AsEvil, one of television’s greatestall-time shows, comes nearer to its end, the hope for some sort of life preserver for the show grows dimmer. Mind you, life preservers are only thrown to those series looking for life beyond their cancellation date, and it’s clear that series creatorsMichelleandRobert Kingarenot actively looking to do so, stressing that while they love the characters, a follow-up is “not a conversation [they’ve] been having.”
But could divine intervention see the series continue in another form, say aspin-off? The Kings haven’t necessarily closed the door on that, simply saying that they would never say no to the idea. So let’s say a spin-off is in the cards. There’s potential there, like a prequel, allowing us to see how Leland (Michael Emerson) went from “Friend of the Vatican” to its cunning enemy, butthe series' most outstanding character deserves to move forward: Sister Andrea (Andrea Martin).
“Evil,” the 2019 TV series from creators Robert and Michelle King, is a gripping exploration of the intersection between science and the supernatural. The series stars Katja Herbers as Dr. Kristen Bouchard, a forensic psychologist drawn into a world of dark mysteries and unexplained phenomena. Alongside priest-in-training David Acosta (Mike Colter) and tech expert Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi), Kristen is tasked with investigating a series of bizarre cases for the Catholic Church, including demonic possessions, hauntings, and miracles.
‘Evil’s Sister Andrea Quickly Became a Fan Favorite
Sister Andrea first enteredEvilinSeason 2’s “A is for Angel,” an unassuming nun charged with mopping the floors. It doesn’t take long before Sister Andrea ditches “unassuming” and becomes someone who challenges David (Mike Colter), giving him advice in a straightforward, yet loving manner.SisterAndrea, for all intents and purposes, becomes David’s spiritual advisor, telling David to get over himself and stop trying to force God to talk to him — but she also has the grace to sit and teach himhowto talk to God, using a metronome as a tool. Sister Andrea goes on to become invaluable to the team, translating the sigil map, which becomes a primary element in the series going forward and reveals that there are 60 demonic houses of Satan, each of which has a master that passes on the leadership to a successor in the event of death, otherwise the house itself dies.
While these details prove to be of great importance, Sister Andrea’s fearlessness in the face of evil would quickly become another facet that endears her to the fanbase. When confronted by a demon at night, she grabs a crucifix and stabs him with it, not out of panic but with a self-assuredness that comes from an unshakeable faith. That fearlessness would also mark her confrontations with Leland, who early on said to her, “Nuns are irrelevant. Go off and pray.” These are words he quickly regrets when the “irrelevant” nun becomes one of the few to not only stand up to him but actually cause him fear. There is no better example than during Leland’s “exorcism,” where she, having pledged to help David take Leland down, pours holy water on Leland, causing his skin to burn. It turns out that Sister Andrea switched out the holy water for ammonia, and when Leland confronts her about it, looking to attack, she pulls a knife on him. Maybe she didn’t need to switch to the ammonia, but what it did was expose Leland for the evil force he truly is, and set her up as Leland’s antithesis.Fearless, devout, funny, calm, and blessed with both street and faith smarts,it’s little wonder that Sister Andrea wasupgraded to series regularin time for Season 3.
‘Evil’s Sister Andrea Just Gets Better and Better
Season 3ofEvilwasted little time in making Sister Andrea a larger part of the story. One storyline sees Leland attempting to manipulate Sister Andrea into resigning from the church, telling the Monsignor (Boris McGiver) she’s hallucinatory and a liability to the church after seeing her talking to a demon that only she could see. She defiantly refuses and demands an investigation, led by the Council of Heretical Practices, after the no-nonsense nun takes issue with the Cardinal conversing with a demon. Whodoesn’tlove a nun willing to step up to a Catholic big-wig, challenging the orthodox hierarchy by simply doing what she knows is right? Leland’s machinations to drive her out fall apart, andSister Andrea keeps her job with David’s help.
As Robert King, when talking about Sister Andrea’s story progressing following the events of Season 2, said, “We like the idea of her as like anArnold Schwarzeneggeraction hero, even though she’s Andrea Martin. You can’t think of anything funnier than that, that she’s literally physically battling demons.” And she would take down many over the course of Season 3 and more, with the culling of the demon herd in the Bouchard home an absolute must-see in the third season’s finale.Season 4 sees Sister Andrea upping her game even more, confronting demon after demon (her standing in the storm, challenging the demons behind it in the name of Christ, in"How to Survive a Storm,“is amazing), and shepherding the protagonists as only she can, providing them with a voice of reason and faith amid the tempest.
‘Evil’ Could Introduce More Than One Spin-off Series
The reason Sister Andrea is such a fan favorite comes down to the creative talent behind her, Andrea Martin herself. The savvy veteran actress brings conviction to the role without falling into stereotype or a mocking representation. We believe that Sister Andrea believes, beyond a shadow of a doubt, and as funny as some of her moments are, Martin never turns it into slapstick. She’s funny when it’s called for, stern when she’s needed to be, and the love Martin instills in the character for the others (and contempt for Leland and his demon cronies) is never questioned. One beautiful moment in Season 4’s “How to Build a Coffin” sees Sister Andrea up against a “grief demon” who has attached itself to Father Ignatius (Wallace Shawn), still at a loss over the death of the Monsignor. The demon tries to exploit a past heartbreak from her past, and Martin lets the sorrow show in her eyes, giving the moment a mournful thought before shaking it off and beating the demon by getting Father Ignatius to talk openly about it. (The crunching of the demon underfoot is just the perfect exclamation point.)
Martin has more than proven that she has a handle on the character, and it really feels like the long-time character actress has the right role that can be presented asthe linchpin of a new series. If the team is disbanded due to lack of funding, Sister Andrea may be the right person already in-house to pick up where they left off. Not only would it make sense, but it would also leave the door open for other cast members to return. Her devoutness in a television world that largely decries it is refreshing, and a spin-off could start off with a powerful woman character in a sheep’s habit, ready to take on the forces of evil with wit, savvy, and garden shears.
But if a Sister Andrea spin-off doesn’t fly, another character — make that characters — who could make for an interesting series?The Bouchard girls. I’ve long maintained that they are the best characters inEvil, alongside Sister Andrea, and a series that revolves around a group so tight-knit with amazing chemistry and realism could be amazing. It would be hard to spin something with the characters being so young now, but what about a spin-off focused on a future where the Bouchard girls tackle evil in their own unique way? The casting would need to nail that chemistry and sense of fun that serves the characters so well now, but it’s not an impossible task by any stretch. Better still, have Sister Andrea around to be their mentor, allowing the best of the best to shine together. Or what about a Robert the doll series? Scratch that — that thing creeps me the hell out.
Evilis available to stream in the U.S. on Paramount+.
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