Eight-episode Cold War suspense drama rounds out network’s “see the good in the world” programming with nostalgic science fiction that families can watch together.
BYUtv’s first scripted series, Granite Flats, is a Cold War suspense drama with a twist of science fiction that fills a long standing void in primetime family television. Produced, written and created by a team of top Hollywood and New York talent who have made some of the industry’s most successful and long-running family-oriented entertainment offerings, Granite Flats is a show that parents can watch with their children, without concern about inappropriate subject matter. Adding a new genre to the network’s already diverse roster of original “see the good in the world” programming, the episodic series is yet another bold step for the ground-breaking network, whose breadth of diverse offerings include original feature and documentary films, music performances and artist profiles, scripted and improvisational comedy, unscripted reality, live sports and an American history show. The High Definition television network’s programs (19 were nominated and 11 won Emmy awards in 2012) are carried in more than 51 million homes on Dish Network, DirecTV and over 800 cable systems.
Premiering on April 7, 2013, the weekly one-hour series presents a nostalgic portrayal of characters in small town America, circa 1962 – a year that was simultaneously unsettled and innocent. Under the direction of BYUtv’s creative director, prolific IMAX film producer Scott Swofford, a team of nationally renowned writers, producers, directors, production crew and Hollywood talent have captured the look and feel of the setting to convey the distinctive national mood of shifting social mores overlaying the anxiety of the Cold War. Based on actual, little-known intriguing U.S. military intelligence events which delve firmly into the realm of science fiction, the story reveals the ubiquitous fear of nuclear attack that was uniquely a part of that moment in time and offers a view into the era through a complex range of nuanced and quirky characters.