Wayward Pines S1-2

There’s something strange happening in the mountain town of Wayward Pines. It’s up to FBI agent Ethan Burke (Matt Dillon) to find two colleagues who have mysteriously vanished, leaving no trace. The strangest thing about the town isn’t even the disappearances – it’s that Wayward Pines is surrounded by an electrified fence and everyone follows the rules religiously … or they disappear.

The strict sheriff and enforcer is played by Terrence Howard, who also appears in all five seasons of Empire.

Season 1 is based on the Wayward Pines trilogy by author Blake Crouch and the 10 episodes follow it faithfully.

The show was originally meant to be one season, so the second instalment has a new line-up and new storyline based on specially created material (showrunner Chad Hodge left and most of the Season 1 cast had committed to other projects). That doesn’t take away from the uneasy feeling that everyone in town is lying about something top-secret and dangerous.

It’s a proper thriller, with the theguardian.com calling it “totally original with puzzles and clues that suck you in and reveals that illuminate a bit of the truth but only make the rest of the mystery murkier. This is what an addictive viewing experience should be like.”