Almost 11 months after it was announced, the “Joe Pickett” series, based on Wyoming author C.J. Box’s character of the same name, premiered Monday night on Spectrum.
Box expressed his excitement about the premiere on Monday.
“Guess what premieres today on Spectrum Originals? The very first episode of Joe Pickett Did you brush up on Open Season to fully appreciate the experience of seeing the Picketts in person (especially Joe in his bathrobe and holster)?” Box wrote.
The series follows Pickett and his family as they navigate the changing political and socio-economic climate in small-town Wyoming while also investigating the schemes and secrets of the area.
Box told one fan who couldn’t watch the premiere because he was living outside of the Spectrum service area that it will be available in other places in 2022.
“Sorry about that. Those who can’t get Spectrum will be able to watch it on Paramount+ when it moves there. All of Season 1 will be available,” Box said.
The first three episodes of Joe Pickett debuted Monday, Dec. 6. New episodes will continue streaming every Monday until the finale airs on Monday, Dec. 27, according to Decider.
Signing up for Spectrum as a standalone service isn’t cheap. Subscriptions start at $44.99 per month.
Actor Michael Dorman said he hoped his portrayal of Pickett lived up to the book.
“With books, everyone is going to have their own interpretation. For me, playing Joe Pickett was more about trying to capture the essence of him,” Dorman told UPI.
The actor said he was attracted to the part because of where it takes place.
“I was drawn to that. I love the outdoors. I love the landscape. I think it’s its own landscape in our show. I love being in it and I’ve loved watching what I’ve seen so far. I love these characters like I love the story,” Dorman said.
Executive producers John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle previously told Deadline that they “fell in love” with the Joe Pickett novels because of their “nuanced take on morality in a morally ambiguous world.”
“We became fascinated with Joe’s obsession with the ideas of truth, fairness, and the order of things, and perhaps even more fascinated with the trauma that made him that way,” they said.
“These days, there is so much to relate to in the Pickett family’s desire for a simpler life, and also in the notion that unresolved elements of our past tend to follow us wherever we go. Spending the last few years with the Pickett family has been one of the great joys of our careers, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring them to life on screen.”
New Zealand actor Michael Dorman, best known for his roles “The Invisible Man” remake and the Apple TV+ series “For All Mankind,” has been cast as Pickett.
The series will air for a nine-month exclusive run on Spectrum. Box is serving as an executive producer on the series, as he did for “Big Sky,” which is based on his Cassie Dewell novels.
Box has written 20 Pickett novels, so the showrunners definitely have a lot of material to use for the series, should it be renewed for a second season.
