Exclusive Interview: Showrunners Dean Devlin and Jonathan Glassner and Star Christie Burke Talk ‘The Ark’ Season 2

The Ark is set for a highly anticipated return on July 10th, delving into uncharted territory.

Set 100 years in the future, the show takes place aboard Ark One, an interstellar vessel carrying humanity’s last hope for survival. An unforeseen accident kills a significant portion of the essential crew members, forcing the remaining passengers to unite and complete the mission of finding and colonizing another habitable planet. In Season 2, after the courageous crew of Ark One reaches their destination only to find it uninhabitable, they must survive long enough to locate a new home for themselves and the fleet of ships that follow.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with showrunners Dean Devlin and Jonathan Glassner as well as star Christie Burke about the upcoming season, the show’s success, and more.

PC: Dean, one of the benefits of television as a medium is that as the creative teams get to know their ensemble better, they’re able to shape characters and storylines based on their actors and their interpretations. As you’ve headed into Season 2, how did the cast impact the direction of the series? Were there particular traits that you wanted to hone in on more?
Dean: When we started this in Season 1, Jon and I had an idea of where we wanted to go with the show. We had a shape, but as soon as we saw the performances of these characters, especially Christie, they not only fulfilled what we were hoping to do, but they took it to a whole other level. Then that suddenly started inspiring ideas. So we couldn’t wait for Season 2 because there was so much more that we wanted to talk about with these characters. There are so many things that we want to bring out that we didn’t get a chance to touch on. By doing so, it actually spun the entire show in a whole other direction.

PC: Jonathan, one of the reasons why The Ark has been so successful is that it’s a type of sci-fi show we haven’t seen in a while. It’s so rooted in humanity and explores how often we’re our own worst enemy, but it’s told through hope and these three-dimensional characters that you find yourself rooting for, even the “villains.” There’s also so much unexpected humor. How did you, Dean, and the rest of the creative team double down on all those aspects heading into Season 2? What can you tease about that?
Jonathan: Well, I’ve always said that any good television is about the characters more than the plot. Dean wrote a pilot with great characters in it. We took it and expanded on them. Then, when we cast it, we had these amazing actors who took it to yet another dimension. That’s the secret to success. If the audience likes the people they’re watching every week and wants to invite them into their home…

Dean: Or really hates them. [laughs]

Jonathan: …or hates them the way you want them to hate them, then it’ll work. If not, which you know, is never a guarantee, then it won’t. We got lucky that we cast it right. The actors are very good at playing these characters that Dean has created, and it’s been fun.

PC: Christie, speaking of all those layers, your character brings such an empathetic quality and optimism to her leadership. When so many around her have opposing views and are fighting for survival, she’s that beacon of hope for audiences to see the best in themselves, but she has her own battles. You’ve done such a brilliant job portraying that. How have you found your way into this character? As you head into Season 2, were there particular aspects of her that you wanted to explore further?
Christie: First, thank you. That’s so lovely to hear that what I set out to do is translated in what you’re seeing. This season, I was more interested in seeing Garnet not always being a leader. She knows these people now. She feels part of a family. I was really excited to see her in deeper relationships, whether that be friendship or more than friendships. I was just excited to see her as part of a family because in Season 1, she talks briefly in Episode 4 about losing her sister. I feel like she’s had this hole, feeling like she needed to belong somewhere. It’s lovely to give that message to fans that even the outcasts can be part of a wild bunch of misfits and find their place too.

PC: That theme of chosen family really resonates off the screen. Dean, something else that you’ve all done so brilliantly is that this series is thought-provoking and very introspective. Why do you think the sci-fi genre lends itself to this type of storytelling?
Dean: If you go all the way back to shows like Star Trek: The Original Series, they were often addressing issues like race relations or the Vietnam War, but they did it in a way that was more general and not tied to specific events. Whenever you can do that, it allows people who weren’t originally talking to each other to start having conversations. By placing these stories in another world, it allows people to suddenly agree on things that, if we were talking about today’s specifics, they couldn’t even discuss. So sci-fi has always played this role of allowing us to explore concepts in a way that doesn’t push anybody’s buttons.

PC: Jonathan, there’s such a community that’s gathered and supported this show. Has that response surprised you? How much does their involvement influence the direction of the series? What’s the craziest fan theory you’ve seen online?
Jonathan: [laughs] There have been a lot of crazy ones. I don’t want to single anybody out, but I love watching the fan reactions. That’s who we do the show for. It upsets me when they don’t like something and it makes me very happy when they do like something. Thankfully, they seem to mostly be liking it. I enjoy watching their theories and seeing how wrong or right they are in some cases. I wish I could have a camera on their TVs to watch their faces when they see the reveals. That would be so fun to do. But it’s fun to live-tweet sometimes with them and see how people are responding.

PC: Christie, we were talking about chosen family earlier and how it radiates across the entire series, and that chemistry is so palpable onscreen. How have you been able to push each other as collaborators heading into Season 2? How have you built that bond so quickly?
Christie: I think it’s because I forced them to all hang out with me. [laughs] They were like, “We don’t really like this chick,” but I forced them. Dean has said this before, but one of his superpowers is casting. He really does an incredible job at casting people who have an essence or remnant of these characters already. What you see on screen is literally what we’re living. It’s like going to camp when we shoot the show. We really have a ball and we really love each other. We have fights, like any family. What you’re seeing on screen is really what’s happening in real life. It’s so fun and so open. Everyone always has ideas on set that make what you’re creating even better than you ever could have possibly imagined. Sometimes Reece [Ritchie] and I will call each other while we’re filming and be like, “Why do you think Garnet does this? Why do you think Lane does that?” Or “What do you think happens next?” We, too, are fans of the show when we’re reading these scripts. It’s so collaborative. I think it stems from these two guys casting incredible people and writing incredible scripts.

Make sure to follow Dean (X/Instagram) and Christie (Instagram). The Ark Season 2 premiere on July 17th on Syfy.