In the Dark premiered on The CW in the fall of 2019, and it didn’t take long for the show to build a large following. During season one, the series centered around a young blind woman Murphy Mason (Perry Mattfeld) who is attempting to get to the bottom of the death of her friend, Tyson (Thamela Mpumlwana). However, the mystery is deepened by the fact that no one believes he is dead other than Murphy dead who insists that she found his dead body in an alley near her apartment. When Murphy finds the body, she knows it’s Tyson’s by feeling the face which is something she did when he was alive. Since Murphy is blind, people believe that her mind is simply playing tricks on her, but she is determined to bring the truth to light.
While the first season drew lots of people in, many things about the show have changed since then. Some of these changes will be obvious to people who have been watching the show since season one, and others are a little more subtle. Keep reading to learn some of the ways In the Dark has evolved since its first season.
Murphy’s Character Arc
Murphy may be the main character on In the Dark, but she’s not always people’s favorite. Early on in the show’s run, several viewers described her as annoying. However, like people in real life, Murphy has experienced a lot of growth since the first season. When we were introduced to Murphy, she is kind of all over the place and seems to be the kind of person who is always craving some kind of relationship although it’s also clear that she’s somewhat detached when it comes to her romantic partners. On top of that, there is a certain level of selfishness to Murphy that can sometimes make her unlikable. In season three, however, we start to see her gain a little more independence in terms of not having everything in her life centered around a relationship.
When describing how Murphy changed during season three, an article from Culturess noted, “Murphy has finally found herself alone and without any support. And it did wonders for her as a character. She has always had someone to lean on and rely on, and finally, she had to survive on her own and she realized a hard truth – she needs other people. It also means that she may finally be realizing that she is a selfish person and has done real harm to others.”
It’ll be interesting to see how Murphy’s character continues to evolve throughout the fourth season. Whether you love or hate the character, you have to at least admit how authentic she is. People are never perfect, and that’s something that is really reflected in Murphy. Sure, she doesn’t always make the best decisions and she’s not always the most considerate, but that’s something a lot of people can relate to in one way or another.
Casting Changes
It’s not uncommon for characters to be written out of shows for various reasons. This is something that In the Dark has experienced several times during its run. Rich Sommer, who initially played a main role (Dean Riley) in the series, left after the second season. Interestingly enough, however, Sommer actually wasn’t the person originally cast for the show. The role of Dean Riley initially went to Austin Nichols who filmed the pilot. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find any specific details on why the part was recast.
There were also several changes with recurring characters. Sometimes cast changes can be tough to bounce back from, but fortunately, there were no changes that derailed In the Dark. In fact, longtime fans may even argue that the cast changes made the show stronger in the long run.
A Significant Drop in Ratings
It is pretty common for a show’s ratings to go up and down but when they go down too much, networks lose interest quickly. Sadly, that seems to be exactly what happened to In the Dark. The show’s ratings have been steadily declining since the first season. While this isn’t technically evolution, it’s still worth mentioning especially because The CW has already announced that the fourth season will be the show’s last. Even though the cancellation announcement was definitely disappointing, the bright side is that it gave the cast and crew time to prepare a finale. With that being said, it’ll be interesting to see how all of the storylines are wrapped up.
Follow Us
