Allison Tolman and Alexa Swinton in Emergence

In Long Island’s Peconic Bay, police chief Jo Evans is called to the site of a plane crash where the investigation immediately raises more questions than it answers.

One mystery is a child found near the site who has no memory of who she is or how she got there. Scared and alone, the girl attaches herself to Jo, played by Emmy-nominated Fargo actor Allison Tolman.

As Jo tries to keep the girl safe from unseen, nefarious forces, she begins to witness things she can’t explain, and suspects that Piper, as she is named by Jo’s family, is the centre of a strange conspiracy.

Emergence is reminiscent of Steven Spielberg’s early movies and that’s no accident. Creators Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters love Spielbergian sci-fi, especially the stories that could be watched by the whole family.

Butters names ET and Close Encounters of the Third Kind as their main influences, movies where “there was a little bit of magic" mixed in with the family dynamic. "We wanted to share that kind of story with our own kids because as a parent, I am always searching for something we can watch together as a family," she says.

Donald Faison, Ashley Aufderheide and Clancy Brown in Emergence

But don’t think that means they’ll hold back on the scares. Emergence is a thriller that is full of suspense, action-packed car chases, and shadowy conspiracies.

Starring alongside Tolman is Donald Faison, probably best known for playing Christopher Turk on 9 seasons of Scrubs.

As an actor who has been known for comedy, Faison jumped at the chance to do something different, especially sci-fi, as he describes himself as a “huge fan” of the genre.

Jo with journalist Benny, played by Owain Yeoman

Playing Jo’s ex-husband Alex and father to their teenage daughter Mia (Ashley Aufderheide), he finds himself swept up in the mystery surrounding Piper.

Also drawn into the conspiracy are Jo’s father Ed (Clancy Brown), her friend Abby Fraiser (Zabryna Guevara) police officer Chris Minetto (Robert Bailey Jr) and journalist Benny Gallagher (Owain Yeoman), who might be able to help Jo piece together the evidence.

Combining edge-of-your-seat action with emotional family moments, Emergence ties it all together with a supernatural mystery that will keep you coming back for more.

Watch the trailer here!

Emergence premieres Wednesday 25 September 9pm. Same day as the U.S.