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‘Preacher’ Introduces A Memorable Cast Of Bizarre Characters In This Hilariously Disturbing Series [Spoilers]

By Charlinda Robinson
Published on: 04:43 PST, May 19, 2016

Preacher is one of the most popular and best-loved series in comic book history. Launched by Irish comic book writer Garth Ennis and English artist Steven Dillon over 20 years ago, there have been several attempts to bring Preacher to both the big and small screens. According to Fast Company, now that it’s finally been accomplished, AMC has produced a breathtaking and groundbreaking new series.

“I read the comics and I said, ‘There’s no way you can make this into a TV show,'” Preacher’s showrunner, Sam Catlin, recalls of his first meeting with series creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. “It’s just impossible. And they were like, ‘Nah, it’ll be great.’ So after a few weeks, I started to think about it, and we all sort of got our heads together, and it has been great.”

Although AMC’s version of Preacher may be slightly more intimate, the language not as graphic, and the violence slightly toned down, it may still be too much for some newcomers to the Preacher franchise. While some may find Preacher too much to stomach, super-fans of the Preacher comic will most likely be hooked from the very first episode.

For those unfamiliar with Preacher, the story centers around Texas preacher Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper). Things are steadily going downhill for the preacher, who seems to be losing his faith. This preacher is haunted by a criminal past, and he is disturbed by the economic decline and darkness he sees in the small town of Annville and in the world as a whole.

When Custer suddenly finds himself imbued with a supernatural force that he can’t explain, this preacher begins a transformation of sorts. As a preacher, Custer feels a renewed sense of commitment that bolsters his faith as a preacher and empowers him to stare down evil. Custer discovers that this force in Preacher manifests itself in “the Word of God,” giving the preacher the ability to issue commands that must be obeyed by whoever hears them.

The Hollywood Reporter shared that as a preacher, Custer begins to learn how to effectively use his newfound power, and he eventually embarks on quite the road adventure, accompanied by old friend and hard-drinking Irish vampire Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) and a former flame, Tulip O’Hare (Ruth Negga).

“We haven’t let the road story go, but we’re sort of delaying it—let’s just put it that way. At its core, it is a quest, it is a road show, so we’ll get there. But it turned out to be a benefit, and hopefully the fans agree,” Catlin explained. “We really like the idea of seeing him as a preacher initially, and introducing this crazy, crazy world into a very small world of a very typical small West Texas town. I think it’s actually helped us, because it’s grounded it in the familiar—the mayor and the sheriff and the preacher whose heart’s not really in it and all that stuff—so all the crazy stuff about heaven and angels and vampires and violence hopefully doesn’t overwhelm, because it keeps giving the viewer a sort of grounded place to return to. It’s almost like a deep-sea diving. If we were to just jump right into the Preacher world, you’d probably get the bends as a viewer, but we’re sort of calibrating the show. The pilot is crazy, but it just gets crazier and crazier and crazier, and hopefully we do it in a way that doesn’t give people toxic shock.”

Besides the strange and troubled townspeople of Annville in Preacher, there will be a wide array of memorable and bizarre misfit characters that Custer encounters on his journey. Nineteenth-century gunfighter and suicide survivor Arseface (Ian Colletti) and disturbed slaughterhouse mogul Odin Quincannon (Jackie Earle Haley) are just two of Preacher’s strange and twisted characters. Arseface is definitely one of those characters on Preacher who viewers will never forget.

Preacher may sound like a strictly dark and disturbing series, but there is also a lot of humor in Preacher. The dialogue and comedic timing in Preacher give it several laugh-out-loud moments, which was important to Rogen and Goldberg, who have made a name for themselves in comedies like Pineapple Express and This Is the End. They wanted to make sure Preacher captured not just the scope and tension of the comic book, but also the hilarious moments as well.

Will you be watching Preacher? Leave your comments, thoughts, and opinions below. The premiere of Preacher airs on Sunday, May 22 at 10 p.m. ET on AMC.

[Image via Preacher/Facebook]

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