‘Evil’ Is a Beautiful, Terrifying Exploration of the Unknown — and the Perfect Halloween Binge

It’s somewhat fitting that a show so adept at exploring the unknown would find itself facing the unknown more often than not, which was often the case with the Paramount Plus cult hit horror series “Evil.”

The show, which followed a small team of “assessors” working for the Catholic church investigating all types of supernatural mysteries ranging from possessions to miracles, premiered to healthy buzz on CBS in 2019 and rave reviews from horror fans. But ratings were more modest by the end of Season 1, so Paramount opted to make the series a streaming exclusive on its fledgling (at the time) streaming service Paramount Plus. 

After initially jumping from broadcast to streaming to survive potential cancelation, “Evil” would manage to hang on for four seasons and a total of 50 episodes, before wrapping its run in August of 2024 just in time for a full Halloween season binge. Paramount chose to end the show while it was still in its creative prime, and added four episodes to its final season run (14 episodes, up from the initial 10 episode order) to give the creators enough runway to bring the show to a satisfactory conclusion for fans. Across its run, “Evil” became one of the most ambitious and compelling horror stories of the modern era, playing in the genre’s tropes while cutting its own path within them.

The move to streaming gave the series the freedom creators Robert and Michelle King (“The Good Wife,” “BrainDead”) needed to figure out exactly what “Evil” could be, leaning deeper into the personal lives and relationships between main stars Katja Herbers (psychologist Dr. Kristen Bouchard), Mike Colter (the team’s priest David Acosta) and Aasif Mandi (technical expert Ben Shakir). The three have incredible chemistry, as the series developed its signature tone that was equal parts “The X-Files,” “Midnight Mass” and 2003’s short-lived “Miracles” (that one is well worth looking up if you haven’t heard of it). Veteran genre actor Michael Emerson also steals the show as recurring antagonist Dr. Leland Townsend, who plots and schemes to terrorize Kristen and her family for much of the show for reasons we won’t spoil here.

Throughout its run, the core question at the heart of the show was a timeless one: does evil exist? And if it does, what can we do about it? Can it be defeated, or is it simply a fact of life? It’s a question philosophers have been pondering since Biblical times, and though “Evil” doesn’t quite try to answer the age old mystery definitively, it does ask some damn good questions along the way.

The set-up might be the classic “X-Files”-esque format, but switching from a duo to a trio at the show’s core creates a fresh lens to explore these bizarre (and often terrifying) cases of the week. Herbers’ Kristen has three daughters and is in a long distance marriage — and spending so much time with Colter’s handsome (have you seen Mike Colter?) priest David doesn’t make that marital strain any easier. The forbidden romance undertone between the two creates uncomfortable tension, while David grapples with that attraction and what it means for his commitment to the priesthood. Mandi’s Ben is a friend to both and on the team to investigate any potential scientific explanation for the phenomenon the team faces, while Kristen looks at psychological root causes and David considers the spiritual perspective.

The cases range from the funny to the horrifying, focusing on everything from a haunted VR headset simulation, gruesome demonic possession, a viral melody that is literally an ear worm, stigmata, a potential UFO encounter and a particle accelerator that digs so deep it might have also tapped into a portal to hell. And the best thing about it all is that “Evil” rarely goes for the easy answers. Like the best storytelling and fiction in the horror space, it understands that life is messy and so are most stories — especially when people are terrified. Most times, David, Ben and Kristen end up with their own theories about what might be going on with a case. Who’s right? Sometimes we never know for sure.

Another place where “Evil” truly sets itself apart from other horror shows in this vein, though, is with its effects work and the way it brings the demonic world to life. Though many view evil as an abstract concept that simply exists within people, there are others in the series who can literally see evil —brought to life and portrayed in some of the most ambitious demon effects work ever put on the small screen. It gives the series its own unique, ghastly vibe as it goes on.

And for a show that started on the relatively tame confines of network TV? It’s downright terrifying at times by the end. But even with demons walking among us, “Evil” never makes things too black and white. Because people still have choices to make in the things they do and the way they act.

So is there true evil in the world? You’ll just have to watch to find out.