This Christopher McQuarrie TV Series Is an Ambitious Psychological Thriller That Keeps You Guessing

Before Oscar-winning writer/director Christopher McQuarrie got pulled into the thrilling world of Mission: Impossible, he created a much different kind of thriller with Persons Unknown, the only television series he’s created to date. The show aired its first and only season on NBC back in the summer of 2010 and is a gripping psychological thriller with an ambitious and intriguing premise. The series follows a diverse group of seven strangers, each ripped from their everyday lives, who wake up in an unrecognizable and deserted town with no memory of how they got there.

What Is ‘Persons Unknown’ About?

Persons Unknown begins as each character wakes up in a deserted hotel in a ghost town, surrounded by security cameras and unable to leave. Among them are Janet Cooper (Daisy Betts), a single mother who is devastated to be taken from her young daughter, and Joe Tucker (Jason Wiles), a mysterious man who is hiding a dark secret. The group quickly realizes that they’ve been implanted with monitoring devices that prevent them from leaving the town’s perimeter. However, this new reality is only the beginning of the physical and psychological torment they are about to endure.

Throughout the season, each episode peels back layers of the mystery, eventually revealing that each person in the town is there for a specific reason. As the story progresses, the characters are pushed to their breaking point, whether they are being confronted by something from their past or are being presented new possibilities to escape as they learn more about the secret entity holding them hostage. The writing, led by Remi Aubuchon after Christopher McQuarrie’s schedule pulled him away, is sharp and well-paced. Aubuchon and his staff masterfully used the confined and high-stress environment to explore the complexities of each character, keeping the audience on edge and unsure of who to trust.

The Complex Characters Are Pushed to Their Breaking Point in ‘Persons Unknown’

Sharing themes of survival, morality, and trust with other ensemble shows like Lost, Wayward Pines, and From, Persons Unknown is a tense study of human nature and the lengths people will go to survive. Throughout the 13 episodes, the show’s characters are constantly pitted against each other in moments of desperation, especially when it’s revealed that some people aren’t being honest about who they really are. The intense desire to escape the physical and psychological torment causes people to make morally questionable decisions that they may not have under normal circumstances. This is shown particularly well in a harrowing episode involving poison gas in the air and a shortage of masks to protect everyone in the group, which raises a lot of difficult and philosophical conversations.

The confined nature of the town also forces characters to confront choices they made in the past, questioning if being stuck here is their punishment. Sergeant Graham McNair, played by the late great Chadwick Boseman, grapples with decisions he made in the military that still haunt him. Moira Dougherty (Tina Holmes) also has a tumultuous past that she’s trying to atone for by helping take care of the group, and Charlie Morse (Alan Ruck), who is constantly confronted with a life-altering decision he made before being brought to the town. Persons Unknown explores character in a way that, coupled with strong performances, elevates the show beyond its high-concept premise.

Even though Persons Unknown ended on a cliffhanger, the network opted not to order another season. It could be argued that the show didn’t really get a fair chance, often preempted by NFL games, with episodes not airing in certain regions. Despite this, the show is a compelling series that balances its complex characters with its high concept, exploring themes that raise lasting questions for the audience. The series may have just bit a little ahead of its time, as it would probably make a great, inexpensive streaming drama today and remains a compelling watch for fans of suspenseful, thought-provoking thrillers.

All episodes of Persons Unknown are available for purchase on Prime Video.

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