Dark misfits find hometown in Midnight, Texas

Midnight, Texas, debuts at 9 p.m. Monday on NBC. Don’t look for the town on any map.

The supernatural thriller is based on the Midnight, Texas, trilogy (2014-2016) by Charlaine Harris, author of The Southern Vampire Mysteries,

the series on which True Blood is based.

Harris has Arkansas connections. She has lived in Texas since 2014, but resided for many years in Magnolia.

“I think people who haven’t read the books will be hit in the face repeatedly by the unexpected,” Harris says. Sounds painful. Midnight is a dusty, remote West Texas town (the series was filmed in New Mexico in

Breaking Bad country) where paranormal misfits find a refuge and no one is who they seem.

The town is “on the veil between the living and the dead.” Or, more precisely, between Earth and hell. Think of it as the Hellmouth on Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

NBC tells us, “From vampires and witches to psychics and hit men, Midnight is a mysterious safe haven for those who are different. As the town members fight off outside pressures, they band together and form a strong and unlikely family.” That makes Midnight, Texas, a family series. Sort of. Our central character is Manfred Bernardo, played by Francois Arnaud (Blindspot).

He’s a reluctant psychic who has been on the run for a long time. He’s guided to Midnight on the advice of his grandmother, Xylda.

That advice, Manfred says while driving toward town, “would mean a whole lot more comin’ from someone who isn’t dead.”

Here are the rest of our important Midnight denizens.

Bobo Winthrop (Dylan Bruce, Orphan Black), is the owner of the town pawnshop and has “a dark and mysterious past.”

Fiji Cavanaugh (Parisa Fitz-Henley, House of Cards), is a witch who owns a wiccan shop. She secretly pines for Bobo and has a snarky talking cat named Mr. Snuggly.

Olivia Charity (Arielle Kebbel, The Vampire Diaries), is a trained assassin with a passionate relationship with Lemuel Bridger.

Lemuel Bridger (Peter Mensah, True Blood), is an ancient vampire who works the night shift at the pawnshop.

Joe Strong (Jason Lewis, Sex

and the City), is an angel who has been on Earth for millennia. He lives with his husband, Chuy, and watches for the arrival of “the One” who can save Midnight from “the great evil that threatens humanity.” Creek Lovell (Sarah Ramos,

Parenthood), is a Midnight native, waitress and aspiring writer. She’s also Manfred’s love interest. Her family is harboring a deep, dark secret.

Rev. Emilio Sheehan (Yul Vazquez, Traffic) presides over the Midnight Chapel and Pet Cemetery. He disappears whenever there is a full moon.

Check out this beyond quirky series. As one critic put it, “Midnight, Texas, will make you feel way better about your own weird family.”

SHARKS, SHARKS, SHARKS

It’s time once again, fellow thalassophobiacs, for Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. Not only that, but Nat Geo Wild will also dazzle us at the same time with six nights of SharkFest, proudly billing it as the “second-best-known shark event on TV.”

Both finny features begin at 7 p.m. today. Discovery:

Getting all the pre-Shark Week buzz is a race between Olympic star Michael Phelps and a great white shark. Phelps vs. Shark: Great Gold vs. Great

White, airs at 7 p.m. today. The 100-meter open-water race took place off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa.

Rest assured that they do not swim side by side. No sharks or Olympians were injured

Other during Shark the Week event. shows include: Shark Vortex, 7 p.m. Monday. EnglandThe three sharks toughest— makos, New great Sharks whites and and the porbeagles.City: New York, 9 p.m. Tuesday. Seals are back in New York Harbor. Great whites are probably right behind.

Shark Swarm, 9 p.m. Thursday. “Shark societies,” in which different types of sharks gather around the world, are investigated. Shark School with Michael Phelps, 7 p.m. July 30. The week ends with Phelps visiting the Bimini Shark Lab to dispel the myths and learn how to dive with sharks. Nat Geo Wild:

Here are the four premieres from the weeklong SharkFest event.

Shark vs. Predator, 7 p.m. today. What sort of critter would take on a shark? The special tells all.

Tiger Shark Terror, 7 p.m. Monday. Swim at night? Divers explore the world of the tiger shark after dark. Mission Critical: Sharks Under Attack, 8 p.m. Monday. Forget Jaws, sharks are critical to the ecosystem, not man-eaters.

Shark Swarm, 7 p.m. Tuesday. Why do sharks congregate in huge numbers in certain areas?

An orange tabby named Bob plays Mr. Snuggly on the new NBC paranormal thriller Midnight,Texas. As with everything in the West Texas town, Mr. Snuggly is not what he seems.