The Purge TV Show’s First Trailer Gets Released, Watch It Here

A TV version of the hit horror franchise The Purge has been in the works for a while now and USA/Syfy just released the first trailer for it. The plot of The Purge centers around the premise that there is an annual event in America called the purge night where people are allowed to indulge their worst instincts, let it all out, and then go back to their everyday lives. The government legalizes all forms of crime, including murder, and as a result, the crime rates around the country decrease dramatically for the rest of the year. People even consider it a kind of celebration, feeling morally obligated to participate because of the “benefits” it has on society.

There have been several installments of this franchise already. A new movie called The First Purge is coming out July 4 that explains the origins of the purge night, which has left some fans wondering what subject matter the TV show means to take on.

The trailer offers some of the same kind of content from the Purge movies; people celebrating the purge for its benefits spliced together with images of bleeding people and killer-groups in creepy masks going after the weak and innocent. But the trailer also seems to be highlighting issues of power and income inequality around the purge night. There are several shots of affluent people looking perfectly safe and patting themselves on the back for the “good” the purge has done, which makes the sinister imagery that follows seem exploitative and cruel.

All we know about the plot of the series is that it will follow a few different characters during the purge as they try their best to make it through the night while discovering how far they’re willing to go to survive. James DeMonaco, the creator of the franchise, is writing and executive producing the show, and some of the other members of the original team will be producing, including Michael Bay. The show looks to be titled simply, The Purge. It will be 10 episodes long and is set to premiere September 4.