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Why Legion Isn't Like Anything TV Audiences Have Ever Seen Before

Dan Stevens, Aubrey Plaza and the rest of the cast prepare viewers for FX's trippy new Marvel drama

By Billy Nilles Feb 08, 2017 6:42 PMTags
Watch: Why "Legion" Is Unlike Anything on TV

Trust us when we tell you that Legion is unlike anything you've ever seen on television.

The Noah Hawley-created Marvel series, making its series debut tonight on FX, tells the story of David Heller (played by Dan Stevens), a diagnosed schizophrenic whose abilities go beyond what any average human is capable of. (Mild spoiler alert: In the Legion comic book series of which the show is based upon, David is the son famed X-Men leader Professor Charles Xavier.) As he's thrust into a world that has him questioning whether anything he's witnessing is actually happening—hearing voices all your life will do that to a guy—viewers will experience a visual thrill ride that's equally as challenging as it is rewarding. In other words, don't try to fold your laundry while you watch.

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"I think people are going to see something they've never really seen on television before," Aubrey Plaza, who stars as David's chatterbox friend Lenny told E! News. "It feels very Kubrick-esque and almost performance art. It's a very psychedelic, trippy ride with beautiful music and a beautiful message."

We first meet David as he's biding his time alongside Lenny during his current institutionalization, but a chance encounter with beautiful new patient Syd (Rachel Keller) forces our troubled hero to consider the alarming possibility that the voices he hears and visions he sees may not be the figments of his imagination he once believed them to be.

"It's unlike any other superhero show that has existed, I think, because a lot of them are very straightforward.  Even the ones that are edgy are still a little straightforward. There are superheroes and there are super villains and they fight and that's the deal," Amber Midthunder, who plays Kerry, one of the specialists on the team lead by therapist Melanie Bird (Jean Smart) that eventually take David under their wing, said. "But on our show, there is no superhero and there is no super villain. It's all fighting the devil within…It has the backdrop of superheroes, but it's a relatable topic."

"I think it is a really original show, and it's told by a beautiful storyteller and it visually is just remarkable to watch," Katie Aselton, who plays David's sister Amy, added. "It's going to be really fun and exciting and something new that you haven't seen yet."

Legion also stars Jeremie Harris and Bill Irwin.

For more from the cast on the truly unique nature of their new show, be sure to check out the video above.

Legion premieres Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 10 p.m. on FX.