The Purge is an American anthology action horror television series, based on the franchise of the same name and created by James DeMonaco. The first season premiered on USA Network on September 4, 2018, and stars Gabriel Chavarria, Hannah Emily Anderson, Jessica Garza, Lili Simmons, Amanda Warren, Colin Woodell, and Lee Tergesen, with Cindy Robinson reprising her role as the voice of the Purge Emergency Broadcast System from the films.
In November 2018, USA Network renewed the show for a second season, which premiered on October 15, 2019. The second season featured a new cast starring Derek Luke, Max Martini, Paola Núñez and Joel Allen, with Cindy Robinson again reprising her role, this time appearing as character Megan Lewis. In the fictional timeline of the franchise, the first season takes place in 2027, and the second season between 2036 and 2037, thus the series is set between the events of the films Anarchy and Election Year. In May 2020, the series was canceled after two seasons.
Premise
With ties to the films, the series revolves around an alternate dystopian United States ruled by a totalitarian government that sanctions a 12-hour period which legalizes all crimes, including vandalism, theft, arson, and murder.
The first season follows several seemingly unconnected characters as they experience the Purge Night of 2027: Miguel Guerrero, a Marine searching for his sister Penelope who has joined a government-backed death cult; Jane Barbour, an executive who uses the Purge as an opportunity for revenge; and Jenna and Rick Betancourt, married entrepreneurs who attend a Purge party to seek investment capital from a wealthy Purge supporter.
The second season begins just as an annual Purge Night of 2036 is drawing to a close, and follows characters dealing with the consequences of that night and investigating conspiracies in the year before the next purge in 2037. One story involves ex-police officers who have become bank robbers. Another story follows a NFFA detective following a suspicious killing of a scientist friend and discovers many of their peers have also been killed in suspicious circumstances. Other stories include college fraternity members who went out on Purge Night to collect items on a scavenger hunt, before having to defend themselves and dealing with PTSD afterwards, as well as a husband and wife who survive an assailant on Purge Night, only to discover that it was a hitman sent to kill the husband and begin to investigate why. Clear connections between these characters and their stories become apparent as the plot unfolds.
Cast and characters
Season 1
Main
Gabriel Chavarria as Miguel Guerrero, a US Marine who returns home on Purge Night after receiving a cryptic message from his sister, Penelope Hannah Emily Anderson as Jenna Betancourt, an anti-Purge proponent and devoted to charitable causes who is accustomed to locking down on Purge Night. Her choice to venture out for the first time leads to an encounter with violence that forces her to deal with deep truths about herself and her marriage. Jessica Garza as Penelope Guerrero, a member of a cult who pledges to be sacrificed but finds her faith tested when exposed to the realities. She is Miguel's sister. Lili Simmons as Lila Stanton, a young, rich, and rebellious woman who refuses to fit in with the pro-Purge socialite crowd. Her confidence and charm mask a vulnerability that will be exposed as she attempts to deal with unfinished business before the sun rises. Amanda Warren as Jane Barbour, a dedicated and hardworking finance professional who is convinced that she has hit an insurmountable glass ceiling at her firm, so she hires a Purge-assassin Colin Woodell as Rick Betancourt. After a lifetime of bootstrapping, he is finally climbing the social ladder, but currying favor with the pro-Purge elite presents unexpected challenges to his marriage, as he and his wife must agree on what moral price they'll pay to achieve the American dream. Lee Tergesen as Joe Owens, an armored, masked, and seemingly ordinary man who drives through town, intervening in acts of Purge violence while listening to the taped lectures of a motivational life coach