What to expect from Big Finish's DARK SHADOWS line in 2015

Big Finish's new season of DARK SHADOWS is scheduled to begin any day now. The first episode, "Panic," is expected to drop in "May", which might mean sometime this week or as late as May 31. It's always a surprise!

"Panic" is just the first of six episodes to be released monthly throughout 2015, many of which are extending the epic DARK SHADOWS: BLOODLUST storyline in some potentially interesting directions. Many of the show's original cast members are also returning this year. But, as I was writing this, I noticed Lara Parker is conspicuously absent from this year's stories. I don't know what this means, but just assume she just wants a break from Angelique for a few minutes during 2015.

Here's what we know about this year's episodes so far:




MAY: Panic
Written by Roy Gill, "Panic" sees the immortal Quentin Collins (David Selby) telling young werewolf Tom Cunningham (Michael Shon) about how he came to be married to Lela Quick (Susan Sullivan). Set after the events of DARK SHADOWS: BLOODLUST, the story concerns a mysterious piece of music that seems to come from a very strange old antiques shop.




JUNE: The Curse of Shurafa
Written by Rob Morris, "The Curse of Shurafa" stars Andrew Collins (THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL) and Scott Haran (WIZARDS VS ALIENS). The story is set in Cairo in the 1970s, a city under siege by zombies. Only three people can save the day – Doctor Julia Hoffman, her best friend the vampire Barnabas Collins and their colleague, professor of the paranormal, T. E. Stokes Years later, the vampire tells a young man about exactly what happened.


JULY: In The Twinkling of An Eye
Writer Penelope Faith joins the DARK SHADOWS line with this episode, which also sees the return of Marie Wallace as Collinsport landlady Jessica Griffin, who encounters and a mysterious stranger called Nate who seems to know more about her than he should.

AUGUST: Deliver Us From Evil
Written by Aaron Lamont, the story sees four people discovering that they may be pawns in a terrifying game. This is a follow up to 2013's "The Enemy Within," and sees the return of Cyrus Longworth, Sabrina Jennings and Danielle Roget (as well as cast members Christopher Pennock, Lisa Richards and Stephanie Ellyne). I'll have more to say about this storyline later.

SEPTEMBER: Tainted Love
Here's another follow up to DARK SHADOWS: BLOODLUST (if you haven't heard this yet, you should set aside about 7 hours of your time and correct that oversight). David Collins (Alex Newman) is intent on rebuilding the town he almost helped to destroy, and enlists the help of his old friend Amy Cunningham (Stephanie Ellyne). Also joining the festivities is original DARK SHADOWS cast member Kathleen Cody, reprising her role of Hallie Stokes. (Note: The artwork for this episode hasn't been released yet). The episode is written by Daniel Collard, who turned in a terrific one-man performance in the BLOODLUST prelude, "Snowflake."

OCTOBER: And Red All Over
Written by Cody Schell, "And Red All Over" see the return of Kathryn Lee Scott as Maggie Haskell (née Evans) whose honeymoon is cut short by an encounter by a mysterious stranger ... a stranger with the face of Burke Devlin. I don't know yet if this character is actually Burke Devlin, but original DARK SHADOWS cast member Mitch Ryan is part of this episode's cast ... and that certainly improves the odds.