UP Faith & Family, the leading streaming service for commercial-free faith and family movies and series, will be premiering the all-new award-winning family drama series These Stones. In These Stones, a grieving daughter (Madeline Carroll) finds herself drawn into the same supernatural program her late mother worked—matching undercover Bible characters with people facing challenges today. It’s all this stunned daughter can do to keep up normal appearances while seeking redemption for her past mistakes. Beginning Sept. 5, the service will add new episodes weekly. Season one is six episodes.
We had the opportunity to chat with Cheryl McKay, Screenwriter, Showrunner and Executive Producer about the inspiration for the series, how she approached the complex characters and more.
Kat: What sparked the idea for “These Stones”? Was there a specific event, place, or historical anecdote that served as a catalyst?
Cheryl: My executive producer’s pastor got an idea for a play and book manuscript after he read the Bible verses from Matthew 27. They mention how when Jesus died on the cross and rose again, the tombs broke open and saints rose from their graves. They started walking around and talking to people. It’s the kind of verse that makes you go, “Huh? What just happened?” So, Pastor Tim asked himself a fun question: “What if they never left? What if they are still here helping people?”
Jeanette (my EP) felt like there was something to it. I read it and felt like it was a great concept for a TV series. We used that creative “What if?” as the springboard to create our fictional storyline. What if those Bible characters were still here, working uncover, to help people through problems that are similar to what they went through in the past? For example, we pair Abraham’s wife Sarah with a woman struggling with infertility. We pair Rahab with a teenager with self-esteem issues. We pair Samuel (Hannah’s son) with a mom afraid to let her son with Down Syndrome join the real world.
I had so much fun thinking through what issues we could tackle today, that many people would relate to, and which Bible characters have a good parallel. At the center of the series is the Stuart family. The daughter, McKenna, becomes an unlikely helper, like a tour guide for these Bible characters, helping set up their undercover assignments while also getting roped into helping as well. (Sometimes, humorously, to her detriment when they interrupt life commitments.)
Kat: How do you approach creating complex characters? Are there any specific archetypes or character traits you find particularly compelling?
Cheryl: When it came time to create the characters for These Stones, I did something a bit unusual. I knew we wanted to make this show with talented friends we know and love. So, I had some of the actors in mind ahead of time. Before writing the scripts, I asked them what they thought of the concept of the show and if they’d be interested in playing roles if we got the show green lit. This includes people like Karen Abercrombie and Cameron Arnett, plus I’d created the character of McKenna specifically hoping to attract Madeline Carroll to the role. (I had worked with her on another film called Indivisible and worked with Karen and Cameron on the movie Extraordinary.) I also knew I wanted Erin Bethea, Katherine Shepler, Elizabeth Becka, and Micah Lynn Hanson in key recurring or guest star roles. My director knew Rusty Joiner and Charlene Amoia very well, so as we dove into creating McKenna’s parents, we also had them in mind. Being able to write with such talented actors at the forefront informed the voices of those characters. It made it really fun to play with all of them. And thank God, every one of them was available and willing to come play with us when we got our greenlight to film.
I’m one of those writers who likes to act out roles at my computer while I’m writing. If I’m not laughing or crying or moved emotionally along with them, neither will my audience be. So that’s part of my process when working on finding the depth in characters.
Kat: “These Stones” has a richly detailed world. Can you share some insights into how you built it? Did you draw from real-world locations or invent entirely new ones?
Cheryl: I location scouted, in advance, so I could try to write to the wonderful resources we have in Georgia. My heart was to make this project local and take advantage of the beautiful locations near us. So that helped me narrow down that I wanted that smaller town feel. I wanted that farm (also used in a drama Dolly Parton filmed here).
Then comes the supernatural world. That was a very collaborative effort between me, the producers, the director, the production design team, DP, and our VFX Supervisor.
I knew I wanted us to be able to spy on the characters in crises, each guest star who would be helped by those visiting Bible characters. I needed a way to see what was happening that made them the next “Assignment.” So, in comes that “video” spy camera feel that Miriam is able to show McKenna what is going on right now in that person’s life or in the recent past. It helps her set up those undercover assignments.
We had a lot of fun at the show bible writing stage coming up with all our terms, like naming the supernatural place where McKenna gets her “Assignments” in “Central Dispatch”. Calling the closet door a “Portal” to the supernatural place. The hallway where the doors with numbers is named the “Corridor.” We labeled McKenna an “Aide” to those Bible characters, the “Couriers.” We called the moment the Bible characters are allowed to show their look from Bible times, the “Reveal.” It was so much fun to make all that stuff up.
Our VFX Supervisor, DB Hansen of Arclight Studios, did an incredible job creating all the visuals of that supernatural world. We used green screen and black walls and ceiling around the set, so we had a blank canvas for him to build from. (Those elements were filmed in an old church that had been painted black inside for the youth group.)
Kat: Are there any hidden details or Easter eggs in the show’s setting that fans should keep an eye out for?
Cheryl: The director and I co-wrote a devotional study guide to go with the series, THESE STONES: Your Personal Devotional & Group Handbook for Season 1. We dive deeper into the themes of each episode. Susan wrote a couple of discussion questions encouraging viewers to dive deeper into the count of the stars flying down the Corridor, to see out what they symbolize, as well as why we might have chosen the sound of a knock on the closet door before McKenna goes through the Portal.
Also related to the book, we give our audience a chance to do what we call “Activations,” which are activities that would involve reaching out into their communities with various activities tied to each episode’s theme or story. What I’d love for viewers to do is watch the show and come up with their own Activation ideas on how they could do things to encourage those around them.
Kat: Without giving too much away, can you tease any unexpected plot twists viewers can look forward to?
Cheryl: Episodes 1-5 plant a lot of question that we needed to pay off in Episode 6, our season finale. I’ll admit as writing those episodes, I posed questions I didn’t know all the answers to. In fact, I invited my director, Susan, to co-write the finale with me because I didn’t know all the answers. I said, “Help me figure this out so everything makes sense!” (She’s not only a fantastic director; she’s a great writer!) There’s a lot of mystery about what really happened the day McKenna’s mother, Eliana, died, and why doesn’t McKenna like Courier Rahab (aka Miss Rae, the guidance counselor in Episode 4.) It was really fun to plant all those questions.
Kat: How do you balance keeping the audience guessing while maintaining a coherent storyline?
Cheryl: Creating the Stuart Family at the center helped give our show a cohesive feel. They get a season long arc, whereas the guest star storylines are more episodic and contained to one episode each. The Stuart Family allowed us to dive into present day issues, flashbacks, videos left behind by Eliana, McKenna’s mother. I believe those elements help it feel cohesive in the midst of the guest star stories. Having recurring things happen each episode also makes it feel more cohesive. That “Case of the week” style, or everyone getting a stone, or McKenna always finding something at the thrift store that ties to a case. Not to mention somewhere, in each episode is a line that tells someone, “You are never alone.”
For more info and how to watch, visit: https://upfaithandfamily.com