Pigeon? She’s more of an eagle, or a hawk. Still, the titular detective park ranger in USA’s new mystery-of-the-week drama Anna Pigeon, based on Nevada Barr’s 19-book series and played by Chicago P.D. vet Tracy Spiridakos, has many layers. “Anna is a very determined, stubborn, adventurous environmentalist,” the actress told TV Insider when we caught up with her on a crisp November day on the faux Glacier National Park set, located outside of Calgary. “She’s going through grief, but she also tries to not take herself too seriously and has her moments of levity. She lives in between those worlds.”
After the shocking murder of Anna’s husband Zach (played in flashbacks by Jordan Sledz) three years ago, Anna left her shiny New York life behind, disappearing into her calling as a park ranger. But she’s worked at five parks in the last three years because, as she claims in the pilot, “I don’t like office politics.” There’s a bit more to it than that, though.
When viewers meet Anna, she’s readying to jump ship at Glacier National Park, too, but this time, she hesitates. And it isn’t just because of the smiley Rusty Nail Saloon barkeep Jesse (Cooper Levy), who she takes to her cabin on a semi-regular basis. She’s investigating the death of a fellow ranger, Sheila Drury, who appears to have been killed by a cougar — except there’s a few key details that make Anna believe that’s not the case at all.
Emily Aslanian
The storyline is based on Barr’s first 1993 Pigeon novel, Track of the Cat. “The pieces aren’t coming together,” says Spiridakos. “And as much as everybody else seems to [see the case] tied up in a nice little bow, for Anna, the curiosity of it is just too great for her to let go of.”
No one at the Glacier National Park ranger station agrees. Her colleagues, including supervisor boss Geoff Miller (Ryan Northcott), fellow rangers Manny López (Manuel Rodriguez-Saenz) and Zoey Bear Child (Paulina Alexis), sarcastic dispatcher Frieda (Crystle Lightning), mourning administrative assistant Christina (Nikki Hallow), and even Anna’s pal, FBI Agent Frederick Stanton (Ronnie Rowe Jr.), all want her to drop it. But that’s not the Anna Pigeon way. “She’s impulsive, and she doesn’t care about the fallout,” teases Spiridakos.
There’s plenty of danger for her over the course of Season 1’s 10 episodes, from dangling off cliffs to wildlife encounters, and much of the perils can be tied to local landowner and rancher Jeremiah Paulson (Sons of Anarchy‘s Kim Coates). “He is doing some nefarious things in the park, and he becomes Anna’s nemesis,” series creator Morwyn Brebner (Rookie Blue) says. “People do what he likes, and Anna does not do what he likes. By the end of the season, that antagonism is unbelievably deep.”
“And the scenes between Tracy and Kim are so phenomenal,” she adds. “They really crackle.”
Of course, Anna’s psychologist big sister, Molly (Tricia Helfer), who she leaves behind in New York, is worried for her. And she doesn’t even know about the harrowing attempts on Anna’s life. “Molly and Anna’s parents were a little, as [Molly] says in one episode, ‘YOLO hippies,’” Helfer explained during a walk-and-talk interview between set trailers. “So, Molly definitely has a sense of a parental vibe. And she’s concerned with Anna’s choice to become a park ranger and leave her life, given the trauma that Anna’s gone through.”
Fans of Barr’s books can thank Lea Thompson (Back to the Future), who serves as a director (for the first two and last two episodes this season) and an executive producer, for the chance to finally see this fictional heroine onscreen. A major Barr fan, she held onto the rights for over a decade trying to make Pigeon happen. “I read them after my friend told me what great books they were, and I just love the character. It’s all about character,” Thompson says, admitting, “I just couldn’t let go of it.” How very Anna Pigeon of her.
When we spoke to her at lunchtime, Thompson had already lost her voice directing the ninth episode. Still, she’s happy to talk, even sporting braids as “an ode to Anna,” she says. “I think fans of the books will really just love seeing Anna Pigeon in all her glory — and all her fantastic mess.” Spiridakos was “born to play this part,” adds Thompson. “She’s funny. She’s sexy. She’s strong. She’s vulnerable. She’s smart. She’s direct.”
Fun fact: The character of Anna Pigeon is based on Barr’s real-life experiences, and many of the stories were inspired by her own park-hopping as a working ranger. Thompson, Brebner, and the rest of the cast and crew even had the delight of hosting Barr on the first day of camera testing — and gaining the author’s approval after seeing Spiridakos and Rowe Jr. in costume. “Nevada and her husband were in Calgary, independently of the show. They had planned a family vacation,” Brebner tells us. “So, Nevada came and got to meet some of the actors, got a walk around, and we all had dinner. And it was like a blessing from Nevada on the show. She saw the trailer that USA cut and really loved it. She really is like a spiritual guiding light for the show. The books are just the most phenomenal source material I’ve ever worked on.”
Besides Track of the Cat, and in a later episode, Barr’s 2012 prequel story The Rope, the remainder of the season will be original narratives. But the plan is to spread out the other book stories in every (hopefully) future season. “We’ve taken the freedom to create stories that we feel would allow Anna to be unexpected and surprising and bring a lot of heart and feeling into the episodes,” Brebner says.
Michelle Faye/USA Network
“What I like about the episodes is that they’re not all murder. There’s other mysteries involved,” says Thompson. “But there will be an adventure in every episode that you will want to go on with Anna.”
As Anna’s world is built out, she’ll develop deeper relationships with those around her — even adopting a cat named Piedmont, who book fans will recognize. As we explored Anna’s built-out ranger cabin on set, we saw touches of Western art on the walls, juxtaposed with an I Heart NY fridge magnet holding up a polaroid of Anna and her late husband, and Rod Stewart and Lee Greenwood albums tucked into the corner.
But Anna’s relationships with others is what really defines her. Although she doesn’t take any of her sister’s psychologist advice, she is dedicated to returning all of her calls. Plus, Anna’s a mentor to young ranger Zoey, who “really looks up to Anna,” Alexis (Reservation Dogs) told us on set. “Zoey’s a loyal friend [to Anna], and she always knows when something’s up.”
Except for maybe when it has to do with romance. “There’s a little bit of a love triangle,” teases Levy of his bartender Jesse, Anna, and cool Agent Stanton. “I think Anna gravitates towards Frederic’s authority and him knowing about her past, whereas Jesse’s new and fun and [represents] this life that she could have.”
“Anna’s a really interesting romantic heroine to me because she’s reticent,” Brebner says. “She has this love for her husband who died, and she carries that. There’s a lot of push and pull in her attachments with men.”
For Anna, her real love when we meet her is the park she’s protecting. The set’s structures were built in an area that’s surrounded by pine trees, adjacent to a majestic flowing river. Even the wood cabin-like ranger station was crafted using trees felled in the spot it now stands. The crew also travels around the immediate area for scenic views, ponds, and other natural fixtures — and you can bet they show the same reverence for nature as Barr’s original stories do. From director Thompson’s perspective, that admiration for the outdoors just made the show even more fun to film. “I wanted it to be like a classic Western, with a lot of super fancy shots,” she says. “I wanted the audience to be able to sit with the big, beautiful vistas that we have.”
Emily Aslanian
“We always look, every episode, for a moment of poetry in nature, and we’ve been able to capture that,” Brebner adds. “Even when Anna’s in peril, the world itself is visually fascinating.”
After all, that’s the world that Anna is putting herself in all that peril for. “She really is like a force of nature,” Thompson says. “She’s fighting for what’s right. She’s fighting for nature, for the park, she’s fighting a good fight.”
She might be throwing caution to the wind most of the time, but from what we’ve seen, it’s a beautiful view from the top.
Anna Pigeon, Series Premiere, Friday, August 7, 10/9c, USA