TNT premieres the thriller drama The Lazarus Project, about a secret organization that has harnessed the ability to turn back time whenever the world faces the threat of extinction, Sunday, June 4. It has been a long wait for the series, which was initially lined up to debut January 23.
The series was acquired from Sky Studios in late 2022. There are eight episodes. Paapa Essiedu, Anjli Mohindra, Tom Burke, Caroline Quentin and Rudi Dharmalingam are in the cast.
Executive producer Johnny Capps told B+C the show is “a crazy love story” about George, who’s in love with a woman, loses the woman, and needs to turn back time to get her back. Essiedu, who played Kwame in I May Destroy You, portrays George.
“It’s a very original premise, to see a love story done in this way,” Capps said. “It’s a great action thriller. It’s very topical, it’s very funny, and it’s got fantastic characters.”
The series follows George, the latest recruit to the secret Lazarus Project. He wants to turn back time to reunite with the woman he loves, but Lazarus won’t let him do it unless the threat of global extinction exists. “Now George must choose to stay loyal or go rogue as he faces the question of: if you had the power to rewrite your past, what would you sacrifice to do it?” asks TNT.
The pilot sees George wake up and discover that time has turned back and undone the events of the past six months. He thinks he’s lost his mind, but then is approached by folks from The Lazarus Project. He must decide if he’s willing to work with them.
The Lazarus Project is shot in Europe. Urban Myth Films produces the show in association with Sky Studios. Executive producers, with Capps, are Julian Murphy and Joe Barton. Paul Gilbert is executive producer for Sky Studios.
Capps called Barton “a genius writer” who can “find humor, pathos and emotion” in a nuclear armageddon. Barton directed every episode.
Capps cited Groundhog Day as an influence on the show. He promised “a jigsaw puzzle each episode,” and all together, “a great piece of escapist television.”
A TNT spokesperson had said earlier this year that pushing the premiere back several months would allow TNT to better support the series. Scripted dramas on TNT have been uncommon of late.
A review in The Guardian, before The Lazarus Project premiered in the U.K. last year, said, “It is stuffed with good performances, knotty problems and is compelling enough to keep even those of us who, much as we may wish otherwise, don’t quite understand what’s going on coming back for more.”
