# Emergence (2019)

> A police chief takes in an amnesiac child found near a mysterious accident and is pulled into a conspiracy centered on the child's identity.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/77889

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 13
- Episode runtime: 43 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: science fiction, mystery, thriller
- Created by: Michele Fazekas, Tara Butters
- Network: ABC
- Cast: Allison Tolman, Alexa Swinton, Owain Yeoman, Ashley Aufderheide, Robert Bailey Jr., Zabryna Guevara, Donald Faison, Clancy Brown
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9169658/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: tense, paranoid, eerie, brooding

## What critics say

Audiences rated this canceled single season positively, with praise for its intriguing mystery premise and a lead performance, though it ended before its conspiracy could resolve.

## Synopsis

Emergence (2019-2020) is an American science fiction mystery thriller created by Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters for ABC, a single season of thirteen episodes that was canceled before its story could be finished. Allison Tolman plays police chief Jo Evans, who takes in a young child named Piper (Alexa Swinton) after finding her near the site of a mysterious accident, and the girl has no memory of what happened. Jo's engine is simple and urgent: she wants to keep the child safe and uncover the truth, while a growing conspiracy pushes back at every turn. Each episode layers a new piece of the investigation onto her local police work, with domestic pressure at home from Mia Evans (Ashley Aufderheide) and Alex Evans (Donald Faison) and an ominous official presence in Clancy Brown's Ed Sawyer. The tone is tense and paranoid, with a steady, grounded dread and a slow-building sense that the child's identity is at the center of something much bigger than one town. Fans of The X-Files, Fringe and Twin Peaks will find resonance in its blend of procedural investigation, secrecy and eerie mystery. The series is a brisk, accessible watch for viewers who enjoy a single mystery pulled through a tightly wound season.

## Shows like Emergence

- [Extant (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/52010)
- [Beyond (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/59532)
- [Stitchers (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55359)
- [Debris (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/88727)
- [The Event (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/30125)
- [Kyle XY (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/202)
- [The Institute (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/168354)
- [Tower Prep (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/31100)
- [The 4400 (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/1397)
- [Constellation (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/123094)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt