Jason Segelfirst turned heads as an endearingly comedic actor in works likeFreaks and Geeks,I Love You, Man, andHow I Met Your Mother. Segel has also fostered his own unique comedic visions, writing the screenplays forForgetting Sarah MarshallandThe Muppets. But Segel’s latest project, an anthology series coming to AMC, is as far away from comedy as you can get.Dispatches from Elsewhere, created by and starring Segel, comes to air in 2020. And as you can tell from the first teaser released, it’s a dark, complicated, and thoroughly twisted affair.
“Behind this world, there is a world which has been hidden from you.” Thus intonesRichard E. Grant(Can You Ever Forgive Me?), whose sonorous British tones underscore the entire tantalizing teaser. He promises a conspiracy, a need for rebellion, and a chance for redemption for four random people, played by Segel,Sally Field(Lincoln),André Benjamin(aka André 3000 from Outkast), andEve Lindley(Mr. Robot). But is Grant’s ploy a game, not unlike theMichael Douglas-starringThe Game? Or is it, as Benjamin suspects, a government conspiracy? What are all the televisions Segel is watching in the final stylized shot? What the heck is Clara?! If any of these questions sound intriguing to you, you’ve just found your new 2020 appointment television show.
Check out the first teaser and official synopsis forDispatches from Elsewherebelow. For more on Segel, here’s our take on whyForgetting Sarah Marshallis an essential comedy. Plus, check out our review for Segel’s last foray into existential sci-fi drama,The Discovery. And finally, ourThe End of the Tourinterview with him and co-starJesse Eisenberg.
The ten-hour series is centered around four ordinary people who feel there’s something missing in their lives, but they can’t quite put their finger on what it is. This diverse foursome is brought together by chance – or perhaps it’s by design – when they stumble onto a puzzle hiding just behind the veil of everyday life. As they begin to accept the mysterious ‘Dispatches from Elsewhere’ challenges, they come to find that the mystery winds deeper than they imagined, and their eyes are opened to a world of possibility and magic.
