Charlaine Harris of True Blood fame is back with another intrigue-filled drama set in a small town in Texas
Every little town has its secrets. Whether it’s the family feuds that have gone back generations or the mayor’s not-so-secret trysts, the confines of a small settlement means that everyone’s business is out in the open. And those secrets become increasingly hard to hide when there’s nowhere to conceal them. It can make for the occasional annoying squabble or embarrassing moment. But in Midnight, Texas those secrets can not only be harrowing–they can be deadly too.
Adapted from Charlaine Harris’ books of the same name, Midnight, Texas tells the story of Manfred Bernardo (François Arnaud), a psychic who settles into Midnight, a town that is as bizarre as it is remote. Soon, Manfred discovers that the tiny town has been a haven for vampires, witches, psychics, hit men and others for hundreds of years. But not long after Manfred’s arrival, the band of misfits must stand together to fight for their odd little township, fending off biker gangs, curious cops and others that threaten to unravel everything they have built.
The Knockturnal had the opportunity to talk to Arielle Kebbel (The Vampire Diaries) and Yul Vazquez (Seinfeld) about the upcoming show. check out what they had to say below.
Hi! It’s so nice to meet you! Congratulations on the show.
Arielle Kebbel: Thank you!
Yul Vazquez: Thank you!
Tell me a little bit about what attracted you to the project.
Yul: I was attracted to the project because I knew Arielle was in it.
Arielle: I knew he was going to say that. And not because I’m conceited, but because he loves that answer.
That’s a good answer when your co-star is standing next to you!
Yul: I love Arielle, and I mean that. I’m attracted to the project because I love the mystery of the character. That’s really the short answer, that’s the truth.
Arielle: I mean, have you ever met a weretiger before?
Who’s the weretiger?
Yul: Somebody becomes a weretiger!
Arielle: Ahh!
Maybe I’m the weretiger!
Yul: You know what? I think so. Why were you attracted to the project, Arielle?
Arielle: I loved Olivia’s anger issues. Honestly. And I loved exploring that in the series and getting to know her backstory, and what makes her who she is today. And then Charlaine Harris is, of course, an added bonus.
Yes! She is behind True Blood?
Yul: True Blood, yes.
Do you have those elements in there?
Yul: Oh, absolutely I think it has a lot of those elements, and more. I think it has those elements but it’s a different idea.
And tell us a little bit about what the show about.
Arielle: Midnight Texas is a small town in Texas—go figure.
Does it take place at midnight, maybe?
Arielle: Perhaps. Perhaps. And it’s a place where outsiders go to fit in. We’re two of the outsiders.
Yul: It’s so funny because Arielle sees it as a town in Texas, and I’ve always looked at it as a fictional town.
Arielle: No!
Yul: I like it that way. In my head, it’s a fictional town because then all bets are off.
But that’s how you’re imagining it.
Yul: Yeah that’s my own interpretation, exactly.
Yul: Her interpretation is probably right. And I’m crazy. But we know that. I think if I imagine that it’s a fictional town, anything is possible.
Anything can happen.
Yul: Right.
Arielle: Which it does throughout the series.
Yul: Correct, yeah.
So, I know you’re a hit woman of sorts?
Arielle: I am a hit-woman and I’m in a relationship with a vampire. So we’re two totally normal characters who are in love.
Yul: It’s like Fred and Ethel Mertz.
Arielle: It’s exactly like that.
Yul: Of Midnight, Texas.
Do you really shoot in Texas?
Yul: No, we shoot in Albuquerque.
Arielle: Albuquerque’s been very good to us.
It has a similar vibe.
Yul: It’s arid and has cacti!
Midnight, Texas premieres tonight on NBC at 10/9c.