Kyra Zagorsky and Steve Maeda Talk New SyFy Series 'Helix' - Interview

SyFy Network is ready to roll out their highly anticipated new original series Helix. Helix is an intense thriller from the creator of Battlestar Galactica that centers around a team of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control. The series stars Billy Campbell, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kyra Zagorsky, Mark Ghanimé, Jordan Hayes, Meegwun Fairbrother, Catherine Lemieux, and Neil Napier.

Helix premieres this Friday January 10th at 10:00 p.m. ET. on SyFy.

I recently had the chance to participate in a press call with Helix star Kyra Zagorsky and executive producer Steve Maeda where they spoke about the new series.

What makes this show more than just another zombie show?

Steve Maeda: Yes, our watch word over the season, or some of our watch words were not zombies. There is certainly a human element to the show and a science fiction kind of trope that we’re sure to get compared to and that’s okay. I don’t mind that, but we’re really trying to not make it a zombie show. I would say the main difference about our vectors, as we call them, is that they are not kind of mindless sort of eating machines.

And that’s something that you’ll see in later episodes. They’re very scary and they’re human and they look horrible. But our team will discover teams into and around the virus and also what we’re going to find out about the vectors is that they’re incredibly smart and so they retain a lot of their intelligence, if not their humanity, which I think makes them very different from zombies. And you know what? The comparisons will come and that’s okay. But we’re really trying to do something that feels different than the typical zombie show.

Kyra Zagorsky: I think also since the show is based in real science, there’re real life epidemic scares out there throughout history where there’re these huge viruses that have wiped out huge populations and so we’re dealing with something that the CDC hasn’t seen before, but it comes from a virus. And so that’s something that’s based in reality. And then you put the science fiction on that and it’s a really interesting combination. I think that’s another thing that makes it unique.

What do you like best about the series?

Kyra: I love the psychological thriller piece of it. I think that because we are trapped in this isolated environment with a deadly virus, what’s really interesting is that everyone’s darkness comes out because we’ve got these life and death stakes going on and then there’re these interesting relationships going on but we can’t quite deal with the relationship right now because we’ve got something better to do, which is survive.

But it takes some of the characters to some very dark places and they start doing things that they might not do if they were in regular circumstances. And so their true humanity comes out, the good and the bad. And I think that’s what’s so interesting about the show and for me, the unique part of it, the psychological side of it.

Steve: Yes, I would absolutely agree with that. And for me, on top of that, I would say the main thing for me, as I stand back now and look back at the season that we’re finishing up, is Syfy in particular - both Sony and Syfy - but Syfy really wanted us to get out of the box of a typical outbreak show.

And from the very beginning, you know, the pilot was a great template and really set the stage for us. But then Syfy just gave us free reign and said, you know, between studio networks, Ron Moore, and everybody, we all tried to put our heads together and say what can we do? Where can we take this show where it starts in one place and then goes someplace hopefully really unexpected where we want the audience to play along and say, “Hey, I know what’s going to happen here. Of course, it’s going to be this,” and then have it be something completely different.

And we tried to do that with creative choices we made, with story ideas, with some casting choices, whether characters live or die, with music choices, with how we edited the show. And so that was really fun to have the creative freedom to be able to get outside of the typical show box.

If you could describe the series to somebody who has no preconceptions about what it’s about, how would you describe it?

Steve: I would say it - the way that we’ve been describing the series both in, you know, in press and then just in talking about it in breaking stories, it is an outbreak show, at least at the beginning. And it starts off as a show about this terrible outbreak that happens in this very remote and dangerous location. And our team has to go up and deal with What then happens, though, it’s hard to describe because it’s - we don’t want to give too much away, but it becomes a mystery and it gets very deeply into science fiction and it gets very much into thriller and mystery elements.

And what you thought the show was going to be about is not what the show is about any more, which I think is great, and that’s, you know, as I was talking about earlier, the freedom that Syfy gave us to kind of go out and say, ‘Hey, it starts as this, then it becomes that,’ you know, go, see what direction that takes you in, that was pretty incredible and allows us to have the show be - you think it’s one thing and then it turns out well, wait, it’s also about this. And - but wait a second. It’s also about that, too, and that’s a lot of fun.

Kyra, how would you describe Dr. Julia Walker and what is it about the character that really drew you to want to play her?

Kyra: Well, I would describe her as a very intelligent, accomplished woman in her field. She’s one of the top scientists with the CDC. And the thing that I loved about this character is that she was incredibly ambitious and got herself to where she is in this line of work but she exists for purposes outside of her relationships which I think is a really important thing for female characters in film and TV.

And so although I am the ex-wife of Dr. Alan Farragut, that’s not at all what my purpose is in the series. I’m there because I’m trying to, you know, deal with this virus. I’m there to do my work as a scientist. I’m passionate about my work.

But she’s an independent woman and she does have her flaws in her relationships. She’s just a very full human character and I think that’s what I really loved about her. Because sometimes when we’re creating strong females, we give them a weapon and, you know, turn them into something macho or, you know, or often it has to be a superhero character or else, you know, she has to be a full on business person and has to be cruel or something.

Helix premieres with a double episode with limited commercial interruption on January 10th at 10/9c.

Watch the first 15 minutes of season 1 of SyFy’s Helix here.