Honestly, most people rolled their eyes when Fox announced they were making a show based on the greatest horror movie ever made. It felt like a cash grab. We’d already sat through Exorcist II: The Heretic—which is a fever dream of bad decisions—and even though the third movie has its cult following, the idea of a weekly The Exorcist TV series seemed destined for the bargain bin.
It wasn't.
Against all odds, creator Jeremy Slater did something almost impossible. He respected the 1973 original while carving out a nasty, intelligent, and deeply moving expansion of that world. It didn't just rely on pea soup and spinning heads. It focused on the weight of faith. It looked at the trauma that lingers after the demon is gone. If you missed it during its two-season run, you missed the best horror television of the last decade.
The Twist That Changed Everything
The first season starts off feeling like a standard reboot. You have Father Tomas Ortega, the progressive, somewhat unsure priest, and Father Marcus Keane, the grizzled, excommunicated veteran who actually knows how to fight. They’re helping the Rance family. Angela Rance, played by Geena Davis, is convinced something is wrong in her house.
For the first few episodes, it’s a solid, atmospheric possession story. Then, Episode 5 happens.
If you haven't seen it, the reveal is a total gut-punch. Angela Rance isn't just a random mother; she is Regan MacNeil. Yes, that Regan MacNeil. She changed her name and moved away to escape the shadow of her past, only for the demon to find her family decades later. It was a bold move. It could have been cheesy, but because Geena Davis is a powerhouse, it felt earned. This wasn't just a remake. It was a direct, literal sequel that understood the DNA of William Peter Blatty’s work better than almost any other follow-up.
Why Marcus and Tomas Worked
The heart of The Exorcist TV series isn't actually the scares. It’s the bromance. Ben Daniels as Marcus Keane is a revelation. He plays Marcus with this ragged, desperate energy—a man who has been broken by the church but still loves God. He’s tough. He’s cynical. He’s also deeply compassionate.
Then you have Alfonso Herrera as Tomas. He’s the foil. He starts as the "pretty boy" priest who wants to do good but doesn't understand the cost. Their dynamic evolves from reluctant partners to a genuine, soul-deep bond. Watching them travel across the country in season two in a beat-up truck, acting as rogue exorcists for hire, felt like a dark, Catholic version of Supernatural, but with much higher stakes and better cinematography.
The show dared to ask: What happens to the exorcist when the ritual is over? It doesn't just end with a "thank you" and a handshake. There’s PTSD. There’s the crushing weight of hearing a demon whisper your deepest sins for five hours straight. Marcus carries that. You can see it in every line on Ben Daniels’ face.
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Breaking the Possession Tropes
One thing that makes this series stand out is how it handles the "integration." In the movies, it’s usually just a person screaming in a bed. In the show, particularly in season two with the character of Andy (played by the incredible John Cho), we see the psychological manipulation. The demon doesn't just growl. It mimics. It creates a false reality.
Andy is a foster father living on a remote island. He’s grieving his late wife. The demon uses that grief like a scalpel. It manifests as his wife, making him believe he’s living a beautiful, restored life while his physical body is actually terrorizing the children in his care. It’s heartbreaking. Seeing a man who wants to be a protector become the predator because of his own sorrow is way scarier than a jump scare.
The Vatican Conspiracy You Didn't Expect
While the "demon of the week" stuff is happening, the show builds this massive, terrifying subplot about a shadow organization within the Catholic Church. They call it the "Friars of Ascension."
Basically, high-ranking officials are allowing themselves to be possessed—or "integrated"—to gain power. It’s a literal take on the rot within institutions. They aren't just possessed by accident; they are choosing it. This adds a layer of political thriller to the horror. Suddenly, Marcus and Tomas aren't just fighting one demon in one house. They are fighting a global conspiracy that has infiltrated the very heart of the Vatican.
It makes the world feel huge. It raises the stakes from a local tragedy to a cosmic war. This is where the writing really shines, weaving together the intimate horror of a family in crisis with the grand, operatic horror of a church falling into darkness.
The Visual Language of Horror
The show looks expensive. It uses light and shadow in a way that feels very "New Hollywood," reminiscent of the 70s. Season two, set in the Pacific Northwest, uses the damp, grey woods of British Columbia to create a sense of isolation that feels suffocating.
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There's a scene in the second season involving a "blind" demon in a house that is genuinely one of the most tense sequences ever aired on network TV. The sound design—the clicking, the heavy breathing, the floorboards creaking—is masterful. It proves you don't need a $100 million budget to scare people. You just need a director who knows how to use a long take.
Why Was It Cancelled?
It’s the question that still haunts the fanbase. Despite critical acclaim and a fiercely loyal "Exorcisfans" community, Fox pulled the plug after season two.
The ratings were never stellar. Friday nights are often where shows go to die, and a dense, serialized horror drama is a hard sell for a broad network audience. It also didn't help that the marketing was somewhat hit-or-miss. Many people didn't even realize it was a sequel to the movie until they were halfway through the first season.
There were plans for a third season that would have seen Marcus and Tomas in different places, potentially dealing with Marcus's retirement and the fallout of the Vatican conspiracy. We’ll probably never see it. And that’s a tragedy, because the show ended on a cliffhanger that promised a total shift in the status quo.
The Legacy of the Show
Even though it’s gone, The Exorcist TV series remains a blueprint for how to handle a legacy franchise. It didn't lean on nostalgia for the sake of it. It didn't try to replace Linda Blair or Max von Sydow. It took the themes they established—faith, doubt, and the existence of objective evil—and updated them for a modern audience.
It also gave us one of the best LGBTQ+ representations in horror through Marcus Keane. His sexuality was handled with such nuance; it wasn't a "very special episode" moment. It was just a part of who he was—a man who loved God, loved people, and was trying to find his place in a world that often rejected him for both.
How to Revisit the Series Today
If you’re looking to dive back in or watch for the first time, here is how you should approach it to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch the 1973 Original First: You need the context. The show rewards people who know the beats of the first film, especially regarding the MacNeil family history.
- Skip the Sequels (Mostly): You don't need Exorcist II or The Beginning to understand this. This show effectively acts as the "true" sequel, ignoring the other films' convoluted timelines.
- Pay Attention to the Background: The showrunners loved "Easter eggs." From the music cues to the way certain scenes are framed, there are dozens of nods to the original film hidden in plain sight.
- Prepare for a Binge: The pacing is much better when watched back-to-back. The tension builds slowly in the first three episodes before exploding in the back half of the seasons.
Actionable Steps for Horror Fans
If you've already finished the series and are feeling that void, there are a few things you can do to keep that specific "clerical horror" itch scratched.
First, read the original novel by William Peter Blatty. It’s much more of a detective story than the movie, and you can see where Jeremy Slater pulled some of the more cerebral elements of the show.
Second, check out the 2014 film The Possession of Michael King or the more recent The Pope's Exorcist. While the latter is much cheesier, it shares that "rogue priest" energy that Marcus Keane perfected.
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Finally, petition the streaming gods. The show frequently moves between platforms like Hulu, Tubi, and Disney+ depending on your region. If enough people keep watching it, there is always that slim, 1% chance a streamer might see the data and decide that Marcus and Tomas have one more fight left in them.
The battle against the "salesman" might be over for now, but in the world of horror, nothing stays dead forever. Just look at the franchise itself—it keeps coming back, crawling down the stairs, waiting for someone to listen.