Jesse Custer is a hard-drinking, chain-smoking preacher who, enduring a crisis of faith, becomes infused with an extraordinary power. He embarks on a quest to better understand his new gift and literally find God, alongside his trigger-happy ex-girlfriend, Tulip, and new vampire friend, Cassidy.[1]
Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, a preacher from Annville, Texas with a criminal past and a newly discovered superpower to command others to do as he says.[2] Dominic Ruggieri portrays 10-year-old Jesse.
Derek Wilson as Donnie Schenck, Odin Quincannon's right-hand man and Jesse's rival since childhood. (season 1)[7][8]
Ian Colletti as Eugene "Arseface" Root, Jesse's most faithful parishioner, and Sheriff Root's son, whose face is horribly disfigured due to a botched suicide attempt.[9]
Tom Brooke as Fiore, one of two Adelphi angels tasked with watching the half-demon, half-angelic creature named Genesis. (main season 1; guest seasons 2 and 4)[10]
Anatol Yusef as DeBlanc, one of two Adelphi angels tasked with watching the half-demon, half-angelic creature named Genesis. (season 1)[11]
Pip Torrens as Herr Klaus Helmut Starr, member of the Grail, a powerful, super-secret organization.[13] Starr was briefly introduced in the season 1 episode "The Possibilities", although played by a different actor.[14][15] (cameo season 1; main seasons 2–4)
Colin Cunningham as T.C., a henchman of Marie L'Angelle. This character is briefly introduced via flashback in the second season finale played by a stand-in. (cameo season 2; main season 3)[17][18][16]
Betty Buckley as Marie "Gran'ma" L'Angelle, Jesse Custer's grandmother. This character first appears via flashback in the second season episode "Backdoors" played by Julie Oliver-Touchstone. (cameo season 2; main season 3)[19][18]
Mark Harelik as himself / God (guest seasons 1–2; recurring season 3; main season 4)[20]
Jackie Earle Haley as Odin Quincannon, a powerful man in Annville who runs Quincannon Meat & Power, a 125-year-old family run cattle slaughterhouse business.[22] The original pilot featured Elizabeth Perkins as Vyla Quincannon, a female version of the character, but the writers ultimately opted to make Quincannon male as in the comics. (season 1)[23]
Marie Wagenman as Saint of Killers Daughter, only child of Saint of Killers who dies an early death, which torments her father for eternity.
Ricky Mabe as Miles Person, the mayor of Annville. (season 1)
The first episode of Talking Preacher debuted immediately following the pilot encore on May 29, 2016, with guests Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Dominic Cooper and Sam Catlin, and received 538,000 viewers.[26] The second installment aired following the Preacher season one finale on July 31, 2016, with guests Rogen, Goldberg and Ian Colletti,[25] and received 620,000 viewers.[27]
The aftershow returned for the first two episodes of Preacher's second season, with an installment airing directly after the second episode on June 26, 2017, with guests Dominic Cooper, Graham McTavish and Sam Catlin,[28] and received 441,000 viewers.[29] A third episode aired following the second season finale which included guests Dominic Cooper, Sam Catlin, Ian Colletti and Pip Torrens, and received 298,000 viewers.[30]
Production
Development
A TV adaptation for the comic book series had been planned in 2006, when Mark Steven Johnson purchased the rights and pitched the series to HBO. Johnson was a big fan of Preacher, but he believed that a two-hour movie would not be able to do justice to the property. In an interview with MovieWeb, he said that he didn't want the storyline to be loyal, but "exact", and that adapting all 75 issues would let the show run for 6 years. Johnson would produce the series and write the pilot, and expressed interest in having Kevin Smith and Robert Rodriguez direct episodes.[31]Howard Deutch was reported to be directing the pilot,[32] but Johnson said in another interview that he had only discussed the series with Deutch and it would all depend who would direct after the screenplay was finished.[33] In 2008, Johnson revealed that the new head of HBO deemed the show to be too violent and demanded a revamp. Johnson refused, and HBO cancelled production.[34]
On November 16, 2013, it was announced that AMC was developing a TV series based on the DC Vertigo comic book series Preacher.[40] On November 18, 2013, it was revealed that Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg were developing the series pilot with Sam Catlin, and that it would be distributed by Sony Pictures Television.[41] On February 6, 2014, AMC ordered a pilot script to be written by Rogen and Goldberg, and confirmed Sam Catlin would serve as showrunner.[42] On December 3, 2014, AMC ordered the pilot, written by Catlin, to be filmed.[43] Comic creators Steve Dillon and Garth Ennis serve as co-executive producers for the series.[44] From season 3, the show's three lead actors–Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga and Joseph Gilgun–serve as co-executive producers.
On May 14, 2015, Rogen revealed that filming on the pilot episode of Preacher had started. Rogen additionally revealed that he and Goldberg would be directing the pilot.[42]
The series was officially picked up on September 9, 2015[44] with a ten-episode order which premiered on May 22, 2016.[45] On June 29, 2016, AMC renewed the series for a 13-episode second season that premiered on June 25, 2017.[46][47] On October 26, 2017, it was announced the series was renewed for a third season,[48] which premiered on June 24, 2018, and consisted of 10 episodes.[16][49] On November 29, 2018, it was announced that the series was renewed for a fourth season, with production beginning in early 2019 in Australia.[50] On April 8, 2019, it was announced that the fourth season would be the series' final season and that it would premiere on August 4, 2019.[51]
Casting
In March 2015, Ruth Negga was cast as Tulip O'Hare, the ex-girlfriend of Jesse Custer, and Joseph Gilgun was cast as Cassidy, an Irish vampire and the best friend of Custer.[3] In April 2015, Lucy Griffiths was cast as Emily Woodrow, a character described as a no-nonsense single mother of three who is a waitress, the church organist, bookkeeper and Jesse's loyal right hand."[5] Also in April, it was confirmed that Dominic Cooper would play Custer.[2]
Specials
AMC aired a marathon of the first five episodes of Preacher from June 30 to July 1, 2016, with bonus, behind-the-scenes footage within each episode.[52]
Reception
Dominic Cooper (left) and Sam Catlin (right) promoting Preacher at the 2016 WonderCon in California
Critical reception
The first season received largely positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes gave the season an approval rating of 89%, based on 243 reviews, with an average rating of 7.55/10. The site's critical consensus states, "A thrilling celebration of the bizarre, Preacher boasts enough gore, glee, and guile to make this visually stunning adaptation a must-see for fans of the comic and newcomers alike."[53]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, found that the first season received "generally favorable reviews" with a score of 76 out of 100, based on 37 critics.[54] Eric Goldman of IGN, gave the pilot episode an 8.8/10, praising the "great mixture of comic and horror elements" and the "excellent casting," particularly praising Ruth Negga's Tulip.[55]
The second season received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 91%, based on 179 reviews, with an average rating of 7.65/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Preacher's sophomore season benefits from more focused storytelling, without sacrificing any of its gorgeous, violent, insane fun."[56] On Metacritic, the series again received "generally favorable reviews" with a score of 76 out of 100 for the second season, based on 9 critics.[57]
The third season received generally favorable reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 92%, based on 91 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Preacher returns to its delightful debauchery, but with a steadier hand and better balance, elevating the drama without taking the edge off."[58] On IGN, Jesse Scheeden gave the season premiere a score of 8.7 out of 10 and claimed that "Preacher is finally venturing into one of the best and most unsettling pieces of the comic, and so far the new season seems to be headed in the right direction. 'Angelville' succeeds in telling a somber, focused story, one that establishes the relationship between Jesse and his grandmother and making our heroes feel more vulnerable than ever."[59]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the fourth season has an approval rating of 77%, based on 74 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Preacher returns as creatively violent, bloody, and profane as ever, but it seems to be running out of steam in its final season."[60]
