Melanie Scrofano's new zombie show ‘Revival' debates how we treat others who are different

Los Angeles Times

18-06-2025

Growing up, Melanie Scrofano had a hard time relating to other kids — especially other girls. And though she felt like she was able to fit in with the boys for a while, it was a phase that also eventually ended.
'It was just a lonely existence,' the actor says during a recent Zoom call, 'which I think was a gift. Because as I got older, I [realized] your female peers are your superpower, and I really started trying to cultivate those relationships.'
Nowadays, Scrofano is best known for work on TV that center such bonds between women. She says experiencing just how special the relationship between sisters can be during her time on 'Wynonna Earp' — a supernatural western about fiercely loving your family — made it something she's drawn to in projects.
'I think I crave those relationships because there's a safety in them that I never found when I was younger,' says Scrofano, who emphasizes that it helps that she's been 'spoiled' by her castmates. 'Yes, I've gravitated to those stories, but partly, it's fate and luck that these people who make it so easy to fall in love with them fall into my lap.'
Her latest series, 'Revival,' which premiered last week on Syfy (the first episode will hit Peacock on Thursday), is also anchored by the relationship between two sisters. Created by Aaron B. Koontz and Luke Boyce, the supernatural mystery revolves around a small Wisconsin town where one day, people who have recently died suddenly come back to life. The show is based on the comic book series by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton.
Scrofano stars as Dana Cypress, a single mother and local police officer who is simply trying to provide for her kid. Audiences first meet Dana as she is packing up her house to chase a new opportunity away from her hometown.
'It's a small town, [and] once people have decided who you are, that's who you are,' says Scrofano, who also serves as an executive producer on the series. '[But] Dana knows she can be more. … So she wants to get out of there and fulfill the promise she knows that she has in herself.'
Unfortunately, the sudden resurrection of the town's recently deceased derails Dana's plans. The series follows Dana as she investigates the situation around the no-longer-dead, dubbed 'revivers' in the show's parlance, as well as other (possibly related) crimes. She's also navigating a strained relationship with her father and a budding romance while trying to reconnect with her estranged younger sister.
What struck Scrofano about the character is that she is not defined by her job or any one specific role.
'She [feels] like a real human being,' Scrofano says of Dana. 'She's simply a woman trying to exist and achieve her dreams in a way that is feeling impossible, and there's nothing more human than that.'
The revivers, Scrofano explains, are also human — real people who appear to have returned just as they were before they died, rather than as undead zombie-like monsters — at least for the most part. But much of the world no longer sees them that way, and views differ on how the revivers should be treated.
'The rules [that apply to them] have changed, even though they have not,' Scrofano says. 'So as a metaphor for how we treat people who are different than us, I was really compelled by that. How do you fight for what's right when you don't fully understand what's going on, but in your heart, you know we need to stand by these people?'
Although the show is set in 2006 — as evidenced by everybody's flip phones — the themes it touches have become timely. While the revivers are more a general metaphor for those who are deemed 'other,' the show arrives at a moment when immigrants and their status in the U.S. have been challenged by the federal government ostensibly for public safety reasons, leading to people being targeted for what they look like. (Scrofano was interviewed before the recent immigration raids and unrest in Los Angeles.)
Also topical is how the ideological rift between Dana and her father, town sherriff Wayne Cypress (David James Elliott), is a source of tension. They hold differing views regarding their duty as well as attitudes towards revivers.
'So many families right now I find are quite divided because of what's going on in the world,' Scrofano says. 'I love the story of a fight to find common ground between them. … They're forced to find it … and that gives me hope that it could inspire people who might be in those divisions to try to find their way back to each other in a way that feels respected and fulfilling for both sides.'
The series touches on relevant themes through its supernatural allegory, but 'Revival' tells more than one story. As Scrofano describes, 'it's got horror, it's got comedy, it's got family, it's got paranormal [and] it's got true crime.'
Dana's relationship with her younger sister Em (Romy Weltman) checks off a few of those boxes.
Em was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease, so her family has treated her delicately her entire life.
'Growing up, we were all very protective of her,' Scrofano says of her character's family. 'Much in the way that Dana is defined and can't escape the definition of who she is, Em has the same burden. There's a distance there that happened because Dana couldn't get close … because all of her life [her] dad would have said, 'Don't touch. Be careful.' '
The sisters grew distant some time prior to the beginning of the show, but the mysterious events happening in their town bring them back into each other's orbit. They try to reconnect, discussing how much the sisters can and will touch because of Em's condition.
'We're rediscovering our relationship in this new way,' says Scrofano. 'Because of what she's gone through, it frees her from certain things and frees us to be able to bond in a way that we couldn't previously.'
Scrofano calls Weltman, who portrays Em, 'a blessing.'
'Romy is one of the most thoughtful, considerate, compassionate people I've ever met, and she's wise beyond her years,' she says.
Scrofano acknowledges that there are some similarities between 'Revival' and the show she is best known for: 'Wynonna Earp,' on which she played the eponymous, initially reluctant demon hunter. The Syfy series premiered in 2016 and gained a devoted following over its four-season run. A special, 'Wynonna Earp: Vengeance,' was released on Tubi last year.
Both are supernatural shows featuring a group of reanimated dead folks and a central relationship between sisters. Scrofano admits that she felt some pressure to make sure Dana and Wynonna were separate enough that the former did not feel like a derivative of the latter, since ' 'Wynonna' is such a special thing.'
She even jokes about avoiding the word 'curse' when discussing 'Revival' just to maintain the distance between the two shows, but she also makes it clear that the similarities only go so far.
'I'm not going to try to convince people there isn't ... an obvious parallel, but that's kind of where it ends,' Scrofano says. She does share one less obvious connection between the two shows, explaining it was 'Wynonna Earp' writer-producer Noelle Carbonewho initially reached out to her about the 'Revival' role.
That Scrofano is a bit protective of 'Wynonna Earp' is understandable. The cast and crew have spoken often about the show's fiercely loyal and compassionate fanbase over the years. The show also helped kick off Scrofano's writing and directing career.
''Wynonna' opened so many doors creatively,' Scrofano says. 'Because it's opened so many doors, I don't feel the pressure of [having] to escape some mold that Wynonna has created or that I've created for myself through her.'
In a conversation that detours through jokes about the composition of turduckens, nostalgia about the state of jeans worn during the aughts and comparing the background decor visible in each of our Zoom windows, Scrofano is most engaged when discussing storytelling.
She shares how as a child growing up with anxiety, thinking about 'Married… With Children' episodes was the one way she was able to settle her mind. Identifying with 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' led her to start martial arts. She also has deep love for 'Spaceballs, ' Weird Science' and 'Labyrinth.'
And what Scrofano loves about her job and shows like 'Revival' is that they give people an opportunity to 'search for answers through these stories' and characters to foster empathy and understanding toward others.
'By doing what we do, we hopefully can empower people to at least tolerate each other a little bit better,' Scrofano says.