‘Resurrection’ Debuts On ABC, Delivers Very Strong Ratings

Resurrection lured a lot of people to their television sets on Sunday evening.

Based on the novel of the same name by Jason Mott, the new series follows folks in a Missouri town who are understandably shocked to discovered that their loved ones are returning from the dead. Instead of coming back as rotting flesh-eating zombies, they’re seemingly normal human beings. Except for the fact that they were recently deceased, of course.

Although it’s not a remake, the storyline is strangely similar to the French television series The Returned and the 2004 flick They Came Back from director Robin Campillo. As long as you can ignore the obvious similarities to the projects which came before it, Resurrection makes for surprisingly solid television.

According to Variety, the small screen adaptation of Mott’s novel was a popular choice with TV fans on Sunday evening. Nielsen reports that 13.3 million curious people tuned into Resurrection, giving the program a 3.6 rating with viewers between the ages of 18 and 49. Those are the sort of numbers that make networks drool.

If you’re looking for another version of The Walking Dead, then you chances are you’ll walk from Resurrection feeling a little disappointed. Instead of focusing on violence and gore, ABC’s new series tackles the living dead in much different fashion. What would you do if you deceased husband or wife returned home, only to discover that you’ve moved on with your life?

Since Resurrection and the French series The Returned — which recently appeared on Netflix streaming — share so many similarities, it’s not surprising that people are drawing comparisons between the two. The San Jose Mercury News points out that the ABC series isn’t quite as good as the like-minded French series.

“It’s not as atmospheric and artful, nor does it exude the same visceral sense of place. But taken on its own, it is an absorbing, well-paced, thoughtfully rendered production with a quality cast that ranks as one of the better new winter shows,” critic Chuck Barney explained.

Since the first episode of Resurrection mostly deals with a couple’s reaction to their eight-year-old son returning from the dead, the question remains: How many others will come back from the grave? With its compelling cast — Omar Epps, Frances Fisher, and Kurtwood Smith star — chances are folks will return next week to see how the story unfolds.

Did you check out ABC’s Resurrection on Sunday evening? What do you think about the show’s similarities to the French television series The Returned?