Network: CBS
Episodes: 13 (hour)
Seasons: One
TV show dates: April 9, 2009 — July 11, 2009
Series status: Cancelled/ended
Performers include: Elaine Cassidy, Christopher Gorham, Katie Cassidy, Matt Barr, Gina Holden, Brandon Jay McLaren, Cassandra Sawtell, C.J. Thomason, Jim Beaver, Cameron Richardson, Adam Campbell, Claudette Mink, Amber Borycki, Dean Chekvala, Ali Liebert, Beverley Elliott, David Lewis, Chris Gauthier, Ben Cotton, Richard Burgi, Nicholas Carella, Sean Rogerson, Dean Wray, and Callum Keith Rennie.
TV show description:
A group of friends and family members go to Harper’s Island to attend the wedding of Henry Dunn (Christopher Gorham) and Trish Wellington (Katie Cassidy). The happy affair begins to go seriously awry as the guests are killed one by one. Is there a serial killer amongst the group?
Real estate mogul Thomas Wellington (Richard Burgi) disapproves of Henry but has agreed to pay for his daughter’s extravagant wedding anyway. Shea Allen (Gina Holden) is Trish’s big sister and the Matron of Honor. She’s experiencing problems in her marriage to Richard (David Lewis), and her young daughter, flower girl Madison (Cassandra Sawtell), is acting up.
Abby Mills (Elaine Cassidy) is Henry’s best friend from childhood. She grew up on the island until her mother was killed by a lunatic, John Wakefield, and her father sent her away. Jimmy Mance (C.J. Thomason) was her high school sweetheart and currently works as a local fisherman. He’s happy about the upcoming nuptials just because he gets to see Abby again. Sheriff Charlie Mills (Jim Beaver) is Abby’s father and wants to reconcile with her now that she’s back on the island.
Chloe Carter (Cameron Richardson) is a sexy flirt who has a strange curiosity about John Wakefield. She’s dating Cal Vandeusen (Adam Campbell), a British outsider who doesn’t know anyone else in the wedding party. He’s a doctor who’s brought an engagement ring with him to the island.
Christopher “Sully” Sullivan (Matt Barr), is Henry’s best man. He’s a frat boy at heart and his best buddies live vicariously through him. Sensitive Danny Brooks (Brandon Jay McLaren) always tries to do the right thing and would love to have a girlfriend. J.D. Dunn (Dean Chekvala) is Henry’s brooding, loner brother who has tattoos all over his body.
Hunter Jennings (Victor Webster) is Trish’s ex and is from a family as wealthy as the Wellingtons. He’s on the island despite not being to the wedding. Marty Dunn (Harry Hamlin), is Henry’s uncle. He loves being the center of attention and hasn’t stopped partying since the ’70s.
Episode 13 – Sigh
The horrific tale comes to an end. Some escape but most die.
First aired: July 11, 2009.
There’s been no news of plans to revive the show. If the series had been picked up for a second season, it would have featured a new mystery and cast.
Series creator Ari Schlossberg wrote, “Harper’s Island was always meant to be a 13 episode storyline. If given a season 2, we were working on another story, with new characters, new location, and new killer. Some of the ideas floating around were: Harper’s Safari, Harper’s Semester At Sea, and my favorite, Harper’s Sorority Row. It would have been fun to cast.”
Behind the Scenes
• | The titles of the show’s episodes come from the sound that is made when a victim is killed, such as “Thwack,” “Gurgle,” and “Snap.” The series finale’s title is the sound that Henry makes when he dies. |
• | Castmembers weren’t told the identity of the killer in advance and only found out if or when their character would die when they received their script. |
• | The killer was always intended to be Henry. Schlossberg said, “We told Chris Gorham he was our killer during the filming of Episode 8. He loved it, but he had tons of questions. We holed up in my hotel room for three hours and I tried my best to piece everything together for him. Our conversation was followed by two more hours on the phone with Exec. Producers Jeff Bell & Dan Shotz.” |
• | The pre-wedding video that ends the series was shot during the filming of the first episode in August 2008. |
Image courtesy CBS.
I think it was a great show and it should return
i really like the story. it’s one of a kind. i never thought at first that henry was the child of john wakefield. both Cassidy are gorgeous and jimmy was very handsome. good job everyone.
Bravo!!! that was really great, totally well made, my jaw hit the floor. Just great.
Great show I think they should pick up for another season. It was very interesting and always had me stuck in suspense. Great Show.
“Harper’s Island” has entertained a number of my friends & myself. We love it! Please bring it back !!! I never thought that it wouldn’t be back on TV this fall … HELP bring it back to us. There are many, many fans out there who do not have the opportunity to chime in here. This is by far the BEST thriller on TV !!!
omg best show christopher gorham is sooooooo hot!!!! i love the show and it was strangly addicting
I absolutely LOVED this show! It is my second favorite show of all time! (second to Friends) I got so excited to watch each new episode. I told everyone I know to watch it! I can’t believe there isn’t going to be a second season. This show was so much better than all of the reality show crap that is on now! I will definitely be buying this show the day it comes out on DVD!!!!!
This show is actually sooooooo goood! it wasn’t advertised well so i didn’t even know about it until my friends were talking about it. i watched the whole season in one night i couldnt shut it off. i lost alot of sleep over this show and i am really hoping the have a second season! The acting is amazing Henry’s character is creepy good. I wouldn’t expect this kind of convincing actors out of a 13 episode series. Please make a second season!
I love the show but did leave some unanswered questions like who was the guy under the boat at the beginning of the show and why did he kill everyone when he did not know them, the father that is. The cast was great, I loved Cal and Chloe. Thanks.
If you’re talking about the guy under the boat in the first episode, that’s Trish’s uncle, Ben Wellington. And the killer (making sure I don’t spoil it for anyone) killed everyone because it was the only way to get rid of them and have the island for themselves. (the killer explained this in episode 13)
Hope that answers your question even though it’s 2 years old already. :]
I miss this show so much already! Granted, it was full of holes in the plots and somewhat confusing at times, but I always looked forward to the following episode.I hope they can find a way to bring another similar series and SOON! It certainly was a great change of pace!
Harper’s Island was the best new show on televison. The cast was great, the plot was suspensful, and kept the viewer on edge till the very end. If the network would have put more into it, advertisning wise, maybe there numbers would have been higher. For those of us who watched it every week, absolutely loved it! You won’t find another show on that offers the view such edge of your seat, nail-biting suspense, or as many plot twists that the story took. I watched and loved every episode! If CBS were to bring back Abby and Jimmy with a… Read more »
Definitely an amazing show. I love the characters and the way the actors portrayed them. I wasn’t fan of the genre but this is a unique story that will have you in complete expectation until the very finale.
harpers island is the best show ever and if it got advertised better and made it look more like a suspence like it is instead of a game show more people would of watched it. this shows suspence is awesome, no show has as much twists and turns as harpers island