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Reaper (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Reaper is an American television series that focuses on Sam Oliver, a "reaper" who works for the Devil by retrieving souls that have escaped from Hell.
The series originally ran on the CW
from September 25, 2007 to May 26, 2009.
Produced by ABC Studios and The Mark Gordon Company, Reaper aired Tuesday nights at 8:00PM Eastern/7:00PM Central on the CW
. However, the rights for the show have been given to Fox
for its broadcast in Asia
.
) lives at home with his parents (Andrew Airlie
and Allison Hossack
) and brother in the Seattle
area. He had always wondered why his mom and dad were so easy on him, whether it was sports, school, or career choices, and so hard on his younger brother. Sam dropped out of college
("It made him sleepy", his Mom explains) and took a dead-end job at the Work Bench, a home-repair superstore. He spent the rest of his time hanging out, playing video games, and pining for his co-worker, Andi (Missy Peregrym
).
On Sam's 21st birthday, his parents behave very strangely, and Sam himself sees hellish visions and experiences odd events. His father eventually claims that many years ago, he was very sick, and in return for restoring his health, he and his wife promised their firstborn child to the Devil (Ray Wise
). Although the couple intended to cheat the Devil by having no children, this plan went awry when Satan convinced their doctor to lie and tell the couple that they could not conceive in exchange for wiping his gambling
debts clean. Sam was born shortly thereafter.
After informing him of his fate, the Devil explains to Sam that he must serve as his bounty hunter
(or "Reaper"), tracking down souls that have escaped from Hell
and sending them back using his new powers (which include telekinesis) and "vessels", varied objects said to have been hand-made in the bowels of perdition by the iniquitous and the vile. Vessels appear inside a long wooden box sent for Sam to open (with the Italian
inscription "Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'entrate" ["Abandon all hope, ye who enter here"], as was written on the entrance to Hell in Dante's Inferno), and are specially designed for each job. Examples throughout the series have included a Dirt Devil
vacuum cleaner
, a Taser
gun, and a cigarette lighter.
Although Sam initially balks, Satan tells him that should he refuse, then Sam's mother's soul is forfeit. Unwilling to sacrifice his mother, and convinced that he is doing good in the world by tracking down evil souls, Sam accepts his fate. With the help of his slacker friends Sock (Tyler Labine
) and Ben (Rick Gonzalez
), he begins his new life tracking down the corrupted souls trying to escape their own eternal punishment.
, following Beauty and the Geek
. The series had a full 18 episode order for the 2007-2008 season, with 13 pre-strike
episodes and 5 post-strike episodes.
Reaper stopped airing new episodes after the tenth episode due to the industry-wide 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike. It resumed new pre-strike episodes for three weeks on Thursdays in March, and began airing post-strike episodes on April 22, 2008.
On May 12, 2008, Reaper was officially renewed for a 13-episode second season which premiered on March 3, 2009.
On May 19, 2009, Reaper was officially cancelled by the CW
. However, ABC Studios was still in negotiations with CW affiliates to syndicate the show, or sell it to cable.
Tyler Labine
who plays Sock posted on his Facebook
account that Reaper is officially cancelled and will not be returning.
s Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters received a script commitment by The CW in September 2006. Mark Gordon
and Deborah Spera
also joined the project as executive producers under the former's production banner at Touchstone Television
, The Mark Gordon Company. The network green-lighted a pilot
order for the script in January 2007, and writer/director Kevin Smith
agreed to direct the first hour of the series in February 2007. The CW
gave the series an early pick-up and a 13-episode order on May 15, 2007.
While initially not making a full season order, The CW
eventually ordered an additional 3 episodes, citing a high percentage of audience retention between Reaper and Beauty and the Geek
. Additional episodes were ordered to fill in the first season after the writer's strike
was resolved, and a second season of 13 episodes was later ordered, as well.
In a February 1, 2010 interview with CliqueClack TV, creators Fazekas and Butters revealed many of the unresolved plots from the series.
won the lead role of Sam Oliver. At the time, his commitment to the series came second to his show at Fox
, The Loop
, which had yet to air its second season on the network. The show was later canceled, leaving Harrison free to fully concentrate on Reaper. Canadian
actor Tyler Labine
(formerly of the fan favorite sci-fi series Invasion
) was cast in the same month in the role of Bert "Sock" Wysocki, Sam's best friend and sidekick. Nikki Reed
, actress and co-writer of the award-winning film Thirteen
, was originally cast as Sam's love interest, Andi, in March 2007 but she was replaced by Missy Peregrym
, who was fresh off a high-profile recurring role on Heroes
in June 2007. Supporting actors for the roles of Ben (Sam and Sock's co-worker and friend) and Josie (Sock's ex-girlfriend) were found in the same month when Rick Gonzalez
and Valarie Rae Miller
were cast. Ray Wise
rounded out the casting for regular roles in the series when he landed the role of Satan
, Sam's employer, in mid-March. Also of note, Anthony Head
of Buffy fame auditioned for the role of Satan.
In July 2008, it was announced that Eriko Tamura
had been cast as a season 2 regular, playing Sock's new stepsister and love interest.
in San Diego. It received mostly positive responses from critics and audience members alike. The series premiered on The CW
on September 25, 2007, and ran on Tuesdays, but moved in late February 2008 to Thursdays after Smallville
. After the restart following the writers' strike
, Reaper returned to being broadcast on Tuesday nights on The CW as original releases.
It was later reported that syndication talks with CW affiliates fell through, as well as attempts to sell the series to SyFy Channel as part of its change over to Syfy
, after news that both Bret Harrison ("Sam") and Tyler Labine ("Sock") would not be returning for season three even if the syndication plan proved viable.
The official Reaper website confirmed that there will be no third season, but there will be a comic book series and possibly a cartoon.
dropout and all-around slacker
who, due to a deal that his parents made to save his father's life, is coerced into becoming a bounty hunter
for the Devil after turning 21 years old. According to the terms of the contract, Sam would serve the Devil as a bounty hunter for Hell
for the rest of his life. He is given various tools, called vessels, to recapture souls who have escaped from Hell. After capturing an escaped soul with a vessel, he would then drop the vessel and soul at a portal to Hell, which was the local Department of Motor Vehicles
in the show. Also, the Devil would grant Sam a unique power to aid in a particular soul's capture; the type of power ranged from telekinesis to a tattoo
hinting the soul's location.
Sam, despite an inherent quitter, surrendered to his fate as a bounty hunter for the Devil in an endeavor to prevent the escaped souls from endangering innocent lives. He enlists the help of his best friends Sock and Ben with capturing these escaped souls.
Since the beginning of the show, Sam held a torch for his coworker Andi and the two entered a relationship by the end of the first season.
At the end of season one, the demon Tony tells Sam that he believes Sam's parents were paid by the Devil to carry his (the Devil's) baby, though Sam's mother denied this, and the Devil admits that he would probably not answer Sam honestly if asked about it. Later, the Devil indicates that Sam is his son, although the father who raised Sam, Mr. Oliver, tells Sam that the deal with the Devil will not allow him to tell Sam the truth of the matter. All other characters who know about the claim assume that Sam, though kindhearted, is indeed the Devil's son.
During season 2, Sam discovers an escaped soul, Alan, that can't be sent back to hell because he claims he escaped the Devil. Sam continues throughout the season hunting down Alan, trying to get information on how to escape his contract.
In "Underbelly," the Devil hints that Sam is invulnerable. In "The Home Stretch," Sam inadvertently wins a competition with his half-brother Morgan and is appointed the Devil's right-hand man. In the words of the Devil, he is "my right-hand man, my human representative in this realm, serving at my side as we create hell on earth." In "No Reaper Left Behind", the Devil tells Sam, "I expect you to rise to the heights of political power here on earth, seize control of the planet, and hasten the Apocalypse."
Andi breaks up with Sam once Morgan gives her the idea that Sam is the son of the Devil. She stated she recognized evil within him, and she can't deal with it. Even though she ended the relationship, Andi continues to assist Sam in capturing souls. In 'The Devil & Sam Oliver," Andi ends up with him again, united by the fact that both of their souls are owned by the Devil.
) spends most of his time sleeping in the stock shelves, planning his topless home supply store, and other time-wasting activities. He won the dog of the month award (the opposite of employee of the month) nine months in a row. He also regularly steals supplies from the Work Bench, both to aid Sam in capturing souls and for fun (like making a mechanical bull from paint mixers and lumber). Fortunately, he is braver and more athletic than his slacker personality suggests, and often provides the muscle of Sam's group. Sock assists Sam with collecting souls.
Sock lived with his mother for the majority of the first season but had to move out after she re-married in Las Vegas. After being kicked out, he first lives in the Work Bench but then he finds an apartment and forges Sam's and Ben's signatures on the lease and they live there for the rest of the season.
At the start of the show Sock and Josie have just broken their relationship off but they get back together in the 14th episode and break off again in the final episode, with Josie saying that Sock is a bad boyfriend. In the last episode of the first season Sock kissed the succubus
Marlena multiple times, losing one year from his life for each kiss (he estimates he has three years left).
In the beginning of the second season it is revealed that Sock has a beautiful Asian stepsister whom he finds sexually appealing and considers asking out. He continues down this path, even with his new sister continually viewing him as a big brother. Sock eventually manipulates her to have sex with him, which they do in the second season episode "Underbelly." She leaves for Japan shortly after.
Sock is also one of five characters other than Sam who have captured a soul (the others being Andi, Ben, Mr. Sprong and Morgan). He captured the blob soul in episode five ("What About Blob") with the sweater
vessel, and in the season finale ("Cancun"), he caught the fortune teller soul by throwing the baseball
vessel through her car window after the fortune teller tried to run over both Sam and himself. In the first episode of season 2 ("Episode IV: A New Hope"), he captured one of the 40 fight club souls with the cattle prod
vessel. In the final episode "The Devil & Sam Oliver," he severs the toad-tongue of an escaped soul with a machete
and sends it back to Hell.
) knows Sam is working for Satan and helps him out. He seems to have a tendency to get hurt when assisting Sam in capturing escaped souls (though this tendency diminished as the series progressed, partially because he doesn't go soul-hunting along with Sam as extensively as Sock does). In the series pilot he is sent to the hospital by the fire soul and consumed by the blob monster in episode 5 ("What about Blob"), was held hostage in episode 10, ("Cash Out"), and hit by a 2x4 along with his friends while fighting two of the 40 fight club souls (Episode IV A New Hope). However in "Dirty Sexy Mongol" Ben shows a rare side of bravery fending off a demon with a tiki torch, thereby saving Sam from the would be assassin. Ben is initially seen as the brains of the trio as he is usually the one responsible for coming up with tactics and strategies in aiding Sam capture escaped souls, and is not above recommending and taking advantage of the Work Bench's merchandise as make-shift hunting gear whenever the three conduct a hunt; he initially sought training as a priest
and has an extensive knowledge of the Bible
, and often raises theological questions about the nature of their missions and the Devil's involvement.
For example, in "The Home Stretch" Ben created a draft for a device called the 'straw-to-matic' which help sock to get $10,000 for the funeral he attended and also help Sam in 'Business Casualty', which he created a project for Sam which he named 'Bentopia'.
Ben appears far less competent when he agrees to a green card marriage
with his British
co-worker Sara. He had just given up on his search for the perfect girl, who happens to be independently wealthy, enjoys mixed martial arts
, and reads Sue Grafton
novels. Once married, Ben immediately meets Cassidy while chasing a soul, and she fits every criteria for his perfect girl. Sara, far crueler and more shrewd than she initially lets on, forbids Ben to see Cassidy, though she has no qualms about her own extramarital affairs that she keeps secret from Ben. Ben is eventually able to negotiate a compromise with Sara after discovering she is pregnant with her married boyfriend Esteban's child.
When Ben's sham marriage is discovered by an INS
agent, he is told he is going to jail. He gets money together to pay a fine in lieu of jail time, but Sara tricks him into giving her the money so that she can go on the lam
. At the end of the episode "The Leak", Cassidy drives Ben to jail, telling Sock "When this is all over, my boyfriend will no longer be married". Early in the next episode, "Cancun," Ben arrives at the Work Bench disappointed that his friends forgot to pick him up after serving his eight-day sentence.
Ben is one of five people who have captured a soul for Sam (the others are Morgan, Mr. Sprong, Sock and Andi) - he captured the tentacle soul in episode 24 ("Underbelly") with Sam's grenade
vessel.
In season two, he begins dating Nina, a demon. In "The Home Stretch", he breaks up with her at the insistence of his domineering grandmother, but gets back together with her in "No Reaper Left Behind." He has shown that he has grown out of his nature by going against his psychic grandmother in order to remain together with Nina (which means he has gone against his family, since his grandmother is in control of the entire family). During the mating season for the demons, Ben fought off a male demon determined to mate with Nina; he did not want any demon to touch Nina.
In "The Favorite", Ben is shown to be the laughing stock of the group as Sam and Sock are always wanting to tease him; Sam's zombie like father hides in the backseat of Sam's car while Sock and Sam tempt Ben into the car to see the look on his face when he is scared by Sam's father.
in the series and Nikki Reed
in the unaired pilot) is Sam's girlfriend and, for a time, manager. Initially unaware of Sam's Reaper duties, she is let down multiple times when Sam is called away from dates to capture souls. Chancing to see him on duty, Andi watches Sam behead an escaped soul from a distance, and initially threatens to go to the police. Sam is warned by the Devil to ensure she remains unaware of his activities, but eventually he receives permission to let her know what he does. With help from Sam's neighbor (and demon) Tony, as well as from the escaped soul at the time, Sam convinces Andi of his "job". Andi reacts poorly, but eventually accepts Sam's fate and becomes his third assistant in hunting souls, though her assistance seems more focused on research rather than actual confrontation. In season 2, Andi was promoted to manager of the Work Bench when Ted was fired because of harassing a "secret shopper". She was later demoted in "My Brother's Reaper", for allowing the Work Bench to be used for a bachelor party.
Sam and Andi start dating near the end of season one but this ends abruptly in "Underbelly". She can't handle this and believes that evil is brewing within Sam. Although they broke up, Andi continues to help Sam on his quest to get out of his deal with the Devil. In the season two finale ("The Devil & Sam Oliver") she declares her love for Sam and offers her soul as a prize in a contest between Sam and the Devil and, after Sam loses the contest, ends up sharing his fate.
Andi is one of five people who have captured a soul for Sam (the others are Ben, Morgan, Mr. Sprong, and Sock) - she captured the multiplying soul in episode 15 ("Coming to Grips") with Sam's scythe
vessel.
) is Sock's ex-girlfriend who works at the district attorney's office. Despite her obvious dislike for Sock, Josie remains friendly with Sam and agrees to provide information that helps him track down different souls, unaware of his work for the Devil. However, after Sock used a share of stolen bank loot to buy duplicates of all the stuff lost in a fire at her apartment (which he inadvertently caused), she begins to suspect that something isn't quite on the "up-and-up" with the boys, and is even more suspicious and upset when her lost I.D. is used to access the city morgue. Toward the end of season one, Josie got back together (and subsequently broke up again) with Sock, due to his insecurity and his apathetic nature. The character did not appear in the second season.
In the season two premiere ("Episode IV: A New Hope"), Sam is confident that the Devil is his true father, not Mr. Oliver. After surviving being buried alive at the end of Season 1, Mr. Oliver reappears as a zombie
. Sam sees him again in "The Favorite" when delivering a freezer to his mother's house. Mr. Oliver explains that he cannot die because of the deal with the Devil that cost Sam his soul. As a zombie, he cannot go out in public and needs to be kept cool. His deceased status gives him plenty of free time, which he attempts to spend rekindling his relationship with Sam. At the end of "I Want My Baby Back," Mr. Oliver moves into the garage of Sock's parents' house and sleeps in a freezer.
In "No Reaper Left Behind," Mr. Oliver attempts to regain some semblance of a normal life through the use of the internet, only to be disappointed. In an effort to find some purpose, he asks Sam to send him to Hell in an attempt to locate Alan Townsend and help Sam get out of his deal. Sam agrees and sends him to Hell with the Nerf gun vessel. Mr. Oliver subsequently contacts Sam by cell phone and tells him he's discovered a way for Sam to break the deal, but he's trapped in the third circle of Hell (it is unknown how he got there as the third level is inhabited by the gluttons). Nina goes to Hell to get it and rescue him, but he stays behind, saying he has something important to do.
) claims the rights to Sam's soul thanks to a deal he made with Sam's parents before Sam was even born. Although he knows how it all ends ("God
wins"), he is determined to do as much as he can to oppose God until the end. He also convinces Sam that he (Sam) is doing good by clearing the world of the escaped evil souls. Aside from Sam, Morgan, and Andi at least once, the Devil never appears before any of Sam's friends face-to-face, despite the Devil knowing all about Sock and Ben, and them being aware that they know Sam's secret job of being a reaper for the Devil. In the finale of Season Two Andi sells her soul to the devil in an attempt to free Sam from his own deal.
While firm at times, the Devil has never expressed outright anger, in spite of Sam's frequent complaints, incompetence, and meddling; however, when Sam cheated him out of a deal with another human, the Devil caused all of the surrounding racks in the Work Bench to collapse on Sam out of "disappointment."
The Devil has a variety of supernatural powers, and often teleports
an unsuspecting Sam to locations that serve to exemplify whatever subject he wishes to speak with Sam about. He also has a habit of providing Sam "motivation" in catching escaped souls, usually by informing him that someone just died (or is about to die) due mainly to Sam's inaction - a habit which generally gets acceptable results; this habit became less displayed in later episodes however, as Sam is beginning to "adjust" to his infernal fate.
The Devil is nearly indestructible, and scoffs at the idea that he could be contained within a Solomon's cage (which can confine the strongest demon). He also has superhuman strength
, having tricked and placed Sam once in a painful arm-hold to interrogate him. However, the Devil can be affected by angelic relic
s, as he can be killed by the Sword of the Archangel Michael
(which he has in safekeeping), and could be "destroyed" if the whole world were to turn to pacifism
(as Sam deduced after the Devil's near-annihilation of a demon rebellion, as if the Devil couldn't tempt others with sin
, he would cease to exist - although the Devil notes that all humanity adopting complete pacifism would be nearly impossible). In addition, the Devil cannot see, hear, or appear within curves or circles, although he can be summoned within a circle. He holds no influence over true love, which may be attributed to his belief that humans are incapable of experiencing it. The Devil also confesses that even though he tried to overthrow God, he still loved Him when Sam asked the Devil about love. He confesses to Sam that God loves us all no matter what we are.
The Devil loves ice cream
, but cannot eat it, as it melts as soon as he touches it. This doesn't happen on his own volition, but was apparently a curse
given upon him by God shortly before he was cast out of Heaven
, knowing how much he loves ice cream. It is later revealed that the devil opposes anthropogenic global warming as anyone who dies of it would be considered an innocent and not be sent to hell.
The Devil is Sam's father, according to the Devil throughout the second season. He does many things throughout the series that imply this: he never gets truly angry with Sam, he only gets outwardly angry with him one time where he says that he is "a disappointment." He often offers guidance to Sam. Plus, he seems to have an extreme dislike of Sam's father. Throughout the series, he and Sam do things that could be considered 'father-son activities' such as going to hockey games, eating ice cream, and playing baseball together.
In "The Home Stretch" the Devil held a competition between Sam and his half-brother Morgan. Whoever captured a soul would be made his right-hand man. Sam inadvertently won, even though he had intended for Morgan to win since the beginning, while saving Morgan's life from the escaped soul.
In "The Devil and Sam Oliver" the Devil is forced to accept a challenge, a game of Quarters, from Sam to win his soul back, and they end in a tie. In the re-match he is distracted by his face in the mirror and only manages to get one quarter into the shot glass. When Sam's hand is broken by Steve and Sam can't score at all, the Devil wins Andi's soul.
The Devil claims that he changes his suit three times a day, despite all of his suits looking exactly the same.
s who "fell" out of their place after joining up with the Devil's attempt to overthrow God
and got banished along with him from Heaven
.
Demons residing within the mortal realm exhibit the ability to assume near-human forms that enable them to live along with real humans, with the only thing distinguishing them from actual mortals (besides their immortality) being two small horns protruding from their foreheads which can be sanded down to create the complete illusion that they are human; they are also capable of morphing into their true demonic forms, as displayed by Tony, which seem to grant an incredible boost of physical power in the process, and also flight with demonic wings. They are immune to mortal weapons in either form. Types of Demons include standard
and succubi
.
that the Devil talks with face-to-face, which raises suspicion amongst Sam and his friends. This suggestion is later disproved when the Devil introduces Morgan, a young man the Devil claims is his son.
whom the Devil has entrusted Sam to recapture. All of them were once mortals who committed various crimes or sold their souls that ultimately led to their damnation. When they come back to Earth
, they are intent on finishing the jobs that they started.
After escaping Hell and returning to the earthly realm, not only do they regain a corporeal body with which to interact with the living world once again, but sometimes also exhibit supernatural powers that often reflect the nature of their crimes or punishments. For example, an arsonist imprisoned in Hell for 50 years being tortured by being burnt everyday came back with pyrokinetic
powers and could take on the appearance of a humanoid creature made of molten rock. Leon Czolgosz
, the assassin of William McKinley
, gained the ability to turn his hands into gun
s. Not all souls come back to Earth with a corporeal body, as seen in "Ashes to Ashes," where the Mortician soul came back as a spirit since his body was cremated.
).
Vessels often have the appearance of seemingly ordinary day-to-day accessories, and can easily be mistaken for such. Interestingly, most escaped souls shown in the series seem to be aware whenever a vessel is brought to their presence, especially if that particular vessel is the one intended for their capture, thus alerting them of potentially being sent back to Hell
by the one wielding the vessel.
Vessels don't always work for anyone, though several characters in the show other than Sam have used vessels to capture souls. A vessel will only work on the particular soul it is intended for, and has no effect on any other escaped souls. The only known exception is a Nerf
gun created by a demon named Dennis (in "Greg, Schmeg"). Although technically a vessel, the Nerf gun can send any person or object to Hell.
In "The Good Soil", it is revealed that vessels can capture other objects besides souls (e.g. a corpse).
(under license from ABC Studios) released Season 1 of Reaper on DVD in Region 1. On June 9, 2009 Season 2 of Reaper was released on DVD
.
, has been dubbed as having "universal acclaim" with a rating of 81 out of 100, out of 27 reviews.
viewers for each new episode for its first season. Viewing figures from other countries are inconclusive so far.
The series originally ran on the CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
from September 25, 2007 to May 26, 2009.
Produced by ABC Studios and The Mark Gordon Company, Reaper aired Tuesday nights at 8:00PM Eastern/7:00PM Central on the CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
. However, the rights for the show have been given to Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
for its broadcast in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Premise
Sam Oliver (Bret HarrisonBret Harrison
Bret Michael Harrison is an American actor and singer known predominantly for his work on comedies such as The Loop, Grounded for Life, Reaper and Breaking In.-Early life:Harrison was born in Tualatin, Oregon...
) lives at home with his parents (Andrew Airlie
Andrew Airlie
Andrew Airlie is a Scottish-born Canadian actor.He has starred in television series including Breaker High and his TV credits include guest starring in popular television shows such as Monk, Smallville, Stargate SG-1 and The X-Files. He had television regular roles as Mr...
and Allison Hossack
Allison Hossack
Allison Hossack is an actress.-Biography:Hossack attended schools in Steinbach and Killarney, Manitoba, later graduating from the Brandon University School of Music in 1988 with a B.Mus. where she majored in voice...
) and brother in the Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
area. He had always wondered why his mom and dad were so easy on him, whether it was sports, school, or career choices, and so hard on his younger brother. Sam dropped out of college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
("It made him sleepy", his Mom explains) and took a dead-end job at the Work Bench, a home-repair superstore. He spent the rest of his time hanging out, playing video games, and pining for his co-worker, Andi (Missy Peregrym
Missy Peregrym
Melissa "Missy" Peregrym is a Canadian actress and former fashion model. She made her feature film debut in the 2006 gymnastics comedy drama Stick It. She played a recurring role as Candice Wilmer on the NBC television series Heroes, and starred in the CW television series Reaper...
).
On Sam's 21st birthday, his parents behave very strangely, and Sam himself sees hellish visions and experiences odd events. His father eventually claims that many years ago, he was very sick, and in return for restoring his health, he and his wife promised their firstborn child to the Devil (Ray Wise
Ray Wise
Raymond Nicolas "Ray" Wise is an American actor, known for his roles as Leland Palmer in Twin Peaks, as Leon C. Nash, right-hand henchman to villain Clarence Boddicker in the science fiction classic RoboCop, and recently as the Devil in the CW television series Reaper.-Life and career:Wise was...
). Although the couple intended to cheat the Devil by having no children, this plan went awry when Satan convinced their doctor to lie and tell the couple that they could not conceive in exchange for wiping his gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
debts clean. Sam was born shortly thereafter.
After informing him of his fate, the Devil explains to Sam that he must serve as his bounty hunter
Bounty hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
(or "Reaper"), tracking down souls that have escaped from Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
and sending them back using his new powers (which include telekinesis) and "vessels", varied objects said to have been hand-made in the bowels of perdition by the iniquitous and the vile. Vessels appear inside a long wooden box sent for Sam to open (with the Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
inscription "Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'entrate" ["Abandon all hope, ye who enter here"], as was written on the entrance to Hell in Dante's Inferno), and are specially designed for each job. Examples throughout the series have included a Dirt Devil
Dirt Devil
Dirt Devil is a brand name of household vacuum cleaners and floor care. There are two main units: Power for large houses, and RV unit for smaller houses or apartments, as well as a number of other floor care products including hand-held vacuum cleaners and carpet shampooing machines.-Company...
vacuum cleaner
Vacuum cleaner
A vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
, a Taser
Taser
A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "neuromuscular incapacitation" and the devices' mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...
gun, and a cigarette lighter.
Although Sam initially balks, Satan tells him that should he refuse, then Sam's mother's soul is forfeit. Unwilling to sacrifice his mother, and convinced that he is doing good in the world by tracking down evil souls, Sam accepts his fate. With the help of his slacker friends Sock (Tyler Labine
Tyler Labine
Tyler Sean Labine is a Canadian actor. His brothers Kyle Labine and Cameron Labine also work in the entertainment industry.-Life and career:Labine was born in Brampton, Ontario...
) and Ben (Rick Gonzalez
Rick Gonzalez
Rick Gonzalez is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Timo Cruz in the motion picture Coach Carter, and as Ben Gonzalez on the CW supernatural drama television series Reaper.-Early life:...
), he begins his new life tracking down the corrupted souls trying to escape their own eternal punishment.
Production
Reaper premiered on September 25, 2007 in the U.S., airing on Tuesday nights at 8:00PM Eastern/7:00PM Central on the CWThe CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
, following Beauty and the Geek
Beauty and the Geek
Beauty and the Geek is a reality television series on The CW. It has been advertised as "The Ultimate Social Experiment" and is produced by Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg and Nick Santora....
. The series had a full 18 episode order for the 2007-2008 season, with 13 pre-strike
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
episodes and 5 post-strike episodes.
Reaper stopped airing new episodes after the tenth episode due to the industry-wide 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike. It resumed new pre-strike episodes for three weeks on Thursdays in March, and began airing post-strike episodes on April 22, 2008.
On May 12, 2008, Reaper was officially renewed for a 13-episode second season which premiered on March 3, 2009.
On May 19, 2009, Reaper was officially cancelled by the CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
. However, ABC Studios was still in negotiations with CW affiliates to syndicate the show, or sell it to cable.
Tyler Labine
Tyler Labine
Tyler Sean Labine is a Canadian actor. His brothers Kyle Labine and Cameron Labine also work in the entertainment industry.-Life and career:Labine was born in Brampton, Ontario...
who plays Sock posted on his Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
account that Reaper is officially cancelled and will not be returning.
Conception
The pilot script which was written by creators/executive producerExecutive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
s Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters received a script commitment by The CW in September 2006. Mark Gordon
Mark Gordon
Mark Gordon is an American television and film producer.- Background :Gordon was born in Newport News, Virginia on October 10, 1956...
and Deborah Spera
Deborah Spera
-Career:She began her career at Eden Roc Films, where she worked on What's Eating Gilbert Grape and From Dusk Till Dawn. Spera spent eight years at Showtime, where she oversaw Emmy and Golden Globe Award–winning movies such as The Baby Dance , Wild Iris, 12 Angry Men, Inherit the Wind, On the Beach...
also joined the project as executive producers under the former's production banner at Touchstone Television
Touchstone Television
ABC Studios is the television production division of Disney-ABC Television Group. ABC Studios was established as Touchstone Television in 1985 and given its current name in May 2007....
, The Mark Gordon Company. The network green-lighted a pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
order for the script in January 2007, and writer/director Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
agreed to direct the first hour of the series in February 2007. The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
gave the series an early pick-up and a 13-episode order on May 15, 2007.
While initially not making a full season order, The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
eventually ordered an additional 3 episodes, citing a high percentage of audience retention between Reaper and Beauty and the Geek
Beauty and the Geek
Beauty and the Geek is a reality television series on The CW. It has been advertised as "The Ultimate Social Experiment" and is produced by Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg and Nick Santora....
. Additional episodes were ordered to fill in the first season after the writer's strike
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
was resolved, and a second season of 13 episodes was later ordered, as well.
In a February 1, 2010 interview with CliqueClack TV, creators Fazekas and Butters revealed many of the unresolved plots from the series.
Casting
Casting began in February 2007, when Bret HarrisonBret Harrison
Bret Michael Harrison is an American actor and singer known predominantly for his work on comedies such as The Loop, Grounded for Life, Reaper and Breaking In.-Early life:Harrison was born in Tualatin, Oregon...
won the lead role of Sam Oliver. At the time, his commitment to the series came second to his show at Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, The Loop
The Loop (TV series)
The Loop is an American sitcom that ran from March 15, 2006 to July 1, 2007 on Fox. The show starred Bret Harrison as Sam Sullivan, a young professional trying to balance the needs of his social life with the pressures of working at the corporate headquarters of TransAlliance Airways, a major U.S....
, which had yet to air its second season on the network. The show was later canceled, leaving Harrison free to fully concentrate on Reaper. Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
actor Tyler Labine
Tyler Labine
Tyler Sean Labine is a Canadian actor. His brothers Kyle Labine and Cameron Labine also work in the entertainment industry.-Life and career:Labine was born in Brampton, Ontario...
(formerly of the fan favorite sci-fi series Invasion
Invasion (TV series)
Invasion is an American science fiction television series that aired on ABC for only one season beginning in September 2005. Somewhat similar to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the show told the story of the aftermath of a hurricane in which water-based creatures infiltrate a small Florida town and...
) was cast in the same month in the role of Bert "Sock" Wysocki, Sam's best friend and sidekick. Nikki Reed
Nikki Reed
Nicole Houston "Nikki" Reed is an American film and television actress, and screenwriter. She became known in 2003, after the release of the film Thirteen, for which she co-wrote the screenplay. Reed has since appeared in several films, including Lords of Dogtown and Mini's First Time...
, actress and co-writer of the award-winning film Thirteen
Thirteen (film)
Thirteen is a 2003 American drama film directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and written by Hardwicke and Nikki Reed, the film's co-star. The film also stars Evan Rachel Wood and Holly Hunter. It is a semi-autobiographical film inspired by Reed's life at age 12 and 13 with Wood's character "Tracy" being...
, was originally cast as Sam's love interest, Andi, in March 2007 but she was replaced by Missy Peregrym
Missy Peregrym
Melissa "Missy" Peregrym is a Canadian actress and former fashion model. She made her feature film debut in the 2006 gymnastics comedy drama Stick It. She played a recurring role as Candice Wilmer on the NBC television series Heroes, and starred in the CW television series Reaper...
, who was fresh off a high-profile recurring role on Heroes
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
in June 2007. Supporting actors for the roles of Ben (Sam and Sock's co-worker and friend) and Josie (Sock's ex-girlfriend) were found in the same month when Rick Gonzalez
Rick Gonzalez
Rick Gonzalez is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Timo Cruz in the motion picture Coach Carter, and as Ben Gonzalez on the CW supernatural drama television series Reaper.-Early life:...
and Valarie Rae Miller
Valarie Rae Miller
- Early life :Raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Miller became interested in acting when she was quite young. She attended a high school for the performing arts and landed a number of high-profile commercials while still in college....
were cast. Ray Wise
Ray Wise
Raymond Nicolas "Ray" Wise is an American actor, known for his roles as Leland Palmer in Twin Peaks, as Leon C. Nash, right-hand henchman to villain Clarence Boddicker in the science fiction classic RoboCop, and recently as the Devil in the CW television series Reaper.-Life and career:Wise was...
rounded out the casting for regular roles in the series when he landed the role of Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
, Sam's employer, in mid-March. Also of note, Anthony Head
Anthony Head
Anthony Stewart Head , usually credited as Anthony Head, is an English actor and musician. He rose to fame in the UK following his role in television advertisements for Nescafé Gold Blend , and is known for his roles as Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and as Uther Pendragon in...
of Buffy fame auditioned for the role of Satan.
In July 2008, it was announced that Eriko Tamura
Eriko Tamura
is a Japanese actress and singer. The animated television show Idol Densetsu Eriko was created as a result of her popularity. The show has been syndicated world-wide, airing in such countries as Spain, Italy, and France...
had been cast as a season 2 regular, playing Sock's new stepsister and love interest.
Broadcast history
The first showing of the pilot occurred on July 27, 2007 at Comic-Con InternationalComic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego , and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans...
in San Diego. It received mostly positive responses from critics and audience members alike. The series premiered on The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
on September 25, 2007, and ran on Tuesdays, but moved in late February 2008 to Thursdays after Smallville
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
. After the restart following the writers' strike
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
, Reaper returned to being broadcast on Tuesday nights on The CW as original releases.
Final cancellation
The CW has cancelled the show, making the final episode of Reaper May 26, 2009. ABC Studios was initially in talks with CW affiliates in order to get a syndicated version of Reaper run on Sunday nights.It was later reported that syndication talks with CW affiliates fell through, as well as attempts to sell the series to SyFy Channel as part of its change over to Syfy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
, after news that both Bret Harrison ("Sam") and Tyler Labine ("Sock") would not be returning for season three even if the syndication plan proved viable.
The official Reaper website confirmed that there will be no third season, but there will be a comic book series and possibly a cartoon.
Samuel "Sam" Oliver
Sam Oliver, the protagonist of the show, is a collegeCollege
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
dropout and all-around slacker
Slacker
The term "slacker" is used to refer to a person who habitually avoids work. Slackers may be regarded as belonging to an antimaterialistic counterculture, though in some cases their behavior may be due to other causes ....
who, due to a deal that his parents made to save his father's life, is coerced into becoming a bounty hunter
Bounty hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
for the Devil after turning 21 years old. According to the terms of the contract, Sam would serve the Devil as a bounty hunter for Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
for the rest of his life. He is given various tools, called vessels, to recapture souls who have escaped from Hell. After capturing an escaped soul with a vessel, he would then drop the vessel and soul at a portal to Hell, which was the local Department of Motor Vehicles
Department of Motor Vehicles
In the United States of America, a Department of Motor Vehicles is a state-level government agency that administers vehicle registration and driver licensing. Similar departments exist in Canada...
in the show. Also, the Devil would grant Sam a unique power to aid in a particular soul's capture; the type of power ranged from telekinesis to a tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
hinting the soul's location.
Sam, despite an inherent quitter, surrendered to his fate as a bounty hunter for the Devil in an endeavor to prevent the escaped souls from endangering innocent lives. He enlists the help of his best friends Sock and Ben with capturing these escaped souls.
Since the beginning of the show, Sam held a torch for his coworker Andi and the two entered a relationship by the end of the first season.
At the end of season one, the demon Tony tells Sam that he believes Sam's parents were paid by the Devil to carry his (the Devil's) baby, though Sam's mother denied this, and the Devil admits that he would probably not answer Sam honestly if asked about it. Later, the Devil indicates that Sam is his son, although the father who raised Sam, Mr. Oliver, tells Sam that the deal with the Devil will not allow him to tell Sam the truth of the matter. All other characters who know about the claim assume that Sam, though kindhearted, is indeed the Devil's son.
During season 2, Sam discovers an escaped soul, Alan, that can't be sent back to hell because he claims he escaped the Devil. Sam continues throughout the season hunting down Alan, trying to get information on how to escape his contract.
In "Underbelly," the Devil hints that Sam is invulnerable. In "The Home Stretch," Sam inadvertently wins a competition with his half-brother Morgan and is appointed the Devil's right-hand man. In the words of the Devil, he is "my right-hand man, my human representative in this realm, serving at my side as we create hell on earth." In "No Reaper Left Behind", the Devil tells Sam, "I expect you to rise to the heights of political power here on earth, seize control of the planet, and hasten the Apocalypse."
Andi breaks up with Sam once Morgan gives her the idea that Sam is the son of the Devil. She stated she recognized evil within him, and she can't deal with it. Even though she ended the relationship, Andi continues to assist Sam in capturing souls. In 'The Devil & Sam Oliver," Andi ends up with him again, united by the fact that both of their souls are owned by the Devil.
Bert "Sock" Wysocki
The lowest-performing salesperson at the Work Bench, Bert "Sock" Wysocki (played by Tyler LabineTyler Labine
Tyler Sean Labine is a Canadian actor. His brothers Kyle Labine and Cameron Labine also work in the entertainment industry.-Life and career:Labine was born in Brampton, Ontario...
) spends most of his time sleeping in the stock shelves, planning his topless home supply store, and other time-wasting activities. He won the dog of the month award (the opposite of employee of the month) nine months in a row. He also regularly steals supplies from the Work Bench, both to aid Sam in capturing souls and for fun (like making a mechanical bull from paint mixers and lumber). Fortunately, he is braver and more athletic than his slacker personality suggests, and often provides the muscle of Sam's group. Sock assists Sam with collecting souls.
Sock lived with his mother for the majority of the first season but had to move out after she re-married in Las Vegas. After being kicked out, he first lives in the Work Bench but then he finds an apartment and forges Sam's and Ben's signatures on the lease and they live there for the rest of the season.
At the start of the show Sock and Josie have just broken their relationship off but they get back together in the 14th episode and break off again in the final episode, with Josie saying that Sock is a bad boyfriend. In the last episode of the first season Sock kissed the succubus
Succubus
In folklore traced back to medieval legend, a succubus is a female demon appearing in dreams who takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse. The male counterpart is the incubus...
Marlena multiple times, losing one year from his life for each kiss (he estimates he has three years left).
In the beginning of the second season it is revealed that Sock has a beautiful Asian stepsister whom he finds sexually appealing and considers asking out. He continues down this path, even with his new sister continually viewing him as a big brother. Sock eventually manipulates her to have sex with him, which they do in the second season episode "Underbelly." She leaves for Japan shortly after.
Sock is also one of five characters other than Sam who have captured a soul (the others being Andi, Ben, Mr. Sprong and Morgan). He captured the blob soul in episode five ("What About Blob") with the sweater
Sweater
A sweater, jumper, pullover, sweatshirt, jersey or guernsey is a garment intended to cover the torso and arms. It is often worn over a shirt, blouse, T-shirt, or other top, but may also be worn alone as a top...
vessel, and in the season finale ("Cancun"), he caught the fortune teller soul by throwing the baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
vessel through her car window after the fortune teller tried to run over both Sam and himself. In the first episode of season 2 ("Episode IV: A New Hope"), he captured one of the 40 fight club souls with the cattle prod
Cattle prod
A cattle prod, also called a stock prod, is a handheld device commonly used to make cattle or other livestock move by striking or poking them, or in the case of a Hot-Shot-type prod, through a relatively high-voltage, low-current electric shock...
vessel. In the final episode "The Devil & Sam Oliver," he severs the toad-tongue of an escaped soul with a machete
Machete
The machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet, though it is less commonly known...
and sends it back to Hell.
Benjamin "Ben" Gonzalez
One of Sam and Sock's co-workers and friends, Benjamin Casper Perez Gonzalez (played by Rick GonzalezRick Gonzalez
Rick Gonzalez is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Timo Cruz in the motion picture Coach Carter, and as Ben Gonzalez on the CW supernatural drama television series Reaper.-Early life:...
) knows Sam is working for Satan and helps him out. He seems to have a tendency to get hurt when assisting Sam in capturing escaped souls (though this tendency diminished as the series progressed, partially because he doesn't go soul-hunting along with Sam as extensively as Sock does). In the series pilot he is sent to the hospital by the fire soul and consumed by the blob monster in episode 5 ("What about Blob"), was held hostage in episode 10, ("Cash Out"), and hit by a 2x4 along with his friends while fighting two of the 40 fight club souls (Episode IV A New Hope). However in "Dirty Sexy Mongol" Ben shows a rare side of bravery fending off a demon with a tiki torch, thereby saving Sam from the would be assassin. Ben is initially seen as the brains of the trio as he is usually the one responsible for coming up with tactics and strategies in aiding Sam capture escaped souls, and is not above recommending and taking advantage of the Work Bench's merchandise as make-shift hunting gear whenever the three conduct a hunt; he initially sought training as a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and has an extensive knowledge of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, and often raises theological questions about the nature of their missions and the Devil's involvement.
For example, in "The Home Stretch" Ben created a draft for a device called the 'straw-to-matic' which help sock to get $10,000 for the funeral he attended and also help Sam in 'Business Casualty', which he created a project for Sam which he named 'Bentopia'.
Ben appears far less competent when he agrees to a green card marriage
Green card marriage
Green card marriage is a neologism that refers to the phenomenon of a marriage of convenience between a legal resident of a country and a person who would be ineligible for residency but for being married to a resident.-Description:...
with his British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
co-worker Sara. He had just given up on his search for the perfect girl, who happens to be independently wealthy, enjoys mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
, and reads Sue Grafton
Sue Grafton
Sue Taylor Grafton is a contemporary American author of detective novels. She is best known as the author of the 'alphabet series' featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. The daughter of detective novelist C. W...
novels. Once married, Ben immediately meets Cassidy while chasing a soul, and she fits every criteria for his perfect girl. Sara, far crueler and more shrewd than she initially lets on, forbids Ben to see Cassidy, though she has no qualms about her own extramarital affairs that she keeps secret from Ben. Ben is eventually able to negotiate a compromise with Sara after discovering she is pregnant with her married boyfriend Esteban's child.
When Ben's sham marriage is discovered by an INS
Immigration and Naturalization Service
The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service , now referred to as Legacy INS, ceased to exist under that name on March 1, 2003, when most of its functions were transferred from the Department of Justice to three new components within the newly created Department of Homeland Security, as...
agent, he is told he is going to jail. He gets money together to pay a fine in lieu of jail time, but Sara tricks him into giving her the money so that she can go on the lam
On the Lam
"On the Lam" is a song by Kele Okereke, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the band Bloc Party, released as the third single from his debut solo album The Boxer. The music video was released on October 8, 2010, with the digital EP being released on October 25....
. At the end of the episode "The Leak", Cassidy drives Ben to jail, telling Sock "When this is all over, my boyfriend will no longer be married". Early in the next episode, "Cancun," Ben arrives at the Work Bench disappointed that his friends forgot to pick him up after serving his eight-day sentence.
Ben is one of five people who have captured a soul for Sam (the others are Morgan, Mr. Sprong, Sock and Andi) - he captured the tentacle soul in episode 24 ("Underbelly") with Sam's grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
vessel.
In season two, he begins dating Nina, a demon. In "The Home Stretch", he breaks up with her at the insistence of his domineering grandmother, but gets back together with her in "No Reaper Left Behind." He has shown that he has grown out of his nature by going against his psychic grandmother in order to remain together with Nina (which means he has gone against his family, since his grandmother is in control of the entire family). During the mating season for the demons, Ben fought off a male demon determined to mate with Nina; he did not want any demon to touch Nina.
In "The Favorite", Ben is shown to be the laughing stock of the group as Sam and Sock are always wanting to tease him; Sam's zombie like father hides in the backseat of Sam's car while Sock and Sam tempt Ben into the car to see the look on his face when he is scared by Sam's father.
Andi Prendergast
Andi Prendergast (played by Missy PeregrymMissy Peregrym
Melissa "Missy" Peregrym is a Canadian actress and former fashion model. She made her feature film debut in the 2006 gymnastics comedy drama Stick It. She played a recurring role as Candice Wilmer on the NBC television series Heroes, and starred in the CW television series Reaper...
in the series and Nikki Reed
Nikki Reed
Nicole Houston "Nikki" Reed is an American film and television actress, and screenwriter. She became known in 2003, after the release of the film Thirteen, for which she co-wrote the screenplay. Reed has since appeared in several films, including Lords of Dogtown and Mini's First Time...
in the unaired pilot) is Sam's girlfriend and, for a time, manager. Initially unaware of Sam's Reaper duties, she is let down multiple times when Sam is called away from dates to capture souls. Chancing to see him on duty, Andi watches Sam behead an escaped soul from a distance, and initially threatens to go to the police. Sam is warned by the Devil to ensure she remains unaware of his activities, but eventually he receives permission to let her know what he does. With help from Sam's neighbor (and demon) Tony, as well as from the escaped soul at the time, Sam convinces Andi of his "job". Andi reacts poorly, but eventually accepts Sam's fate and becomes his third assistant in hunting souls, though her assistance seems more focused on research rather than actual confrontation. In season 2, Andi was promoted to manager of the Work Bench when Ted was fired because of harassing a "secret shopper". She was later demoted in "My Brother's Reaper", for allowing the Work Bench to be used for a bachelor party.
Sam and Andi start dating near the end of season one but this ends abruptly in "Underbelly". She can't handle this and believes that evil is brewing within Sam. Although they broke up, Andi continues to help Sam on his quest to get out of his deal with the Devil. In the season two finale ("The Devil & Sam Oliver") she declares her love for Sam and offers her soul as a prize in a contest between Sam and the Devil and, after Sam loses the contest, ends up sharing his fate.
Andi is one of five people who have captured a soul for Sam (the others are Ben, Morgan, Mr. Sprong, and Sock) - she captured the multiplying soul in episode 15 ("Coming to Grips") with Sam's scythe
Scythe
A scythe is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass, or reaping crops. It was largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor machinery, but is still used in some areas of Europe and Asia. The Grim Reaper is often depicted carrying or wielding a scythe...
vessel.
Josie Miller
Josie Miller (played by Valarie Rae MillerValarie Rae Miller
- Early life :Raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Miller became interested in acting when she was quite young. She attended a high school for the performing arts and landed a number of high-profile commercials while still in college....
) is Sock's ex-girlfriend who works at the district attorney's office. Despite her obvious dislike for Sock, Josie remains friendly with Sam and agrees to provide information that helps him track down different souls, unaware of his work for the Devil. However, after Sock used a share of stolen bank loot to buy duplicates of all the stuff lost in a fire at her apartment (which he inadvertently caused), she begins to suspect that something isn't quite on the "up-and-up" with the boys, and is even more suspicious and upset when her lost I.D. is used to access the city morgue. Toward the end of season one, Josie got back together (and subsequently broke up again) with Sock, due to his insecurity and his apathetic nature. The character did not appear in the second season.
John Oliver
Mr. John Oliver (played by Andrew Airlie) is possibly Sam's father. Though equally distressed by his son's predicament as his wife, he, in effect, works against Sam for the protection of his family. In one episode, Mr. Oliver is seen burning a page from the contract which binds Sam to the devil, to hide information from Sam (which he later admits to in the season finale).In the season two premiere ("Episode IV: A New Hope"), Sam is confident that the Devil is his true father, not Mr. Oliver. After surviving being buried alive at the end of Season 1, Mr. Oliver reappears as a zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
. Sam sees him again in "The Favorite" when delivering a freezer to his mother's house. Mr. Oliver explains that he cannot die because of the deal with the Devil that cost Sam his soul. As a zombie, he cannot go out in public and needs to be kept cool. His deceased status gives him plenty of free time, which he attempts to spend rekindling his relationship with Sam. At the end of "I Want My Baby Back," Mr. Oliver moves into the garage of Sock's parents' house and sleeps in a freezer.
In "No Reaper Left Behind," Mr. Oliver attempts to regain some semblance of a normal life through the use of the internet, only to be disappointed. In an effort to find some purpose, he asks Sam to send him to Hell in an attempt to locate Alan Townsend and help Sam get out of his deal. Sam agrees and sends him to Hell with the Nerf gun vessel. Mr. Oliver subsequently contacts Sam by cell phone and tells him he's discovered a way for Sam to break the deal, but he's trapped in the third circle of Hell (it is unknown how he got there as the third level is inhabited by the gluttons). Nina goes to Hell to get it and rescue him, but he stays behind, saying he has something important to do.
The Devil
Smooth-talking and debonair, known as "Jerry Belvedere" to those who have no idea of his true identity, the Devil (played by Ray WiseRay Wise
Raymond Nicolas "Ray" Wise is an American actor, known for his roles as Leland Palmer in Twin Peaks, as Leon C. Nash, right-hand henchman to villain Clarence Boddicker in the science fiction classic RoboCop, and recently as the Devil in the CW television series Reaper.-Life and career:Wise was...
) claims the rights to Sam's soul thanks to a deal he made with Sam's parents before Sam was even born. Although he knows how it all ends ("God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
wins"), he is determined to do as much as he can to oppose God until the end. He also convinces Sam that he (Sam) is doing good by clearing the world of the escaped evil souls. Aside from Sam, Morgan, and Andi at least once, the Devil never appears before any of Sam's friends face-to-face, despite the Devil knowing all about Sock and Ben, and them being aware that they know Sam's secret job of being a reaper for the Devil. In the finale of Season Two Andi sells her soul to the devil in an attempt to free Sam from his own deal.
While firm at times, the Devil has never expressed outright anger, in spite of Sam's frequent complaints, incompetence, and meddling; however, when Sam cheated him out of a deal with another human, the Devil caused all of the surrounding racks in the Work Bench to collapse on Sam out of "disappointment."
The Devil has a variety of supernatural powers, and often teleports
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
an unsuspecting Sam to locations that serve to exemplify whatever subject he wishes to speak with Sam about. He also has a habit of providing Sam "motivation" in catching escaped souls, usually by informing him that someone just died (or is about to die) due mainly to Sam's inaction - a habit which generally gets acceptable results; this habit became less displayed in later episodes however, as Sam is beginning to "adjust" to his infernal fate.
The Devil is nearly indestructible, and scoffs at the idea that he could be contained within a Solomon's cage (which can confine the strongest demon). He also has superhuman strength
Superhuman strength
Superhuman strength, also called superstrength, super-strength, or super strength, is an ability commonly employed in fiction. It is the ability for a character to be stronger than humanly possible...
, having tricked and placed Sam once in a painful arm-hold to interrogate him. However, the Devil can be affected by angelic relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
s, as he can be killed by the Sword of the Archangel Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
(which he has in safekeeping), and could be "destroyed" if the whole world were to turn to pacifism
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
(as Sam deduced after the Devil's near-annihilation of a demon rebellion, as if the Devil couldn't tempt others with sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
, he would cease to exist - although the Devil notes that all humanity adopting complete pacifism would be nearly impossible). In addition, the Devil cannot see, hear, or appear within curves or circles, although he can be summoned within a circle. He holds no influence over true love, which may be attributed to his belief that humans are incapable of experiencing it. The Devil also confesses that even though he tried to overthrow God, he still loved Him when Sam asked the Devil about love. He confesses to Sam that God loves us all no matter what we are.
The Devil loves ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
, but cannot eat it, as it melts as soon as he touches it. This doesn't happen on his own volition, but was apparently a curse
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
given upon him by God shortly before he was cast out of Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
, knowing how much he loves ice cream. It is later revealed that the devil opposes anthropogenic global warming as anyone who dies of it would be considered an innocent and not be sent to hell.
The Devil is Sam's father, according to the Devil throughout the second season. He does many things throughout the series that imply this: he never gets truly angry with Sam, he only gets outwardly angry with him one time where he says that he is "a disappointment." He often offers guidance to Sam. Plus, he seems to have an extreme dislike of Sam's father. Throughout the series, he and Sam do things that could be considered 'father-son activities' such as going to hockey games, eating ice cream, and playing baseball together.
In "The Home Stretch" the Devil held a competition between Sam and his half-brother Morgan. Whoever captured a soul would be made his right-hand man. Sam inadvertently won, even though he had intended for Morgan to win since the beginning, while saving Morgan's life from the escaped soul.
In "The Devil and Sam Oliver" the Devil is forced to accept a challenge, a game of Quarters, from Sam to win his soul back, and they end in a tie. In the re-match he is distracted by his face in the mirror and only manages to get one quarter into the shot glass. When Sam's hand is broken by Steve and Sam can't score at all, the Devil wins Andi's soul.
The Devil claims that he changes his suit three times a day, despite all of his suits looking exactly the same.
Supporting characters
- Ted Gallagher (played by Donavon Stinson) - Ted was the Work Bench's pompous, imperious manager (and recovering gambling addict) who gave his employees, especially Sam, Andi, Ben, and Sock, a hard time. In episode 20 ("Dirty Sexy Mongol") Ted was fired from his job as manager at the Work Bench after sexually harassingSexual harassmentSexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
a secret shopper sent from corporate. Corporate appointed Andi as the new store manager. She took pity on Ted and rehired him as a trainee for the Work Bench with Sock as his trainer. When Andi is demoted in "My Brother's Reaper", Ted reclaims his spot as manager.
- Gladys (played by Christine WillesChristine WillesChristine Willes is a Canadian television, theatre and film actress who is best known for her roles as Delores Herbig on the Showtime comedy-drama Dead Like Me and Gladys the DMV demon on the CW supernatural drama television series Reaper...
) - A demon who works at a DMVDepartment of Motor VehiclesIn the United States of America, a Department of Motor Vehicles is a state-level government agency that administers vehicle registration and driver licensing. Similar departments exist in Canada...
office, which actually houses a portal to HellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
. Gladys collects the filled vessels from Sam and sends them back to Hell. In "The Leak," when it was revealed that Gladys was the one repeatedly freeing home-wrecking soul Mike Volta from his vessel, the Devil "transferred" her to the "main office." She was later released at Sam's request. She seems to have a sexual interest in humans as well, making overtures to both Sock and Andi. Like all demons, she can project nightmares into human beings, nightmares so convincing that they believe they're real.
- Nina (played by Jenny WadeJenny Wade (actress)Jennifer "Jenny" Wade is an American actress best known for playing "Liz Traynor" on the Fox television series The Good Guys, "Nina" in TV series Reaper and "Honey Pie", in the Feast trilogy.-Life and career:...
) - A demon who tried to kill Sam, but her assassination attempt was thwarted by Ben. Enamored by his loyalty to his friend and love for his pet bunny, Nina kidnaps Ben and takes him to her lair. In "The Sweet Science", Nina is introduced to the group as Ben's girlfriend, but Ben remains concerned that Nina is not really interested in him and still trying to kill Sam. Nina reveals to Ben in "The Favorite" that she once had a physical relationship with a fellow demon named Brad. When Ben tries to break up with Nina in a restaurant, she cries tears of acid. She tells how, while she was still an angel, she once fell in love with a human. After her relationship with the human was discovered by God, her human lover died shortly thereafter, explaining her reluctance to get more involved with Ben. In "The Home Stretch", Ben shows his reluctance to introduce Nina to his grandma who has 'the eye' being able to see potential evil. Nina strikes up a pleasant conversation with her about St. Peter but is shocked into her demon form when scared by a barking dog, which sends Ben's grandma into cardiac arrest. Ben later breaks up with Nina at the Work Bench, and Nina declares a vendetta. However, at the end of "No Reaper left Behind" they get back together. Nina subsequently moves in with Ben. Ben's grandmother later threatens to disinherit Ben unless Nina undergoes an exorcism. The exorcism seemingly succeeds, but Nina is in fact unaffected. However, whether Ben's grandma will remain fooled since she has 'the eye' is not clear.
- Tony (played by Ken MarinoKen MarinoKenneth Joseph "Ken" Marino is an American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter. He was a cast member on MTV's The State and on the Starz comedy Party Down. He currently co-stars on the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital.-Early life and career:Marino was born in West Islip, New York to an...
) - Sam's former neighbor, a demonDemoncall - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
and Steve's widower. Tony was a leader of the anti-Devil rebellion, and was often plotting against the Devil. He helps Sam and his friends in their quest to capture escaped souls. As of the first season finale, his whereabouts are unknown. It is Tony who tells Sam that he is the son of the Devil. In the Second Season, he reappears and adopts the newborn daughter of an escaped soul, whom he names 'Stevie' after his deceased husband Steve.
- Mrs. Oliver (played by Allison HossackAllison HossackAllison Hossack is an actress.-Biography:Hossack attended schools in Steinbach and Killarney, Manitoba, later graduating from the Brandon University School of Music in 1988 with a B.Mus. where she majored in voice...
) - Sam's guilt-ridden mother. Initially led to believe that Sam refused to do the Devil's work, she now accepts her son's fate, and actively supports him in his everyday life. According to the Devil, her soul is on the line if Sam should decide to quit his "job" as a Reaper. At the end of episode 18 ("Cancun"), she is seen digging up the very much alive Mr. Oliver, despite the fact that, when confronted by Sam about Mr. Oliver's burial, she claimed to be unaware of both the burial site and the fact that Mr. Oliver was still alive. In the second season she doesn't appear, and Mr. Oliver admits she blames him for the entire situation and doesn't want anything more to do with him.
- Kristen (played by Eriko TamuraEriko Tamurais a Japanese actress and singer. The animated television show Idol Densetsu Eriko was created as a result of her popularity. The show has been syndicated world-wide, airing in such countries as Spain, Italy, and France...
) - Sock's new stepsister who adores Sock for being the older brother she's always wanted and wants to be involved in 'brother/sister' activities with him. These put no end to Sock's frustrations as he's extremely attracted to her and wishes to sleep with her. He eventually manipulates her that they should sleep together in "Underbelly", and as their new relationship began to develop, their parents return home. She leaves to return to Japan in "The Good Soil" after graduating with a degree in hotel management.
- Steve (played by Michael Ian BlackMichael Ian BlackMichael Ian Black is an American comedian, actor, writer and director. He has starred in several TV comedy series, including The State, Ed, Viva Variety, Stella and Michael & Michael Have Issues. He is also a prominent poker player, appearing on Celebrity Poker Showdown several times...
) - A deceased former neighbor of Sam, also a demon, and Tony's deceased partner. Prior to his death, Steve was an active part of the rebellion against the Devil. He chose the more passive path of rebellion over Tony's aggressive route, but still stood by him regardless. It is revealed in the first season finale that Steve is still "alive", and is now an angelAngelAngels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
(again). Subsequently, other demons follow 'The Way of Steve' in an attempt to emulate his path to Heaven. Steve appears to a human being to convince him to abandon the path to Hell. In "The Devil and Sam Oliver," he works as an unseen guardian angel to a klutzy Work Bench greeter. He appears to Sam and helps him translate symbols necessary to summon the Devil, but apparently misreads them. In the season two finale, when Sam appears ready to win a contest against the Devil, Steve breaks his hand and claims he's acting on orders from Heaven, and earns his wings as a full-fledged angel as a result.
- Morgan (played by Armie HammerArmie HammerArmand Douglas "Armie" Hammer is an American actor. After appearing on television and playing the title role in 2008's Billy: The Early Years, he became known for his portrayal of the Winklevoss twins in the 2010 film The Social Network, and Clyde Tolson in J. Edgar...
) - He is the son of The Devil, Sam's paternal half brother. He first appears in "The Favorite", where the Devil bails him out of jail using Sam's lottery winnings. He was arrested for stealing a limousine. He drives a silver Maserati, which was a gift from his ex. Morgan is very self-centered and lazy telling Sam that he has no qualms in fighting Sam to the death for The Devil's right hand seat and would wait for him to mess up to get his dad's favor. Since The Devil feels that Morgan is unmotivated, he orders Sam to take Morgan on a reap in the hopes that Sam's good work ethics rub off. While Morgan is and always has been the Devil's favourite of the 2 sons so far introduced (Sam and Morgan) he is growing increasingly unsure of the situation, because while Morgan behaves as the Devil would like, he has little to no desire to work. Sam, in contrast, though he regularly complains and defies the Devil, always "gets the job done." In "The Good Soil," he attempts to bribe Sam with money into capturing a soul and giving him the credit. He takes back his money after Sam turns in the dodgeballDodgeballDodgeball is any of a variety of games in which players try to hit other players on the opposing team with balls while avoiding being hit themselves. This article is about a well-known form of team sport with modified rules that is often played in physical education classes and has been featured...
vessel with a corpse and later in the episode captures the soul himself with the vessel. In "The Home Stretch", The Devil challenges Sam and Morgan to a contest, in which whoever returned the soul back to Hell would become his right-hand man. When Sam accidentally wins the contest, The Devil takes everything from Morgan, and he swears revenge against Sam. In a rage, Morgan pulls a gun on Sam, but is killed by Nina and other surrounding demons, and sent straight to Hell. The Devil has stated that he is repeatedly crying out Sam's name whilst being tortured.
Minor characters
- Alan Townsend (played by Sean Patrick ThomasSean Patrick ThomasSean Patrick Thomas is a Guyanese-American actor. He is perhaps best known for his co-starring role in the 2001 film Save the Last Dance, as well as his television role as Detective Temple Page in The District and also "Barber Shop".- Early life :Thomas is the son of immigrants from Guyana and was...
) - The man who reneged on his deal with the Devil. Sam meets Alan first in the Season 2 premiere, "A New Hope," during a reap to capture 40 fighting souls in a warehouse. After being knocked unconscious by Alan, Sam continues his hunt for him in "Dirty Sexy Mongol" and tracks him down to an apartment. He tries to solicit Alan's help, but two demons, sent by The Devil, attack Sam at the gate. Scared that he'll return to Hell, Alan leaves his apartment. Sam and Andi find out that Alan's been trying to stay off The Devil's radar by avoiding all temptation. Alan accepts a job offer as a gravedigger and takes refuge at a cemetery after being informed that the grounds have been consecrated and thus untouchable by the Devil and other demons. Sam and the others corner him at the cemetery and, since Alan was a gambling addict, attempt to bribe him with horse-racing tickets for the information. Alan eventually buys into a trip to Vatican City and tells Sam that he needs to challenge and beat The Devil (Alan beat The Devil in a game of poker). He promises to tell Sam how to make The Devil agree to the challenge after landing. As he is on a plane toward Vatican City, the Devil diverts the plane to Las Vegas and gives him 100 dollars in casino chips. Later, the Devil tells Sam that he took Alan back to Hell after he started gambling again; Alan's deal with the Devil was that if he sinned again he would be back in Hell, and gambling was a sin.
- Cady Hansen (played by Jessica StroupJessica StroupJessica Leigh Stroup is an American actress and fashion model. Stroup is best known for her role as Erin Silver on The CW television series 90210, a spin-off to the original Beverly Hills, 90210...
) - Sam's ex-girlfriend, and possible daughter of the Devil. Cady is the daughter of Mimi, the Devil's ex-girlfriend, but her true father is unknown. Although Sam is initially attracted to her, he suspects that she may be the Devil's daughter (a suspicion seemingly put to rest by Sock and Ben in "Cash Out"). Despite his general calm to the situation, Sam's suspicions re-surface later on, due to her reportedly strange behavior around Andi and the manifestation of strange phenomena around her, such as breaking glass spurred by a kiss, and flowers wilting and dying several moments after she has touched them. At the end of "Unseen", Cady, upset by the fact that Sam still has been distant and in her eyes deceitful, goes to New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
to stay with her mother and sort things out. If the Devil truly were her biological father as well as Sam's, that would make them paternal half-siblings.
- Taylor (played by Pascale HuttonPascale HuttonPascale Hutton is a Canadian actress. She was born in Creston, British Columbia. Hutton attended the conservatory acting program at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.- Filmography :- Television :...
) - Taylor is Sam's one time fling, she appeared in the episode "Love, Bullets and Blacktop", when Sam is trying to capture the souls of a couple.
- Judy Wysocki (played by Marilyn NorryMarilyn NorryMarilyn Norry is a Canadian actress performing on stage across Canada and in films and television around the world. Her credits include The L-Word, Flight 93, and Stargate SG-1.-External links:...
) - Sock's mom. She went unseen until "Hungry for Fame," when she returned from Las VegasLas Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
and announced she had married an Asian cowboy named Morris. Angry that his mother had married without his blessing, Sock ran away from home; when he finally returned, his mother kicked him out of the house, prompting him, Sam, and Ben to move in together.
- Greg (played by Colby Johannson) - Andi's college boyfriend. He initially comes across as caring and sympathetic toward her needs, but it becomes clear that he knows very little about her and is more concerned about himself and his feelings. Greg and Sam end up fighting in "The Cop", and Andi breaks up with him. Broken-hearted, Greg sold his soul to the Devil, and returned (in "Greg, Shmeg") with a newfound influence over Andi. Unfortunately, as a result of his deal with the Devil, his idId, ego, and super-egoId, ego and super-ego are the three parts of the psychic apparatus defined in Sigmund Freud's structural model of the psyche; they are the three theoretical constructs in terms of whose activity and interaction mental life is described...
began physically manifesting itself as a chainsawChainsawA chainsaw is a portable mechanical saw, powered by electricity, compressed air, hydraulic power, or most commonly a two-stroke engine...
-wielding maniac that materializes from his body every time he got angry. Greg eventually realized that no matter what deal he made, Andi would never love him, as the Devil cannot influence true love. Sam used his "Get Out of HellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
Free" card to undo Greg's deal.
- Sara (played by Lucy DavisLucy DavisLucy Clare Davis is an English actress. She is best known for playing the character Dawn Tinsley in the BBC comedy The Office and as Dianne in the horror-comedy movie Shaun of the Dead.-Career:...
) - Ben's ex-wife, a BritishGreat BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
national formerly employed at the Work Bench. In "Coming to Grips," after Ben gives up on finding his perfect girl, he agrees to a green card wedding with Sara in exchange for $1600. Ben eventually meets his perfect girl, Cassidy, later on while chasing a soul, but Sara expects him to live up to their deal and refuses to let him go out with Cassidy. When Ben threatens to report her to immigration, Sara counters by threatening to report him for extorting money from her. Ben considers just giving her the money back, until he discovers that Sock spent it on tickets to the Blue Collar Comedy TourBlue Collar Comedy TourThe Blue Collar Comedy Tour was a comedy troupe featuring Jeff Foxworthy with three of his comedian friends, Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Larry the Cable Guy, who had replaced fellow comedian Craig Hawksley, who performed in the first twenty shows on the tour...
. In addition to being married to Ben, Sara is also involved with a married Cirque du SoleilCirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
performer named Esteban. When Sara reveals she's pregnant with Esteban's child, Ben has the bargaining chip he needs, and Sara eventually lets him date Cassidy. After an immigration officer discovers their ruse, Sara convinces Ben to give her $2,000 to help bribe the officer; in actuality, she takes the money and goes on the lamOn the Lam"On the Lam" is a song by Kele Okereke, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the band Bloc Party, released as the third single from his debut solo album The Boxer. The music video was released on October 8, 2010, with the digital EP being released on October 25....
.
- Cassidy (played by Kandyse McClureKandyse McClureKandyse McClure is an actress, best known for playing Anastasia Dualla on the Sci Fi Channel's television program Battlestar Galactica.- Biography :...
) - Ben's ex-girlfriend. She is a nurse at St. Vincent's Hospital who practices jiujitsu and enjoys Sue GraftonSue GraftonSue Taylor Grafton is a contemporary American author of detective novels. She is best known as the author of the 'alphabet series' featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. The daughter of detective novelist C. W...
novels. Cassidy and Ben met in the maternity ward of St. Vincent's in "Coming to Grips" when Ben was pursuing prolific soul Jack King. After a string of dates in the hospital cafeteria, Cassidy began to ask questions, specifically about Ben's wedding ring; it was at that point that Ben came clean about his green card marriage to Sara. The three of them came to an understanding, although Cassidy would still get a little excited about being Ben's "mistress". When Immigration busted Ben and Sara, Cassidy was the one who took Ben to jail, excited at the prospect that he would be single again when he got out. In "The Sweet Science", Ben explains to Nina that Cassidy ditched him while he was still in jail.
- Kyle Oliver (played by Kyle SwitzerKyle SwitzerKyle Switzer is a Canadian actor, perhaps best known for his role as Rick Geddes in TV show, 15/Love. He also had a supporting role in the first two episodes of the television comedy/drama Reaper and a recurring role in the new hit show "Being Human" for SYFY.-References:*...
) - Sam's younger brother. Much pressure has been put on him by his parents to be successful in life, which he considers unfair compared to them letting Sam slide. Kyle is the one member of the family unaware of Sam's debt to the Devil, and does not realize how lucky he was to be born second. He has only appeared in the pilot episode and "Charged" to date. Because of the revelations unveiled in the second season's premiere, we now know Kyle is technically Sam's maternal half-brother.
- Pesi (played by Pesi Daruwalla) - An older customer at the Work Bench, he is first seen in the second season episode "Dirty Sexy Mongol." Andi subsequently hires him in "The Home Stretch." He seems to enjoy deliberately making inappropriate sexual and offensive comments to his co-workers. He also has criminal connections, offering to sell his co-workers guns and Pontiacs.
Demons
Demons, in the Reaper universe, are portrayed as seemingly neutral and non-aggressive (so far) entities who are either in the direct service of the Devil or plotting to overthrow his rule. It was stated that all demons were once angelAngel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s who "fell" out of their place after joining up with the Devil's attempt to overthrow God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
and got banished along with him from Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
.
Demons residing within the mortal realm exhibit the ability to assume near-human forms that enable them to live along with real humans, with the only thing distinguishing them from actual mortals (besides their immortality) being two small horns protruding from their foreheads which can be sanded down to create the complete illusion that they are human; they are also capable of morphing into their true demonic forms, as displayed by Tony, which seem to grant an incredible boost of physical power in the process, and also flight with demonic wings. They are immune to mortal weapons in either form. Types of Demons include standard
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
and succubi
Succubus
In folklore traced back to medieval legend, a succubus is a female demon appearing in dreams who takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse. The male counterpart is the incubus...
.
Reapers
'Reapers' are beings tasked by the Devil to apprehend souls that have escaped the depths of Hell. Sam became one in the premiere episode of the series. The word was first used in the episode "Acid Queen", which implies that there may be others like him with a similar obligation (or predicament). Currently, it is not exactly known how many Reapers there are, or if all of them are even human. Sam does not like this status but begins to live with this fate, though shows no surprise towards its utterance. It is made clear by the demon Steve that Sam is perhaps the only person on EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
that the Devil talks with face-to-face, which raises suspicion amongst Sam and his friends. This suggestion is later disproved when the Devil introduces Morgan, a young man the Devil claims is his son.
Escaped souls
These are fugitives from HellHell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
whom the Devil has entrusted Sam to recapture. All of them were once mortals who committed various crimes or sold their souls that ultimately led to their damnation. When they come back to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, they are intent on finishing the jobs that they started.
After escaping Hell and returning to the earthly realm, not only do they regain a corporeal body with which to interact with the living world once again, but sometimes also exhibit supernatural powers that often reflect the nature of their crimes or punishments. For example, an arsonist imprisoned in Hell for 50 years being tortured by being burnt everyday came back with pyrokinetic
Pyrokinesis
Pyrokinesis, derived from the Greek words and , was the name coined by horror novelist Stephen King for the ability to create or to control fire with the mind that he gave to the protagonist Charlie McGee in Firestarter...
powers and could take on the appearance of a humanoid creature made of molten rock. Leon Czolgosz
Leon Czolgosz
Leon Czolgosz was the assassin of U.S. President William McKinley.In the last few years of his life, he claimed to have been heavily influenced by anarchists such as Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman.- Early life :...
, the assassin of William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
, gained the ability to turn his hands into gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
s. Not all souls come back to Earth with a corporeal body, as seen in "Ashes to Ashes," where the Mortician soul came back as a spirit since his body was cremated.
Vessels
As the souls that Sam is sent to apprehend have already died once (along with the fact that they have various paranormal abilities), an attempt to capture or even kill them by a mere mortal could prove almost impossible. The Devil provides Sam with vessels to help him do his work. The vessel is usually sent for Sam to open in a wooden box which varies in shape per episode, sometimes inappropriate for the vessel they hold (i.e. a large box contained a Zippo lighter vessel) and it's usually up to Sam to figure out how to use it to capture the escaped soul assigned for him to apprehend since the vessels don't usually come with an instruction manual. All vessels are unique because each of them is intended to capture the escaped soul for whom they were created and intended to confine. The vessel could even be a seemingly living thing (e.g. a live doveDove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
).
Vessels often have the appearance of seemingly ordinary day-to-day accessories, and can easily be mistaken for such. Interestingly, most escaped souls shown in the series seem to be aware whenever a vessel is brought to their presence, especially if that particular vessel is the one intended for their capture, thus alerting them of potentially being sent back to Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
by the one wielding the vessel.
Vessels don't always work for anyone, though several characters in the show other than Sam have used vessels to capture souls. A vessel will only work on the particular soul it is intended for, and has no effect on any other escaped souls. The only known exception is a Nerf
Nerf
Nerf is a toy brand created by Parker Brothers and currently owned by Hasbro. The acronym NERF stands for "Non-Expanding Recreational Foam". Most of the toys are a variety of foam-based weaponry, but there are also several different types of Nerf toys, such as balls for sports like football,...
gun created by a demon named Dennis (in "Greg, Schmeg"). Although technically a vessel, the Nerf gun can send any person or object to Hell.
In "The Good Soil", it is revealed that vessels can capture other objects besides souls (e.g. a corpse).
The Ender
Introduced in "The Good Soil", The Ender is The Devil's backup plan. When Sam refused to capture the soul and return it to Hell, The Ender was summoned to seek out and destroy the soul. As a result, the soul would be sent to neither Heaven nor Hell. The Ender took on the form of a cloaked phantom and could destroy anything with one touch.Season 3 plans
In February 2010, the show's creators gave an interview that detailed some of their ideas for season three. Included were plans to have Andi work in the DMV with Gladys and the possibility of bringing in the Archangel Michael, though they had no plans to introduce God as a character. They also revealed the truth about Sam's parentage.DVD releases
On November 4, 2008, Lionsgate Home EntertainmentLionsgate Home Entertainment
Lionsgate Home Entertainment is the home video and DVD distribution arm of Lions Gate Entertainment and most former Artisan Entertainment releases. Its library of more than 8000 films owes some of its size to output deals with other studios...
(under license from ABC Studios) released Season 1 of Reaper on DVD in Region 1. On June 9, 2009 Season 2 of Reaper was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
| DVD Name | |Release dates | |Ep # | |Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... | Region 2 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... | Region 4 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... |
|||
| Reaper: Season 1 | November 4, 2008 | TBA | TBA | 18 | The five disc box set includes all 18 episodes. Bonus features include deleted scene Deleted scene In Entertainment, especially the film and television industry, Deleted scenes are parts of a film removed or censored from or replaced by another scene in the final "cut", or version, of a film... s, commentary track Audio commentary On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video... on the pilot episode, selections from the season's gag reel Blooper A blooper, also known as an outtake or boner is a short sequence of a film or video production, usually a deleted scene, containing a mistake made by a member of the cast or crew. It also refers to an error made during a live radio or TV broadcast or news report, usually in terms of misspoken words... . Running Time 800 minutes. |
| Reaper: Season 2 | June 9, 2009 | TBA | TBA | 13 | The four disc box set includes all 13 episodes. Bonus features include "The Devil Made Me Do It" - A Look Back at the Making of Reaper, gag reel Blooper A blooper, also known as an outtake or boner is a short sequence of a film or video production, usually a deleted scene, containing a mistake made by a member of the cast or crew. It also refers to an error made during a live radio or TV broadcast or news report, usually in terms of misspoken words... , deleted scenes Deleted Scenes A deleted scene is a scene removed from or replaced by another scene in the final version of a film or television series.It may also refer to:* "Deleted Scenes", an episode of the Adult Swim animated television series, Aqua Teen Hunger Force... . Running Time 585 minutes. |
Reception
The series, as shown on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, has been dubbed as having "universal acclaim" with a rating of 81 out of 100, out of 27 reviews.
Season 1
As of May 12, 2008, Reaper has averaged 2.70 million American-basedUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
viewers for each new episode for its first season. Viewing figures from other countries are inconclusive so far.
| No. | Episode | Air Date | Timeslot | Rating | Share | 18–49 (Rating/Share) | Viewers (m) | Rank (#) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | September 25, 2007 | Tuesday 9/8c | 2.1 | 3 | 1.5/3 | 3.28 | 85 |
| 2 | "Charged" | October 2, 2007 | 1.8 | 3 | 1.3/3 | 2.86 | 93 | |
| 3 | "All Mine" | October 9, 2007 | 1.8 | 3 | 1.3/3 | 2.65 | 90 | |
| 4 | "Magic" | October 16, 2007 | 2.2 | 3 | 1.5/3 | 3.27 | 86 | |
| 5 | "What About Blob" | October 23, 2007 | 1.8 | 3 | 1.2/3 | 2.61 | 88 | |
| 6 | "Leon" | October 30, 2007 | 1.7 | 3 | 1.1/3 | 2.60 | 89 | |
| 7 | "Love, Bullets and Blacktop" | November 6, 2007 | 1.6 | 2 | 1.0/2 | 2.42 | 94 | |
| 8 | "The Cop" | November 13, 2007 | 1.6 | 2 | 1.2/2 | 2.46 | 93 | |
| 9 | "Ashes to Ashes" | November 27, 2007 | 1.5 | 2 | 1.1/2 | 2.26 | 91 | |
| 10 | "Cash Out" | December 4, 2007 | 1.7 | 3 | 1.3/3 | 2.64 | 89 | |
| 11 | "Hungry for Fame" | March 13, 2008 | Thursday 9/8c | 1.7 | 3 | 1.2/3 | 2.81 | 88 |
| 12 | "Unseen" | March 20, 2008 | 1.9 | 3 | 1.2/3 | 2.94 | 79 | |
| 13 | "Acid Queen" | March 27, 2008 | 1.8 | 3 | 1.2/2 | 2.76 | 81 | |
| 14 | "Rebellion" | April 22, 2008 | Tuesday 9/8c | 1.6 | 2 | 1.1/3 | 2.60 | 93 |
| 15 | "Coming to Grips" | April 29, 2008 | 1.7 | 3 | 1.1/3 | 2.51 | 86 | |
| 16 | "Greg Schmeg" | May 6, 2008 | 1.6 | 2 | 1.0/3 | 2.47 | TBA | |
| 17 | "The Leak" | May 13, 2008 | 1.5 | 2 | 0.9/2 | 1.99 | TBA | |
| 18 | "Cancun" | May 20, 2008 | 1.7 | 3 | 1.2/3 | 2.69 | TBA |
Season 2
As of April 7, 2009, Reaper has averaged 2.25 million American-based viewers for each new episode for its second season. Viewing figures from other countries are inconclusive so far.| No. | Episode | Air Date | Timeslot | Rating | Share | 18–49 (Rating/Share) | Viewers (m) | Rank (#) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | "A New Hope" | March 3, 2009 | Tuesday 8/7c | 8.5 | 9 | 0.9/2 | 2.35 | TBA |
| 20 | "Dirty Sexy Mongol" | March 10, 2009 | 1.4 | 2 | 0.8/2 | 2.17 | 90 | |
| 21 | "The Sweet Science" | March 17, 2009 | 1.2 | 2 | 0.9/3 | 1.88 | TBA | |
| 22 | "The Favorite" | March 24, 2009 | 9.5 | 2 | 1.0/3 | 2.47 | TBA | |
| 23 | "I Want My Baby Back" | March 31, 2009 | 10.0 | 3 | 1.0/3 | 2.37 | TBA | |
| 24 | "Underbelly" | April 7, 2009 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.8/3 | 2.28 | TBA | |
| 25 | "The Good Soil" | April 14, 2009 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.9/2 | 2.05 | TBA | |
| 26 | "The Home Stretch" | April 21, 2009 | 1.0 | 3 | 0.9/3 | 2.45 | TBA | |
| 27 | "No Reaper Left Behind" | April 28, 2009 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.6/2 | 1.82 | TBA | |
| 28 | "My Brother's Reaper" | May 5, 2009 | 1.2 | 2 | 0.8/2 | 2.22 | TBA | |
| 29 | "To Sprong, With Love" | May 12, 2009 | 1.33 | 2 | 0.9/3 | 1.99 | TBA | |
| 30 | "Business Casualty" | May 19, 2009 | TBA | TBA | TBA | 1.79 | TBA | |
| 31 | "The Devil & Sam Oliver" | May 26, 2009 | TBA | TBA | TBA | 2.22 | TBA |