REVIVAL

Television series | Writer/ Co-Producer | Season One | 2025
Wrote Episode Five: “Triage”
SYFY, Peacock (USA) / Crave, CTV Sci-Fi (Canada) / Binge (Australia)

“What you get when you throw ‘Return of the Living Dead’, ‘Fargo’, and ‘The Leftovers’ into a blender.” - Maxwell Majernik, AIPT Comics

Revival is a supernatural horror noir television series based on the American comics series of the same name by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton, and published by Image Comics. Created by Aaron B. Koontz and Luke Boyce for Syfy/ Peacock.

Premise: In a rural Wisconsin town, the sudden resurrection of the recently deceased becomes known as "Revival Day". The newly revived maintain their appearance, memories, and personalities from their previous lives. While the town's residents grapple with the miraculous event, local police officer Dana Cypress investigates a murder mystery where everyone, including both the living and the undead, are suspects.

RATE AND REVIEW: Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB

EPISODE FIVE REVIEWS:

KORMAN PRODUCTIONS (INTERVIEW): Dave and Stacie from Korman Productions chat with Heather Taylor about Revival EP 5 "Triage," which she wrote, as well as the series in general. Topics also include genre television and the representation of mental health issues in fiction.

NERDS THAT GEEK: “Clearly, this city is in bad shape, and the clock is ticking on disaster coming to fruition. All of which made, for a magnificent episode when all is said done. One that offered up so many amazing plot threads and ideas and brought them together in a masterful manner. Which easily is attributed to Heather Taylor and Amanda Row’s fine work. Since they handled script and directing duties, respectively, they assembled nothing short of a gory tapestry. One made of the ties that bind us on a personal and global level and offered up both beauty and terror.” - John Edward Betancourt

TV FANATIC: ““Triage” isn’t just a title, it’s a diagnosis. Everyone is making judgment calls under pressure — what to save, what to let go, what to sacrifice. If Revival has a message this week, it’s this: fear will always demand simplicity. But truth is messy, people are complicated, and if you don’t let the truth in, someone like Carla will show up with a syringe and call it progress.” - Carissa Pavlica

CRITIQUES CINEMA SERIES: “With 'Triage,' Revival reaches a form of narrative maturity. Lines are drawn, choices have consequences, and illusions fall away. This is no longer a series about the dead coming back to life, but about the living losing themselves.”

STAY2UNED: “The banter between these two roommates in tonight’s episode? Absolute gold. I was in stitches from start to finish.”

COMIC-CON: “The show has boldly commented on current social issues, drawing allusions to anti-immigration talking points in Wayne’s ‘lock them up’ declaration, and now, constitutional convict leasing. Revival isn’t afraid to explore the actual effects of dehumanizing others through policy and policing. The gates of hell are opened, Blaine, but the devils are not who you think.” - Mal White

SYFY WIRE: "Heather Taylor is the writer of this episode, and she did a really great job of crafting what this would look like from Em's perspective."

GEEK GIRL AUTHORITY: ““Triage” is an entertaining outing that maintains a steady clip throughout.” - Melody McCune

TELL-TALE TV: ““Triage” doesn’t give viewers much time to catch their breath. The supporting cast knocks it out of the park and delivers some of their best work of the season.“ - Sarah Fields

POPWIRE: “Revival” Episode ‘Triage’ Recap and aftershow

OVERALL REVIEWS:

AITP: ”The series [starts] with a bang and has the makings of the mystery box show of the summer.” - Maxwell Majernik

AV CLUB: “Revival does a nice job leaning into the unsettling normalcy of its premise.” - Jarrod Jones

COLLIDER: “Where Revival also thrives is in its blend of comedy and horror, the former preventing the show from becoming too dour while the latter springs up at exactly the right moment to keep the viewer on their toes.” - Carly Lane

COMIC BOOK CLUB: “Things really start to heat up in the back half, with the end of Episode 5 and all of Episode 6, the strongest of the bunch sent for review. The Northern Exposure with light supernatural undertones feeling of the show gets taken over by something far more LOST-ian and intriguing.”

DAILY BEAST: “The show’s blend of intrigue, humor, and otherworldly mayhem is sure-handed and satisfying, and suggests that there’s still a bit of unique life left in this most overdone of horror subgenres.” - Nick Schager

FANDOME WIRE: “Grounding the story from the point of view of a family, the undead horror-comedy is one of the best shows in years from Syfy.” - Alan French

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: “A fun mystery to escape into, familiar enough to be comforting but fresh enough to feel unpredictable.” - Angie Han

INDIEWIRE: “Syfy’s new original ‘Revival’ successfully reanimates the semi-zombie drama. Part horror noir, part murder-mystery, part small town comedy, this comic book adaptation raises the dead in genre-mashing style.” - Jon O’Brien

NERDS WHO GEEK: “A story that will usher in a new era for living dead fiction, courtesy of a bold and outright refreshing story that holds nothing back in its musings regarding who we are and who we could be.” - John Edward Betancourt

OVERLY HONEST REVIEWS: “Death stops meaning what it used to when the people you’ve mourned walk through the door like nothing happened. That’s the unsettling starting point for a story that doesn't scream its horror but lets it crawl slowly up your spine. What could’ve easily been another reanimated-body horror fest takes a more calculated, character-driven route, where the supernatural is just the backdrop for something more personal.” - Chris Jones

POPWIRE: “It’s creepy, stylish, smartly acted, and leaves you wanting more.”

PUJIBA: “Melanie Scarfano is the reason to watch SYFY’s twist on the zombie genre.” - Dustin Rowles

RAMA’S SCREEN (video): “Trust me when I say, this is unlike any other zombie story.”

ROGER EBERT: ““Revival”‘s small-town auspices allow it room to play like a suitably macabre riff on “Fargo.”” - Clint Worthington

SCREEN RANT: “Revival is clever and fun…and is one of the most exciting things SYFY has done in years.” - Ben Gibbons

THE SPOOL: “Revival is finding the best balance between the human, the cosmic, and the spiritual.” - Tim Stevens

TELL-TALE TV: “From the first anxious moment of anticipation before the action to the incredible final reveal, it is edge-of-your-seat TV.”

TV BLOG: “Surprises and plot twists are frequent and unexpected, and the emphasis is on action and suspense. It is one of the best shows I have seen this year.” - Adam Buckman

TV EVERYDAY: “Don’t Tell Dad” sets the stage for an intriguing blend of suspense and supernatural elements. [It] is sure to captivate fans of thrilling narratives and supernatural twists, making it a must-watch for anyone looking for a new favorite show.” - Jules Byrd

TV GUIDE: “We're here for its blend of small-town hijinks and cheerfully morbid supernatural mysteries.” - Gavia Baker-Whitelaw

TV PULSE: “The show’s characters, faithful to the comic series, its eerie atmosphere, and its refreshing take on a worn-out genre (shush, don’t tell AMC!) make it a must-watch for both fans of sci-fi horror and character-driven mysteries.” - Jennifer Griffin

WAUSAU DAILY HERALD: “As a resident, there’s something powerful about seeing your real hometown on screen − not as a stand-in for somewhere else, but as itself. We’re not pretending to be Maine or Montana. We’re Wausau, and we’re part of the story − and now, the world will know it too.” - Erik Pfantz