Helstrom Confirmed for 10-Episode First Season

Tuesday morning, Marvel Television finally announced it had cast Tom Austen and Sydney Lemmon as Daimon and Ana Helstrom, respectively. In the casting announcement first published by Deadline, it was revealed the show’s first season will run for ten episodes, another large question mark that was once looming large over the series. Hulu‘s Runaways also featured a ten-episode season before being bumped up to 13 episodes for its sophomore outing. The show’s third season — due out in December — is reportedly back down to ten episodes.

Joining the likes of Austen (Grantchester) and Lemmon (Fear The Walking Dead) include Homeland alum Elizabeth Marvel and Raising Dion star Ariana Guerra, amongst others. In a press release distributed after the initial announcement, Helstrom showrunner Paul Zbyszewski applauded the versatile cast, sure to point out the acting range of each new addition.

“We feel incredibly fortunate to have landed a cast loaded with this much talent,” Zbyszewski said. “From the beginning, we knew we’d need a group of actors who were multifaceted, who could play all the chords any great Marvel show promises to play, from dramatic thriller to comedy to action. It’s going to be really fun to watch them work.”

Marvel Television boss Jeph Loeb then made sure to remind fans of the outfit’s “Adventure into Fear” franchise they’re attempting to develop on Hulu.

“Marvel Television is thrilled to have such an amazing cast that enriches Paul’s fantastic writing,” Loeb added. “The ensemble is the perfect way to bring our audience into our Adventure into Fear franchise causing delicious nightmares of what’s to come!”

The episode length might be a welcome sign for fans that thought Marvel’s 13-episode seasons — namely Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage — were a bit too slow of a pace. At the very least, 10 episodes is closer to what Netflix does for most of its top-shelf original content like Stranger Things and Lost in Space.

Helstrom stars Tom Austen (Daimon Helstrom), Sydney Lemmon (Ana Helstrom), Elizabeth Marvel (Victoria Helstrom), Robert Wisdom (Caretaker), June Carryl (Dr. Louise Hastings), Ariana Guerra (Gabriella Rosetti), and Alain Uy (Chris Yen). Helstrom is expected to launch in 2020.

What do you hope to see in the spooky show? Share your thoughts in the comments section or by tweeting me at @AdamBarnhardt to chat all things Helstrom!