It's the most anti-wonderful time of the year. That would be Purge Night, ladies and gentlemen, and that most vicious of annual events is going to take over our TV screens later in 2018. Thankfully, we now know who will be on either side of the moral lines in the sand, as Syfy and USA have announced East Los High star Gabriel Chavarria and Six's Jessica Garza have been tapped as two of the show's lead characters. Hope their screaming muscles are stretched out.
As I'm sure everyone reading this is aware, Purge Night takes place for one 12-hour period per year, during which all crimes are legal, including murder. The highly anticipated TV show will be the first part of the franchise to step further outside the Purge Night timeframe to delve into the Purge law and how it affects other aspects of society during the other 364 days of the year. It looks like the information will be flowing from all around, and for The Purge, Gabriel Chavarria is set to play a rough-edged U.S. Marine named Miguel who returns to his hometown on Purge Night. Not for shits and giggles, mind you, but because he received a mysterious letter from his sister. And so Miguel prepares himself to head into the unpredictable madness in order to keep his family safe.
Though Gabriel Chavarria hasn't made a big splash in much beyond Hulu's East Los High, it was his work on Blumhouse Productions' Lowriders that caught producer Jason Blum's eye, and Chavarria was reportedly cast for The Purge without going through any auditions, according to THR. Hopefully that means an excellent performance is on the way.
On the flip side of things, Jessica Garza will star as Penelope, who is a member of a Purge-worshipping cult, which sounds like one of the dumbest fringe groups imaginable. (Dangerous, certainly, but still dumb.) Though she'd volunteered herself to be sacrificed by the cult's magnanimous leader, Penelope makes a few shocking discoveries about the Purge itself that causes her faith to buckle. Will she escape and become the leader's prey throughout the season? Is Penelope the sister that sends Miguel that cryptic letter?
Her career still blossoming, Jessica Garza is best known to TV audiences for A&E's military drama Six, with Walton Goggins, and it looks like her role as Anabel will grow even bigger in the upcoming second season. Other than that, she's been seen in bit parts in shows such as NCIS, Modern Family and NBC's new comedy A.P. Bio.
Written and executive produced by franchise creator James DeMonaco, The Purge's ten-episode first season will hit both Syfy and USA later this year, with an exact release date yet to be revealed. While waiting to learn more about that and the fourth Purge flick, head to our midseason premiere schedule to see what else is coming.
