of these elements help navigate the storyline to appeal to a variety fans and viewers.
The Knockturnal spoke with series creators Daniel Connolly and Holden Miller about the conception of the show. Is it a sci-fi epic? A quiet family drama? Both? And how did Simmons — known for his fast-talking, insult-slinging characters from Spider-Man, Whiplash, and more — end up playing a mild-mannered farmer?
“Night Sky” premieres on May 20th only on Amazon Prime.
