The Purge

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 an 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

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

William Baldwin as David Ryker, the Managing Partner at Jane's investment firm and her boss. Confident and powerful, David leads his team with alacrity and intelligence. He appears to be a big Jane supporter but in fact may be standing in the way of her career advancement. David also harbors a Purge Night secret.

Season 2

Derek Luke as Marcus Moore, an accomplished professional with a loving wife and a beautiful house whose seemingly perfect life is shattered when an assassin breaks into his house on Purge Night

Max Martini as Ryan Grant, a man who "spent his entire year precisely preparing for a massive once-a-year Purge heist with his long-time crew"

Paola Núñez as Esme Carmona, an NFFA surveillance employee

Joel Allen as Ben Gardner, a college student who goes out for the first time on Purge Night

Rochelle Aytes as Michelle Moore, Marcus' second wife

Connor Trinneer as Curtis, Esme's boss

Charlotte Schweiger as Vivian Ross, Esme's co-worker

Jonathan Medina as Tommy Ortiz, part of Ryan Grant's team

Matt Shively as Turner, Ben's friend and a pledge of Delta Tau Gamma at Cooke University

Chelle Ramos as Sara Williams, part of Ryan Grant's team

Jaren Mitchell as Doug Vargas, part of Ryan Grant's team

Danika Yarosh as Kelen Stewart, Ben's girlfriend and an art history student at Cooke University

Denzel Whitaker as Darren Moore, a student of Cooke University. He is Marcus's son and Ben's classmate.

Christine Dunford as Andrea Ziv, a corrupted police captain and former superior of Ryan, Tommy, Sara and Doug

Episodes

Production

Development

A television series about the formation of the Purge was hinted at by DeMonaco. The series would possibly deal with how the New Founding Fathers were voted to office after overthrowing the U.S. Government during an economic collapse and social unrest and how they ratified the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as well as devising the Purge. In May 2017, it was reported that USA Network would premiere the series in 2018. The series premiered on September 4, 2018. On November 6, 2018, USA Network renewed the show for a second season which premiered on October 15, 2019. On May 13, 2020, USA Network canceled the series due to low viewership.

Casting

On February 26, 2018, it was announced that Gabriel Chavarria and Jessica Garza were cast as Miguel and Penelope Guerrero. In March 2018, Amanda Warren and Colin Woodell were cast as Jane Barbour and Rick Betancourt. In April 2018, Lili Simmons, Hannah Emily Anderson, Lee Tergesen and William Baldwin were cast as Lila Stanton, Jenna Betancourt, Joe and David Ryker. In May 2018, Fiona Dourif was cast as Good Leader Tavis. In June 2019, Derek Luke, Max Martini, Paola Núñez, and Joel Allen had been cast as series regulars for the second season.

During a New York Comic Con 2019 interview, Joel Allen commented on the use of The Purge films' God mask in the TV series as "like a gift from the writers" as an actor.

Actress Hannah Emily Anderson reflected on her role as Jenna Betancourt in a July 2020 interview, commenting on The Purge's Season 1 Finale. "It was so satisfying and exhilarating. Colin Woodell and Lee Tergesen were right there with me. We made it as real as we could for ourselves, and everything else faded away. We were in our precious little acting bubble. Those are the best moments."

Filming

Filming for the first season began May 2018.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 42% based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 5.51/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Bloated and boring, The Purge kills its own fleetingly fun premise and proves that not all stories work better on the small screen." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 44 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Accolades

The series was nominated for Best Action-Thriller Television Series at the Saturn Awards in 2019.

Home media

The first season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 1 on January 8, 2019. The second season was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in Region 1 on March 31, 2020. TV series grossed $157,953 in home video sales.