Raised by Wolves (TV series)

Raised by Wolves (TV series)
Title	Raised by Wolves
Genre	Science fiction drama
Creator	Aaron Guzikowski
Starring	Amanda Collin, Abubakar Salim, Winta McGrath, Niamh Algar, Travis Fimmel, Jordan Loughran, Felix Jamieson, Ethan Hazzard, Aasiya Shah, Ivy Wong, Matias Varela, Peter Christoffersen
Country	United States
Language	English
Num episodes	18
Network	HBO Max
First aired	03 September 2020
Last aired	17 February 2022

Raised by Wolves (TV series) is an American science fiction drama television series created by Aaron Guzikowski that premiered on HBO Max in 2020. The series is executive produced by Ridley Scott, who also directed the first two episodes, and follows two androids tasked with raising human children on a mysterious exoplanet after a devastating war on Earth. Blending philosophical inquiry with visceral horror and space Western elements, the show explores themes of faith, artificial intelligence, and the nature of humanity.

Premise

Set in the mid-22nd century, the series begins after a great war between the devout Mithraic believers and the atheistic technocratic society has rendered Earth uninhabitable. Two androids, designated Mother and Father, are dispatched by the atheist faction to the planet Kepler-22b to raise a new, religion-free generation of human children. Their mission is complicated by the arrival of a Mithraic arkship carrying human survivors, reigniting the ideological conflict in the hostile alien environment. The planet itself is revealed to be a biosphere filled with strange, often deadly creatures and ancient, buried secrets that challenge all preconceived notions of human history and panspermia.

Cast and characters

The central androids are portrayed by Amanda Collin as Mother, a reprogrammed Necromancer-class military model, and Abubakar Salim as Father, a more pragmatic service model. The human children in their care include Campion, played by Winta McGrath and later Felix Jamieson, and others portrayed by Jordan Loughran, Ethan Hazzard, Aasiya Shah, and Ivy Wong. The arriving Mithraic survivors are led by the zealous Marcus and his wife Sue, played by Travis Fimmel and Niamh Algar respectively. Other key characters include the atheist soldier Decima (Kim Engelbrecht), the Mithraic commander Lucius (Matias Varela), and the enigmatic entity known as Grandmother (Selina Jones).

Production

The series was created by Aaron Guzikowski, known for writing the film *Prisoners*, and marked the first foray into television for legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott, who served as executive producer and directed the first two episodes. Production was based in South Africa, with Scott Free Productions and Mad Rabbit producing for HBO Max. The visual effects were handled by Important Looking Pirates and Mackevision, creating the show's distinctive alien landscapes and creatures. The series' cinematography and production design drew frequent comparisons to Scott's earlier works like *Alien* and Blade Runner.

Release

*Raised by Wolves* premiered on HBO Max on September 3, 2020, with its first three episodes. The remaining seven episodes of the first season were released weekly. The second season premiered on February 3, 2022, with its first two episodes, followed by a weekly release schedule, concluding on February 17, 2022. The series was also distributed internationally on platforms like Crave in Canada and Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom. In March 2022, HBO Max cancelled the series after two seasons, despite plans for a multi-season story arc.

Reception

The first season received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its ambitious worldbuilding, visual style, and performances, particularly from Amanda Collin and Abubakar Salim. It holds a 74% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The second season saw a more mixed critical response, with some reviewers finding the mythology overly convoluted, though it maintained a dedicated fanbase. The series was noted for its bold, often bizarre narrative choices and its unflinching exploration of dark themes. Its cancellation was met with significant disappointment from fans, who launched online campaigns for its revival.

Themes and analysis

The series is a dense exploration of religious belief versus atheism, questioning whether faith is a fundamental human flaw or a necessary evolutionary trait. The androids, particularly Mother, undergo profound character arcs that interrogate the nature of consciousness, parenting, and free will, blurring the line between artificial intelligence and humanity. The setting of Kepler-22b serves as a Gothic landscape where evolution has taken terrifying turns, and ancient cybernetic relics suggest a forgotten history of transhumanism. The narrative consistently deconstructs prophecy and myth, suggesting that both technological and religious dogmas can lead to destruction.

Category:2020 American television series debuts Category:2022 American television series endings Category:American science fiction television series Category:HBO Max original programming