Granite Flats
Granite Flats is a Utah-based original scripted television drama series produced by Brigham Young University (BYU-TV).
This first-ever original drama series for BYU-TV is set in a small town in the early 1960s during the Cold War. It follows several of the town’s citizens and the roles they play the mysterious appearance of pieces of metal throughout the area and the disappearance of a Soviet satellite. Granite Flats is a town full of secrets.
The family friendly series was created by James Shores and developed by Scott Swofford, who is executive producer and director. Taking place at the height of the Cold War and based on actual little-known covert U.S. military operations, Granite Flats is a period drama with science fiction elements that reflects the innocent and unsettled conditions of the times.
The series aired on April 7, 2013, with eight episodes for the season. It received positive reviews from national critics. In September 2013, BYU-TV announced a second season with eight new episodes, which premiered on April 6, 2014.
Cary Elwes, who played Westley in the 1980s cult classic The Princess Bride, has signed on to a four-episode story arc in the series. Christopher Lloyd, who played Doc in Back to the Future, has been cast as a regular, playing a local schoolteacher. Finola Hughes, from TV’s General Hospital, joined the cast for season two.
Regular cast members include:
- Richard Gunn plays the chief of police John Sanders, who is hunting down the missing Soviet satellite and protecting his town and family.
- Charlie Plummer plays Timmy Sanders, the police chief's son, who is passionate about solving mysteries.
- Annie Tedesco plays Beth Milligin, an army nurse and young mother who moves to Granite Flats with her son, Arthur, after the death of her fighter-pilot husband.
- Jonathan Morgan Heit plays Arthur Milligin, the new kid in town, who quickly forms a friendship with Timmy Sanders.
- Malia Tyler plays Madeline, the daughter of two scientists, with her own bright mind, who befriends Timmy and Arthur.
- Scott Christopher plays Lt. Frank Quincy, an officer whose prolonged stay at the army hospital piques Beth’s curiosity.
- David Naughton plays Dr. Whittison, the head of the VA Hospital in Granite Flats, who is involved in some top-secret research.
