Why An Evil Revival Might Be Tricky Explained By Star: "But I Wouldn't Rule It Out"

Summary Michael Emerson is open to a potential Evil revival, but thinks it might be challenging due to the expensive nature of the show.

A cheaper production for the show may be risky, potentially hurting its overall quality and impact on viewers.

Paramount+ and other platforms face unique challenges if they choose to revive Evil with shorter episodes and reduced costs.

With the show's end on the horizon, Michael Emerson shares his thoughts on a potential Evil revival following the show's final season. After one successful season on CBS, followed by two acclaimed seasons on Paramount+, the supernatural drama about a team of assessors for the Catholic Church investigating purported paranormal events was revealed to be ending with its new season. Evil season 4's story has seen David, Ben and Kristen grappling with an increase in seemingly supernatural outbreaks in New York City, as well as Leland raising the supposed Antichrist.

During a recent interview with Screen Rant for the final few episodes of the show, Michael Emerson was asked about the possibility of an Evil revival after season 4. The Leland actor remained largely open to the idea, due to his love for "the cast" and "the way the show is written", though did express that it might be tricky, as whoever picks it up may need to tweak the format to something "a little swifter and cheaper to make". See what Emerson explained below:

It'd be fun. I love the cast, I love the way the show is written. I like playing my character. Like most things in show business at this level, it's a question of economics. It would be extraordinary circumstances for another player or entity to pick up and carry a show as sophisticated — and I'm guessing expensive — as our show. But you never know. Maybe there's some world where it's formatted differently, maybe there's some way that it, I don't know, becomes a little swifter and cheaper to make. Maybe shorter episodes, maybe scattered out, a change of narrative framework. I don't know what that would be exactly. But, you know, I wouldn't rule it out. It has been fun. I really have enjoyed playing Leland Townsend, and better to go out and possibly leaving them wanting more than to overstay your welcome.

A Cheaper Evil Might Hurt The Show

Close

While it's never been explicitly stated why Paramount+ elected to bring the show to a close now, Emerson's mention of the expense of Evil season 4's production may very well be a factor. Even in the world of streaming, finances are generally a key component of whether a show continues beyond its current season. Evil isn't the only show Paramount+ has elected to bring to a close recently, either, with Halo being cancelled before season 3, despite the streamer putting a lot of money into its first two seasons, as well as Kiefer Sutherland's Rabbit Hole and Jeff Davis' Wolf Pack, among others.

Though Emerson's idea of a cheaper production of Evil might be enticing for Paramount+ or other streaming platforms to keep the show alive, it ultimately could be a hindrance to its overall quality. Across its four seasons, it has generally kept a grounded and more character-driven approach to its unique case-of-the-week structure, but has also steadily raised the stakes with each new season. Evil season 4, in particular, has proven to be one of the biggest seasons yet with more demons, the majority of which were created with practical suits, and larger-scale stories.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Should an Evil revival elect to take on a cheaper means of production and shorter episode structure, it would also present showrunners Robert and Michelle King, and the writers room, with a unique challenge of finding the right balance between new cases and their character arcs. The show has done a solid job of building out captivating arcs for more than just David, Ben and Kristen, with Leland, Sheryl and Sister Andrea, in particular, proving just as important figures as the main trio. However, with Evil's success now extending to Netflix, there is the chance they could pick the show up for a proper season 5.

New episodes of Evil season 4 air Thursdays on Paramount+.