Debris came to NBC in 2021 to deliver a new kind of sci-fi series that has spent twelve episodes so far building layer upon layer of mystery and mythology, and the Season 1 finale is nearly here. Created by former Fringe executive producer and showrunner Joel Wyman and starring Jonathan Tucker and Riann Steele, the show is unlike anything else on network television. Fortunately, the full first season so far is available streaming on more than one platform, and Wyman opened up about the benefits of binge-watching, as well as what's coming in the finale.
Joel Wyman spoke with CinemaBlend ahead of the Season 1 finale that will air on May 24, and he shared his thoughts on Debris as a binge-watch option:
Oh, I would love it if people binge-watched it to watch all the details, because I think they'd get so much more from the finale... And so many things are sort of alluded to that you can really enjoy rather than just at face value. It could remind you of certain things… and even fill in suspense… I think it would definitely help the view.
The first twelve episode of Debris Season 1 are available streaming now on NBCU's streaming service Peacock as well as Hulu, and a binge-watch could work as a refresher for fans who have been watching all along and want to brush up on some of the finer points as well as newcomers who haven't checked out the series just yet. It's also worth noting that watching the episodes streaming means hearing some mysterious transmissions that play over the closing credits, which can't be heard in the NBC broadcast.
Whether those transmissions are leading to something in the Season 1 finale remains to be seen, but they add another intriguing wrinkle to the mysteries of the first season so far. That said, the Debris creator went on to explain that the finale isn't going to be just an hour of posing new questions and leaving fans hanging without any answers. Joel Wyman previewed:
There's answers and questions. I've said that the first season is sort of an origin story to allow people to get their hands on the handlebars and sort of go, 'Oh, I know what this show's about.' It's about debris that's coming, these agencies, but really it's about so much more. And I absolutely am committed to giving answers. And I think questions are good, but I don't like questions that don't have answers. And I'm not really afraid, or trying to hide anything as far as not knowing an answer. I think it's just like, this is the way the show is unfolding and the narrative that I'm using to tell it, but I can definitely say that there will be things answered, but going forward, there are healthy questions that allow you to understand that the series is going to expand in very significant and substantial ways.
There is no shortage of questions heading into the finale, so fans can only speculate about what kinds of answers are on the way to wrap the first season and set up what's to come in the potential second season. At the time of writing, Debris has not yet been renewed for Season 2, so there was no way of knowing ahead of the production of the finale whether or not the show would continue afterward. Joel Wyman settled the question of whether or not the final episode of Season 1 was written to serve as a series finale just in case, saying:
No, it was not. Not at all. Look, I'm really specific. There's a lot of writers out there that do amazing job of looking at a blank screen and sort of allowing the show to come to them. I'm just not one of those writers. I tend to work in metaphor and in order for me to do that, I need to know where I'm going. And so I have about five seasons. I know the last line of the series. I knew the last line of the first season. I have very specific plans. So hopefully, fingers crossed, we'll be able to continue to tell the story because I think there's so much compelling stuff to come.
Debris isn't going to close the story with nowhere to go next when the final credits roll on Season 1, and Joel Wyman having a plan for five seasons bodes well for what the future of the show could be. After all, Fringe ran for five seasons before coming to an end in 2013, and that show has a loyal following to this day that knows how well careful planning can serve a series. Take a look at the promo for the finale for a glimpse of what's to come:
Find out what happens for Bryan and Finola in the Season 1 finale of Debris when it airs on NBC on Monday, May 24 at 10 p.m. ET. You can also find the full series so far streaming on Peacock and on Hulu.
