Little Marvin Calls Deborah Ayorinde “The Official Muse” For ‘Them’

When Them creator Little Marvin set out to write the second season of his horror anthology series, he wasn’t sure if Deborah Ayorinde would return. But “the stars aligned” and she signed on to play LAPD detective Dawn Reeve in Season 2 after her noteworthy run as Livia “Lucky” Emory in Season 1.

“I actually thought it was just a wish-fulfillment thing that would never occur,” the show creator told Decider over a Zoom chat ahead of the season premiere.

“As I sat down to write it, the only face I could see was Debs. She was the warm beating heart of the first season. I really think of her as the muse. She was the official muse of Them for me,” he added.

Season 2, titled The Scare, takes place in 1991 in Los Angeles and follows Detective Dawn Reeve as she investigates the gruesome murder of a foster home mother. As the investigation deepens, a paranormal entity begins to haunt Dawn’s family.

“As I was writing the pilot to the second season, I was like, ‘Oh, my God put her face away. I can’t think of somebody else. We’re not going to get right. Think of somebody else,'” recalled Little Marvin. “But I kept seeing Deb. I was so grateful that the stars aligned and she was able to do it. And I’ve always loved that feeling of a repertory. I love the idea of seeing an actor come back in a completely new way in a completely different form, and kill it on another level. It’ll be exciting for audiences to watch her do that.”

Ayorinde was equally thrilled to be welcomed back for a second season, telling Decider in a separate interview, “When he asked me to come back, it was a no-brainer. I didn’t expect it at all when I did the first season. I left it there… because in my mind, I didn’t think that I could come back to the show and play a completely different character. But my limited thinking was wrong and we made it work. I’m just so honored, to be honest.”

When asked which character Ayorinde enjoyed playing more, she compared it to having two children. “You have your firstborn and it’s your firstborn. And then you have your second one, and you don’t love either one more than the other but you have a special different love for both children — well, I would hope. This was a different love for both children. That’s how I feel about both of these characters,” the Harriet actress said.

With Ayorinde returning for a second season, the biggest question left was whether she’d return for a third season, to which she told us, “Absolutely.” While Them has to be renewed for another season — after receiving a two-season order from Prime Video — Little Marvin has also expressed interest in continuing the series: “I would love to keep going. So let’s see.”

Both seasons of Them are currently streaming on Prime Video.