PlayStation
PlayStation
Since getting , I’ve been a lot more interested in catching up on new shows. From time to time, I’m going to check in with the creators of some of my favorite shows here on PlayStation.Blog — starting with , an unusual take on the vampire mythos created by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan that was one of my favorites in 2015.
To mark this Sunday’s season three premiere, I spoke with Chuck Hogan, co-creator, to learn more about the show’s origins and where we’re headed in season three. Enjoy!
PlayStation.Blog: What inspired the original concept of a worldwide vampire apocalypse?
Chuck Hogan: It was Guillermo’s original vision. We started working on this in 2006, before the “Twilight” phenomenon and the current apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic trend. We wanted to set a story against the potential fall of humanity.
PSB: And the vampires themselves — or strigoi — couldn’t be further from the debonair depictions stretching back to Dracula. What sparked that concept?
CH: Again, this was Guillermo’s original concept, and the one that excited me the most. We’ve taken the vampire myth back to its pre-Dracula origins. These are brutal, nasty creatures that live in the dirt.
PSB: The Strain began as a series of novels — but I was surprised to learn that it was originally intended as a TV series all along?
CH: Guillermo originally pitched it as a show, but the networks in the mid-2000’s didn’t get it at all. He decided to do it the way he wanted to, and we met and started working together. The novel version has evolved quite a bit due to many factors, primarily because television is a completely different medium. The books are there for us to borrow from, but not to follow.
PSB: Did you encounter any difficulties in adapting from the page to the screen?
CH: Creative challenges occur daily, but few are major or require capitulation. We have terrific partners in FX. I feel that any problems we’ve encountered in the storytelling have been turned into opportunities.
PSB: At the end of season two, the situation was looking dire — where will Season 3 take us?
CH: Those shockwaves continue to be felt across the season. We pick up about two weeks later, as the plague is deeply entrenched in New York City. It’s now-or-never time for our heroes.
PSB: Do you play games? What do you think of them as an emerging narrative medium?
CH: I wish I had more time to play. Uncharted 4 is sitting next to my PS4, just waiting for me to dive in.
PSB: del Toro has a lot of interest in games. I’m curious if you’re interested in working in the gaming medium?
CH: I’m interested in storytelling at every level, having written novels, TV shows, and movies. I would love to add videogames to that list. I’m adapting one for film now, and the process has definitely got me thinking in terms of game story.
Season 3 of The Strain premieres August 28 on FX. Watch on this Sunday starting at 10/9c. is available now at PlayStation Store — own every episode the day after it airs.
To mark this Sunday’s season three premiere, I spoke with Chuck Hogan, co-creator, to learn more about the show’s origins and where we’re headed in season three. Enjoy!
PlayStation.Blog: What inspired the original concept of a worldwide vampire apocalypse?
Chuck Hogan: It was Guillermo’s original vision. We started working on this in 2006, before the “Twilight” phenomenon and the current apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic trend. We wanted to set a story against the potential fall of humanity.
PSB: And the vampires themselves — or strigoi — couldn’t be further from the debonair depictions stretching back to Dracula. What sparked that concept?
CH: Again, this was Guillermo’s original concept, and the one that excited me the most. We’ve taken the vampire myth back to its pre-Dracula origins. These are brutal, nasty creatures that live in the dirt.
PSB: The Strain began as a series of novels — but I was surprised to learn that it was originally intended as a TV series all along?
CH: Guillermo originally pitched it as a show, but the networks in the mid-2000’s didn’t get it at all. He decided to do it the way he wanted to, and we met and started working together. The novel version has evolved quite a bit due to many factors, primarily because television is a completely different medium. The books are there for us to borrow from, but not to follow.
PSB: Did you encounter any difficulties in adapting from the page to the screen?
CH: Creative challenges occur daily, but few are major or require capitulation. We have terrific partners in FX. I feel that any problems we’ve encountered in the storytelling have been turned into opportunities.
PSB: At the end of season two, the situation was looking dire — where will Season 3 take us?
CH: Those shockwaves continue to be felt across the season. We pick up about two weeks later, as the plague is deeply entrenched in New York City. It’s now-or-never time for our heroes.
PSB: Do you play games? What do you think of them as an emerging narrative medium?
CH: I wish I had more time to play. Uncharted 4 is sitting next to my PS4, just waiting for me to dive in.
PSB: del Toro has a lot of interest in games. I’m curious if you’re interested in working in the gaming medium?
CH: I’m interested in storytelling at every level, having written novels, TV shows, and movies. I would love to add videogames to that list. I’m adapting one for film now, and the process has definitely got me thinking in terms of game story.
Season 3 of The Strain premieres August 28 on FX. Watch on this Sunday starting at 10/9c. is available now at PlayStation Store — own every episode the day after it airs.