I have been excited for this show for the better part of six months since I found out about it. My excitement for it has mostly been because the source material, Jason Mott's The Returned, was one of my favorite books of 2013. While there are certainly coincidences, the show is not an American adaptation of the French show "Les Revenants". It is instead an adaptation of Mott's work.
Although certain relationships and characters have been changed/altered, thus far the show has captured impact of the return of Jacob Langston. Somehow the writers, and even director, have been able to capture the poetic and deeply philosophical nature of Mott's prose. My one complaint of the book was that Mott seemed to through a lot at the reader and everything going on became overwhelming. The pacing of the pilot was the complete opposite. While the teasers leading up to the premiere certainly eluded to more people being "resurrected," the show is not throwing too much at the viewer just yet.
In the book we don't ever really receive an explanation as to why these people return, but I am looking forward to how the show expands upon the mystery.
