Mystery series ‘Dispatches from Elsewhere’ premieres on AMC

An alternate reality hiding just below the surface of the world we see every day is about to be revealed. On Sunday, March 1, a new mystery series, “Dispatches from Elsewhere,” premieres on AMC, and it follows a group of strangers on a journey of discovery that blurs the lines between what’s real and what’s not. “Dispatches from Elsewhere” is a game that brings together four people that are searching for meaning in their lives. Each player has been won over and introduced to the elaborate alternate-reality game by the charismatic leader of the Jejune Institute, Octavio, played by Richard E. Grant (“Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, “2019). As they chase clues and search for the mysterious and missing Clara (Cecilia Balagot, “Girl Meets World”), they begin to question whether the game is really just a game. Our four participants are Fredwynn, portrayed by André Benjamin (“American Crime”); Janice, played by the delightful Sally Field (“Hello, My Name Is Doris,” 2015); Simone, played by Eve Lindley (“Mr. Robot”); and Peter, played by Jason Segel, who most TV fans will remember as Marshall from “How I Met Your Mother.” As the players unravel the game’s mysteries, they become entangled in the web of the secret society that springs from the Jejune Institute, and they begin to believe they are seeing a new reality in plain sight.

Segel not only stars in “Dispatches from Elsewhere,” he is the show’s creator and has a hand in every aspect of the series. He’s a writer, executive producer and he directed the pilot episode, too. If you consider his previous screenwriting work, Segel’s imaginative fingerprint appears to be all over this series. Though it’s a tough thing to do in Hollywood, he has a history of getting his passion projects off the ground. Segel penned and executive produced “The Muppets”

in 2011, but that wasn’t his first foray into puppetry. It has been well documented that the Dracula puppet opera featured in the 2008 film “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” is actually snippets of a full musical that Segel wrote before he began writing that film’s script. It is not surprising that he has now helped create this odd, winding mystery series — the guy is much more strange and interesting than the role he’s best known for would suggest. The secrets of this new show’s freshman season remain just that for now — secret. Keeping the highlights and surprises under wraps is very important to Segel. At a January Television Critics Association event, he said, “I actually don’t want to give too much away if we are lucky enough to continue. It’s an exciting experience — we’ll see where it goes.”

If the mystery of the Jejune Institute isn’t enough to entice prospective audiences, “Dispatches from Elsewhere” boasts one of the most exciting ensemble casts in recent memory. Benjamin, perhaps better-known as André 3000 of the band Outkast, has been building an impressive filmography since his debut as Silk Brown in the 2003 crime movie “Hollywood Homicide.” He starred in “Four Brothers” in 2005 and made the move to television in 2016 for the second season of the anthology series “American Crime.”

Field is a Hollywood veteran known for consistently incredible performances in virtually every genre and medium. She shines in heartwarming films such as “Steel Magnolias” (1989), “Forrest Gump” (1993) and “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1994), as well as action films such as “Smokey and the Bandit” (1977), her early TV shows “Gidget” and “The Flying Nun,” and her recent roles in quirky dramedies such as Netflix’s “Maniac.”

Next to one of television and film’s most celebrated actresses stands one of the most exciting fresh faces in the industry. Eve Lindley has already landed roles in some of the most buzzedabout recent series, such as

“Outsiders,” “Tales of the City” and “High Maintenance,” but it is clear that this is only the beginning of a long and prolific acting career.

At the same TCA event in January, Lindley shared how meaningful it was to portray a trans woman as a trans woman herself, saying, “I read the script and I was so moved . ... It was one of the best depictions of a trans character I ever read. I felt close to her. Jason [Segel] allowed me to interject a lot of myself into her.”

The premise for “Dispatches from Elsewhere” comes from some interesting source material. There is a “real” Jejune Institute, and it is the subject of the appropriately named 2013 documentary film, “The Institute.” Documentary might be a generous term for what that feature is, as the institute itself was involved in its production. Between 2008 and 2011, the creators of “The Institute” amassed thousands of participants in their game and sent them all on silly adventures, like dancing with a sasquatch on a sidewalk. But they also asked them to search for a woman named Eva. The game was eventually disbanded, but it left participants questioning how much of what was revealed to them during the experience was real, which infused the whole operation with a cult-like quality.

Join the others at the Jejune Institute and follow the clues when “Dispatches from Elsewhere” premieres Sunday, March 1, on AMC.

Jason Segel stars in “Dispatches from Elsewhere”