Revival Season 1 Episode 1 Review: Something’s Off, but Don’t Tell Dad

Well, this sure seems like it’s going to be a lot of fun. 

Revival is right up my alley, giving all the vintage Syfy vibes that once earned the cabler a spot on my favorites list when the cable remote was my best friend.

And really, if you’re going to rise from the dead, do it in the most chaotic, scream-filled way possible. That’s the Revival way, and it kicks ass.

The series premiere kicks off with a woman recording what should be a simple cremation. 

But when the flames fire up, the electricity goes haywire, the body inside starts screaming, and  —  bam  —  we’re in unholy territory. Every corpse in every drawer starts clamoring to be let out like it’s a Friday night in hell. 

There’s no polite knock on death’s door here; the dead are busting it down with a vengeance, and no one knows why.

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The town of Wausau, Wisconsin, has just experienced “Revival Day,” where 47 deceased residents have returned to life. 

This isn’t the first show exploring such an event, and it won’t be the last. But it’s got that comfort-food feel that makes you want to sink into your couch, popcorn in hand.

This isn’t a brain-eating zombie situation (at least not yet). These people seem to be who they were, just… different. Maybe. Hopefully. But the premiere doesn’t give answers so much as it piles on questions.

Officer Dana Cypress (Melanie Scrofano, doing her signature blend of hard-edged, big-hearted, and mildly exasperated) is introduced while trying to flee town with her son, Cooper. 

She’s a single mom with a troubled work history, a sharp tongue, and a libido that apparently survived quarantine in better shape than her career. 

Dana’s trying to run, but her dad, Wayne (David James Elliott), isn’t having it. He’s her boss, her father, and the living embodiment of “you’re not going anywhere until you clean up this mess.”

Dana’s plans are further complicated by Ibrahim Ramin (Andy McQueen), a CDC investigator who first ends up in her front seat — and not just for conversation. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. He’s charming, helpful, and unfortunately, just got assigned to work with her father. Oops.

Meanwhile, Dana’s younger sister Em (Romy Weltman) has resurfaced after a long absence  —  unannounced, unwell, and completely uninterested in explaining where she’s been. 

Her skin’s pale, her eyes are heavy, and she’s parked herself on a public bench like she belongs there. 

Dana reacts with a mix of alarm and big sister snark, urging her to get back to the dorm “before you break a femur or something.” It’s a weird line, and even Dana knows it didn’t land quite right. 

But maybe the awkwardness is the point. She suspects something’s off  —  she just doesn’t know what. I

We don’t either. Not yet. If you read the comics or did a little research about them before watching, though, you know exactly what’s going on.

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Em’s sudden desire to reconnect with her dad, her sister, even a possibly sleazy professor, reads less like a homecoming and more like someone testing the waters. 

If she was revived  —  and we don’t find that out (seemingly) for sure until the very end  —  then maybe she’s trying to piece together what the hell happened to her. 

Maybe she’s scared to admit it or hasn’t admitted it to herself yet. But that uncertainty gives her scenes a quiet tension. There’s a reason she’s reaching out. We just don’t know what it is.

Until, of course, she dies. Again. At least it looks fatal  —  a sickle through the gut isn’t exactly a paper cut  —  but a few beats later, she’s the one swinging that same sickle and lopping off her attacker’s head. 

“Don’t tell dad,” she says, like this is all just another teenage mishap. Which, depending on your family, it might be.

That twist lands well because the show doesn’t treat Em like a big reveal. It lets you wonder. 

The clues are there if you’re paying attention  —  the strange phone calls, the hesitation, the way people tiptoe around her  —  but Revival plays it cool until the very last moment, then drops the hammer (or, well, the sickle).

Until then, the episode is full of delightfully weird moments: Dana investigating a mutilated horse, discovering coyote-trap teeth that match human dental records, and meeting a delightfully bonkers 82-year-old named Lester who casually offers railroad spikes like he’s running a hardware store out of his tracksuit

And let’s not forget the town’s elder women, who are taking full advantage of this situation like it’s the bizarre opportunity of a lifetime. 

One props her husband’s rotting corpse in the living room, hoping that he’ll be revived like a day-old donut zapped in the microwave, and another lurks in the rafters, jumping down like a demon gymnast while yanking out her own teeth just to prove a point. 

This is what Revival does well  —  grounding the absurd in small-town realism. The show leans into its rural oddities, letting its supernatural weirdness blossom in places like elementary schools and barns full of secrets.

Not every moment works logistically. Like, how were the revived already out and about in the cemetery within hours of dying? Was the cremation guy on some kind of next-day service schedule? 

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And who approves incineration that fast anyway? Look, I’m not asking for death certificates, but a little clarification on the timeline wouldn’t hurt. Still, part of the fun is rolling with it. Revival isn’t here to explain everything  —  it’s here to set a vibe.

The tone walks a fine line between eerie and dryly funny. Dana munching on a donut mid-crisis after chiding her dad about sugar intake? Classic. Wayne instantly clocking his daughter’s fling with the CDC guy just from a handshake? Perfect. 

The show never winks too hard, but there’s a definite glint in its eye, like it knows it’s weird and kind of loves that about itself.

Beneath the supernatural chaos, there’s a lot of heart. Dana and Em have unfinished business  —  plans that were derailed by life (and death). 

Dana feels guilty for not being there. Em longs for connection. And both of them are trying to carve out new meaning in the middle of something they don’t understand.

Scrofano’s presence adds a layer of comfort for anyone who loved Wynonna Earp. There’s a familiar energy to Dana that feels lived-in, with the added bonus of seeing her navigate motherhood and sisterhood from a new angle. 

Weltman’s Em is equally compelling, walking the line between fragile and feral.

And David James Elliott is a low-key standout as Wayne, anchoring the show’s more outlandish moments with a deeply rooted performance. 

He’s not just the gruff dad archetype — he’s sharp, emotionally aware, and unafraid to call his daughter out whether she’s quitting a job or secretly sleeping with a CDC official. 

He sees everything, but never overplays it. The way he sizes up Ibrahim from a single handshake says more than a page of dialogue could.

By the end of the episode, Dana is no closer to answers, but she has her sister back — and whether that’s a miracle or a curse remains to be seen. The CDC is running tests. The townsfolk are running on fear and denial. And Dana’s stuck right in the middle, donut crumbs and all.

Is this show coming with a message from the network? With more scripted originals landing here and on USA Network, Revival feels like a message from NBCU saying it’s getting back to basics.

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I can’t think of anything I’d like more than a resurgence of this kind of off-kilter genre content. If Revival sets the tone, I’ll be here to watch.

But what about you?

Fingers crossed that you watched. What else do you have to do on a weekly basis this summer other than watch what appear to be obscure shows along with TV Fanatic?

Comment, share, bring some life to our little community!

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