Wynonna Earp Preview: “Purgatory” 

[Warning: General spoilers ahead.]

Syfy’s newest scripted (thank God) series, Wynonna Earp, debuts this Friday night, and although it launches on April Fool’s Day, I can safely assure you that its titular character suffers none of them. Girlfriend has some serious swagger.

Headlined by The Listener‘s Melanie Scrofano and created by Lost Girl and Killjoys producer and writer Emily Andras, the show is leaping into the Syfy kickass women void created by the departure of both Lost Girl and Bitten. The network has already welcomed her to the fold alongside Killjoys‘ Dutch.

The ladies of @Syfy got us like ???. #WynonnaEarp #Killjoys #WCWhttps://t.co/xW2H6SON7o

— Syfy (@Syfy) March 23, 2016

If you’re a fan of Westerns and U.S. history, or even if you’re not, the name Earp probably means something to you. Buckle up, because history’s veering way, way left with the Earp lore and redefining his gun-slinging days against the backdrop of the supernatural, as you do on Syfy.

Wynonna is equal parts sass, soul, and humor as a young woman who’s seen unspeakably horrible things and walked away to preserve her own safety and sanity only to find herself summoned home when the past rears its ugly head.

She arrives in her hometown of Purgatory on her 27th birthday and immediately comes face to face with one of the boogedies she’s been dodging. Rather than turn around and run back from whence she came, she decides to dig in her heels to keep her family, and especially her equally sassy younger sister, Waverly (Dominique Provost-Chalkley), safe.

The key to their protection is a wicked 19th century gun called the Peacemaker, which has been hidden away for a while. Wynonna’s arrival coincides with that of a super-secret special agent named Dolls (Defiance‘s Shamier Anderson), who tries to recruit her into the service of her country for something she’s been trying to disavow for most of her existence.

Also arriving in town around the same time is a sultry, Southern stranger played by Schitt’s Creek‘s Tim Rozon, who’s worked with Andras on Instant Star and Lost Girl. I’m not going to name him here because I think that’s a fun surprise, but if you look at Syfy’s info on the series, you’ll find it. He shows up not longer after the gun, and when he mistakes Wynonna for a prostitute she cackles that hookers are paid.

The big bad in the series is actually several medium bads, related to Wynonna’s great-grandpa’s activities a long, long time ago. We’ll meet their really big bad next week. He’s played by Michael Eklund (Bates Motel and Continuum, for starters), which pretty much tells you all you need to know about how frightening he is. Next week, we also get a better bead on Dolls, and his dynamic with Wynonna, which is a hilariously odd balance of heat and frustration.

I dig the hell out of the premise, and am beyond thrilled that it’s chock full of Canadian blood. The series is based on the IDW comic book series of the same name by Beau Smith.

I knew and liked Scrofano from The Listener, and she was my first draw to the show. She is terrific here, playing a prickly, defiant, probably borderline-alcoholic who is pissed off at the whole turn of events that dictated her life to begin with and have now drawn her back to Purgatory. That anger fuels her forward, even through moments of extreme terror, because that’s how she’s survived.

You immediately recognize that nothing’s ever come easy for Wynonna–except a multi-generational albatross-type dictate about demons and Hell because now that she’s 27, she’s officially tasked with resolving unfinished family business, but I digress. It’s extraordinarily entertaining to watch her navigate her new responsibility with disgust, resignation, and a healthy sense of humor. She gives no f-cks and it just might save her life.

The supporting cast is great, too. The pilot episode sets the stage with the basics, but by the second episode, you get a better sense of what Rozon, Anderson, and Provost-Chalkley are going to do with their characters. It’s readily apparent that everybody is having a ball.

Wynonna Earp premieres Friday at 10/9c on Syfy. It’s definitely a fantastic way to close out your week, especially if you sometimes arrive at Friday night feeling ever-so-slightly homicidal. Let Wynonna do the heavy lifting, kids. Here are a couple of sneak peeks of the premiere and what to expect this season.