William Jackson Harper and Cristin Milioti find a bizarre mystery on vacation in The Resort trailer
Things are not as idyllic as they seem at this tropical getaway.
The first trailer to Peacock's highly-anticipated comedic thriller series The Resort, which EW is debuting exclusively, introduces us to Noah and Emma (played by The Good Place's William Jackson Harper and Palm Springs' Cristin Milioti). The couple decides to go on a 10th wedding anniversary trip to a beautiful resort, but what should be a relaxing chance to reconnect turns into a challenge that puts their marriage to the test when they find themselves embroiled in one of the Yucatan's most bizarre unsolved mysteries.
Or, as showrunner, writer, and executive producer Andy Siara puts it: "The Resort tells the beginning of one love story, framed by the beginning of the end of another."
He tells EW that things starts out simply enough, when the couple "discovers a phone that's connected to a mystery involving a missing persons case, a dead body, and a once-in-a-century hurricane that wiped out the resort where all of this took place 15 years earlier." But, he says, "It's a little hard to describe what happens after that… it gets a bit wild at times. But this isn't an I guess we'll never know what happened kind of mystery series. By the end, you'll get answers to everything."
That central mystery, as the trailer explains, involves a young man named Sam (Skyler Gisondo), who was on vacation with his parents and girlfriend in 2007 at the Oceana Vista Resort when he went missing. Not long after, a second young guest, Violet (Nina Bloomgarden) also went missing. Her father, played by Nick Offerman, ominously explains that his daughter "wanted to spend Christmas here, but she didn't want to spend it with me."
The answers to what really happened might be harder to come by than Noah and Emma first thought. In the trailer, Noah asks his wife, "What if there aren't any answers?" To which she prophetically replies, "Well, there has to be. Because otherwise, what's the f—ing point?"
This quest for answers is meant for the viewers to join in on, too — if that's your thing. "If you're into dissecting clues along the way, there are enough of them layered throughout — a throwaway line, a prop, a photo, an item of clothing, a music cue, a smell — for you to start piecing together the larger puzzle," Siara says, adding that (almost) everything is intentional.
"At the same time," he continues, "if you typically only have one 30-minute TV show in you before you pass out at the end of a long, emotionally draining day at work, and, therefore, you prefer shows where you can just turn off your brain and go for a fun ride while nursing your beer, or wine, or popcorn, or bowl of ice cream — this show is for you, too."
Peacock Cristin Milioti stars in 'The Resort'
The series, which Peacock calls "a multi-generational, coming-of-age love story disguised as a fast-paced mystery about the disappointment of time," also stars Luis Gerardo Méndez and Gabriela Cartol. Guest stars include Ben Sinclair, Parvesh Cheena, Debby Ryan, Michael Hitchcock, Becky Ann Baker, and Dylan Baker. In addition to Siara, Allison Miller (Angelyne) serves as co-showrunner, executive producer, and writer. Sam Esmail and Chad Hamilton of Esmail Corp (via Anonymous Content) also executive produce, while Sarah Matte serves as co-executive producer.
As for what is meant by "the disappointment of time" mentioned in the series description, Siara — who previously tackled the subject of time (again, and again, and again) in Palm Springs, which he wrote with Max Barbakow — has some ideas on that, too.
"In a very literal sense, that is answered in the first scene of the show. But beyond that little mystery clue, maybe it refers to everything from our fading memories, to our rotting bodies, to our growing apathy as we get older," he says. "Or, simply, that there isn't enough of it. Or maybe there's too much of it? And that can feel disappointing. So, let's throw on some nostalgia goggles and ease the pain."
The first three episodes of The Resort premiere Thursday, July 28, on Peacock, with new episodes out weekly thereafter.
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