La Brea's Sam Should've Been Dead Long Ago, But NBC Didn't Let Him Go

Summary:

• La Brea is an NBC sci-fi TV series about a group of people trapped in a primeval land due to a sinkhole that opened up in the middle of Los Angeles.
• The show aired for 3 seasons and ended on February 13, 2024.
• According to La Brea’s creator, not all everyone was meant to survive that long. Sam Velez in particular was meant to be killed off in a pilot.

Although many people know and love NBC for all the procedural dramas the network puts out, it's not just One Chicago Universe and every Law & Order series out there that attracts viewers. Many people get hooked on the network's experimental series, like La Brea, even if they aren't always successful.

In the case of La Brea in particular, it was the rare case where both network executives and viewers agreed that the show needed to be canceled. The one thing that wasn't expected by anyone, however, is the effect that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that took place in 2023 will have on the length of the final season.

The show's team, already struggling with writing consistency, was faced with the daunting task of wrapping up the major arc of a three-season sci-fi drama in just 6 episodes. This wasn't the first time NBC dictated the rules that changed the direction of the show.

What Happens to La Brea’s Sam Velez?

Speaking to TVLine about the ups and downs he personally and the whole creative team has faced in a need to wrap the whole show up in just 6 episodes, the showrunner David Appelbaum mentioned how NBC vetoed the death of one of the key characters.

"In the original pilot that I pitched, he died at the end of the [first] episode — he was killed by that saber-toothed cat that they run from. But NBC really liked the character and asked me to keep him alive and see where I could bring his story. That really changed the direction of the show," he said.

Suffering from PTSD, Dr. Samuel Velez, portrayed by Jon Seda, fell into the sinkhole along with his daughter Riley. Had he been killed off in the pilot, as Appelbaum had planned, the characters would have lost a helping hand in the form of the Army veteran and practicing physician, likely making their struggle even more difficult.

However, thanks to NBC executives who saw the potential in Sam and wanted to see where his story could go, he stayed in La Brea throughout the series.

If you missed the finale of NBC's own sci-fi drama, which aired on February 13, you can catch it on NBC.com and the NBC app. The show is also available to stream on FuboTV.

Source: TVLine