While the show has all the elements of a fast-paced thriller, it’s got some pretty raw emotions at its core. “In the pilot, we learn that Mara’s sister and niece have died. Right before I got the offer for this show my father died. It came into my life at the perfect time,” Shahi recalls. “There were moments when they called cut and the tears wouldn’t stop. My life was in front of this lens. It was very therapeutic.”

Joining Shahi as the architect behind the “reveries” is Sendhil Ramamurthy (Stan Lee’s Lucky Man). His character, Paul Hammond, is responsible for scouring an individual’s social media data and using it to build a VR world. According to Ramamurthy, a Reverie-style simulation could soon become a reality: “I don’t think there is any doubt. It’s almost a certainty that something like this will exist in the next 15 to 20 years.”

But the “reveries” aren’t all as terrifying as they sound. “Although we show the scary side of technology, the stories are uplifting,” Ramamurthy says. “Watching something like Black Mirror can be emotionally draining. Reverie offers a much more uplifting look at technology and the people who use it.”

Dennis Haysbert (24), Jessica Lu (Awkward) and Kathryn Morris (Cold Case) and also star. 

More sci-fi to explore

Been bitten by the sci-fi bug? Well you’re in luck. Here are four more sci-fi spectaculars coming to SYFY this August.

The Outpost

Weekdays from Monday 13 August, 9pm, SYFY/HD (CH 135/165). Also available for 30 days in Catch Up > Channels > SYFY

Jessica Green (Ash Vs Evil Dead) stars as Talon – the lone survivor of a race called Blackbloods – in this brand new epic fantasy series. Talon is on a revenge mission after her village is wiped out. Luckily she has a suite of latent supernatural powers that she need only harness to truly bring the fight.

The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time

Monday 20 August, 10pm, SYFY/HD (CH 135/165). Also available for 30 days in Catch Up > Channels > SYFY

All good things must come to an end. And the Sharknado film franchise, sadly, is no exception. But it’s not going quietly. There are Nazis. There are dinosaurs. Noah’s Ark pops up. Can Fin (Ian Ziering) save the world from this most bizarre of weather phenomena? Series alumni Tara Reid (American Pie) and Vivica A Fox (Independence Day) return to give it their all in the sixth and final Sharknado film.

Killjoys

Tuesdays from 21 August, 9pm, SYFY/HD (CH 135/165). Also available for 30 days in Catch Up > Channels > SYFY. Find seasons 1-3 in On Demand > Box Sets

Everyone’s favourite interplanetary bounty hunters are back for season 4. The Quad Planetary System is verging on a revolution, and the Reclamation Apprehension Coalition is forced to bring its A game to contend with the threat. Hannah John-Kamen (Ready Player One) and Luke Macfarlane (Brothers & Sisters) star.

Stitchers

Weeknights, 8pm, SYFY/HD (CH 135/165). Also available for 30 days in Catch Up > Channels > SYFY

Kirsten Clark (Emma Ishta) is a student with a special skill – she has “temporal dysplasia”, which means she has no perception of time. Now you might ask: “What’s so special about that? Most students have a poor awareness of time, especially when there’s a Dinner Date marathon on the telly.” But Kirsten is special. Her ability makes her the perfect candidate for a secret government programme in which people are “stitched” into the memories of murder victims to help discover who the perpetrator is. Read all about this mind-bending new series here.