‘Debris’: NBC Touts New Sci-fi Series from ‘Fringe’ and ‘Almost Human’ Producer at TCA

Tyler Hersko
·2 min read
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Two agents with conflicting personalities must work together to keep powerful alien tech out of the wrong hands in “Debris,” a new sci-fi series that will premiere on NBC in March.

NBC promoted the upcoming show via a panel with creator and “Fringe” executive producer J.H. Wyman and series stars Riann Steele and Jonathan Tucker during the virtual Television Critics Association 2021 Winter Press Tour. The series, which was originally ordered by NBC in June 2020, will premiere on the network on March 1.

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Here’s the synopsis for the show, per NBC: “When mysterious wreckage starts falling from the sky, a secretive international agency is tasked with figuring out what it is, where it came from, and most importantly… what it can do. British agent Finola Jones and American agent Bryan Beneventi are partners who have very different styles — she’s warm, intuitive and detail-oriented, and he’s charming, confident and guarded. But they have no choice but to trust each other as they track down the debris scattered across the Western Hemisphere. Each fragment has unpredictable, powerful and sometimes dangerous effects on the everyday people who find it. Every discovery is also a race against time, because shadowy outside forces seek these objects for nefarious purposes.”

Most episodes of “Debris” will follow a specific piece of alien wreckage that boasts unique powers. Tucker noted that the alien technology within the show could boast a variety of fantastical powers, ranging from allowing people to move through walls, manipulate the weather, use ESP, or control dopplegangers. He added that though “Debris” will boast “cases of the week,” the series will also boast a broader mythology that expands beyond each individual episode.

“One of the unique parts about the show is that week to week a new piece of debris is discovered and it allows us and the audience to discover the unique capabilities that this debris offers and how it affects the world,” Tucker said during the show’s TCA panel. “You can have a case of the week but you can also have meaningful character development and the mythological roll out over the course of at least this first season.”

“Debris” marks the latest in a string of sci-fi shows for Wyman, who previously created Fox’s cult-hit “Fringe” series. Wyman’s most recent television credit is 2013’s “Almost Human,” a sci-fi drama that ran for one season on Fox.

The TCA panel for “Debris” took place several days after NBC unveiled the first teaser trailer for the series, which can be viewed below:

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