Ash vs Evil Dead

Premise

The series is set approximately 30 years after the first three Evil Dead films. Ash Williams works at the "Value Stop" as a simple stock boy. Also working at the store is his friend Pablo and the object of Pablo's affections, Kelly. Ash has seemingly done very little with his life since returning from 1300 AD at the end of Army of Darkness, and the beginning of the series sees him living in a trailer and drinking alone in bars. However, Ash must soon renounce his comfortable existence and become a hero once more by taking up arms and facing the titular Evil Dead. Pablo and Kelly decide to join him on his quest to save humanity.

The series acts as a sequel to the original Evil Dead trilogy, although due to a rights issue the events of Army of Darkness could not be directly referenced in the first season of the show. In April 2015, the producers made it clear that they wanted to resolve the issue so that the events of Army of Darkness could be referenced in the show. In the summer of 2016, producer Robert Tabert stated that the rights issue had been solved and that references to Army of Darkness would appear from season two onward.

Main cast

Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams (season 1–present):

Ash has changed in the 30 years since Army of Darkness. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Campbell stated, "Ash has survivor's guilt. You could have a heyday with his PTSD. He's a war vet. He doesn't want to talk about it, and he'll lie about that stump on his hand to impress the ladies. This is a guy who's got some issues. He's emotionally stunted. But, he's the guy you want in the foxhole next to you." Over the course of season one, it is revealed that following the events of the film trilogy, Ash spent thirty years drifting from town to town, living in a mobile home trailer with his pet lizard Eli and working a series of dead-end jobs at different branches of Value Stop. Ash has attempted destroy the Necronomicon on multiple occasions. Unable to be rid of the book, he instead becomes its defacto caretaker. In season two, it is revealed that Ash had returned to his hometown of Elk Grove, Michigan, after the events of the films. The people of Elk Grove refused to believe his stories of Deadites, and instead accused him of murdering his friends and his sister in the cabin, shunned him, and dubbed him "Ashy Slashy".

Ray Santiago as Pablo Simon Bolivar (season 1–present):

A co-worker who becomes Ash's loyal sidekick. Pablo believes that Ash is a true hero, and calls him "El Jefe" ("The Boss") as a mark of respect. Santiago describes his character as an "El Jefe in-training". He was raised by his uncle, a shaman, who told him stories of an evil power which can only be defeated by "El Jefe".

Dana DeLorenzo as Kelly Maxwell (season 1–present):

An occasionally moody and initially reluctant young woman, Kelly is dragged into the fight against evil with Ash and Pablo after she is orphaned. She and her family are Jewish, and she temporarily worked at the Value Stop with Ash and Pablo. Her mother died in a car accident some six months prior to the beginning of the series.

Jill Marie Jones as Amanda Fisher (season 1)

A Michigan State Trooper who sets out to find Ash following the death of her partner.

Michelle Hurd as Linda Bates-Emery (season 2–present):

Ash's high school girlfriend who is now married to Emery, the sheriff of Elk Grove, and has a daughter, Lacey. She is one of the few people in Elk Grove happy to see Ash return.

Lucy Lawless as Ruby (season 1–present):

A mysterious figure who is on a quest to hunt down the source of the recent evil outbreaks. She claims to be the daughter of Professor Raymond Knowby and sister of Annie Knowby from Evil Dead II. She is later revealed to be an immortal being who wrote the Necronomicon.

Ted Raimi as Chet Kaminski (season 2)

A party-hard, old childhood friend of Ash's. He was secretly intimate with Ash's sister, Cheryl, a long time ago.

Pepi Sonuga as Lacey Emery (season 2)

Thomas' and Linda's 17-year-old daughter.

Recurring cast

Samara Weaving as Heather (season 1)

The sole survivor of a hiking group, she is rescued by Pablo and Kelly when they reach the cabin. She is later indirectly killed by Ruby when the evil was set loose.

Hemky Madera as El Brujo (season 1)

Pablo's shaman uncle, Ash, Pablo and Kelly go to him for help against the Kandarian Demon. He is killed by the demon Eligos when he performs an exorcism on Kelly to release her from Eligos' thrall.

Lee Majors as Brock Williams (season 2)

Ash's father, whom Ash has not seen in 30 or so years, since the events of Evil Dead/Evil Dead II. It is from his father that Ash got his bad habits (debauchery, etc.), and it's hinted that he has stolen girls/women from Ash in the past (i.e. his son's old high school P.E. teacher, Lillian Pendergrast). His day job is as a handyman/carpenter; his slogan is "Brock Williams - has wood - call me."

Stephen Lovatt as Sheriff Thomas Emery (season 2)

The husband of Linda whom Ash used to pick on in highschool. He is now the strict sheriff of Elk Grove.

Joel Tobeck as Baal (season 2)

A diabolical demon and Ruby's ex-husband who wants the Necronomicon for his own nefarious purposes. His abilities include using lust to manipulate others, possessing human bodies and the ability to slow down time near a target where he can converse with or injure said target. When Baal is using this power nobody seems to be able to see him besides the person he is interacting with. Ruby has also mentioned that he is impervious to physical attacks and can only be harmed through mystic or spiritual means.

Special guests

Rebekkah Farrell as Linda (season 1)

Ellen Sandweiss returning as Cheryl Williams (season 2) from the original Evil Dead movie.

Nicholas Hope as Professor Raymond Knowby (season 2)

Alison Quigan (normal form) and Ted Raimi (Deadite form) as Henrietta Knowby (season 2)

Production

The series first started life as two competing ideas for a fourth Evil Dead film. However at the time the Raimi brothers did not know how to get funding for the film and so it was instead written as a TV show. Writing for the medium presented new challenges for Sam as he had to make the series accessible to new viewers as well as create new characters to "bounce off of". The project was first officially revealed by Raimi at a surprise appearance at the 2014 San Diego Comicon That November Starz announced that they officially put an order in for the series. Campbell said the channel was the only network that would give them the ability to be unrated and unrestricted; Campbell has stated that Starz does not require the crew to create alternate, "wimpy" versions for television. Due to legal issues with Universal Pictures, the events from Army of Darkness can not specifically be mentioned on the show. Original film series producer Robert Tapert has returned to co-produce along with Raimi, Campbell and Craig DiGregorio. So far two seasons of Ash vs Evil Dead consisting of 10 episodes per season (30 minutes each) have been ordered by Starz. On February 11, 2015, Ray Santiago and Dana Delorenzo were cast in the roles of Pablo Simon Bolivar and Kelly Maxwell.

The pilot episode of the series was written by Sam Raimi (who also directed), Ivan Raimi and Tom Spezialy. In February 2015, Starz confirmed that Jill Marie Jones will be playing the leading role of Michigan State Trooper Amanda Fisher. In March 2015, Lucy Lawless will co-star as Ruby, a mysterious figure who's on a quest to stop the evil outbreak and believes that Ash is the one who's the cause of it. In April 2015, Starz released a new graphic teaser advertising the TV show is coming in the Fall of 2015, along with a new poster for the series.

Filming commenced in Auckland, New Zealand in April 2015.

Music

Joseph LoDuca, a frequent Sam Raimi collaborator who composed the scores for the Evil Dead films, contributes the original music for Ash vs Evil Dead. The series also leverages excerpts from various 1970s and '80s popular songs, particularly featuring artists (e.g., Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent and Frijid Pink) from the greater Detroit area where Season One's action is based (and where Raimi, Campbell and Tapert grew up). In an interview, Sam Raimi states that the music selected for the series is based on the lack of growth the Ash character has progressed over the past 30–35 years, and that, "the music should reflect the last time he was engaged in society, and living".

On November 11, 2015, it was announced that the Joseph LoDuca music score entitled Ash vs Evil Dead: Music from the STARZ Original Series would be released by Varèse Sarabande digitally on December 11, 2015 and via audio CD on December 18, 2015. The following are the tracks that are on that album:

Critical

The first season of Ash vs Evil Dead has received critical acclaim. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the season a 98% "Certified Fresh" rating based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critical consensus reading: "True to the movies that spawned it, Ash vs Evil Dead is a gory, hilarious, and audacious resurrection of Sam Raimi's beloved horror franchise." Metacritic gave the season a rating of 75 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

The second season has received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a score of 100%, based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critical consensus currently reads, "Ash vs. Evil Dead's sophomore season proves the show is in command of its characters and tone, turning up the gore, fun, and energy to deliver even more grisly, action-packed thrills and laughs." On Metacritic, the season has a rating of 82 out of 100, based on 5 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim."

Media releases

Subscribers to Starz can stream episodes of the show on Amazon Video. Season Two is not yet available for purchase or rental on Amazon without a Starz account. On August 23, 2016, Anchor Bay Entertainment released the first season of the series on Blu-ray and DVD.