# Wayward Pines (2015)

> A U.S. Secret Service agent searching for a missing person arrives in an idyllic Idaho town where nothing is what it seems and no one can leave.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/47884

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 20
- Episode runtime: 43 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: science fiction, mystery, thriller
- Created by: Chad Hodge
- Network: FOX
- Cast: Matt Dillon, Jason Patric, Shannyn Sossamon, Nimrat Kaur, Carla Gugino, Tom Stevens, Djimon Hounsou, Charlie Tahan
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2618986/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: eerie, paranoid, unsettling, claustrophobic, mysterious

## What critics say

Season one's eerie mystery and Matt Dillon's performance drew positive audience response, while the second season was seen as a letdown that weakened the premise.

## Synopsis

Wayward Pines (2015-2016) is a US science fiction mystery series created by Chad Hodge for FOX. Secret Service agent Ethan Burke (Matt Dillon) arrives in the picturesque Idaho town of Wayward Pines while searching for a missing person, only to find that no one can communicate with the outside world and the residents seem unable or unwilling to leave. Ethan's partner Theresa Burke (Shannyn Sossamon) and local doctor Theo Yedlin (Jason Patric) are drawn into the mystery as the agent pushes against the town's controlled, unsettling routines. Each episode peels back another layer of the community's rules, its polished surfaces, and the increasingly strange behavior of its residents, with the protagonist's own grip on reality constantly tested. The two-season run is a serialized, continuous story rather than a case of the week, moving through a tight sequence of revelations. Its tone mixes idyllic calm with dread, paranoia, and claustrophobia, and its visuals of manicured lawns and sunny streets make the menace feel quietly wrong. Fans of The Prisoner, Twin Peaks and Lost will find resonance in its sealed-off community and puzzle-box storytelling.

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