On Friday, Syfy introduces the world to Wyatt Earp’s great great granddaughter, superheroine Wynonna Earp. Based on an IDW comic book by Beau Smith, Wynonna is a western-science fiction-horror hybrid that features a sexy Doc Holliday and an onslaught of outlaw revenants who won’t stay dead.

“I say it’s like Buffy meets Justified,” said Emily Andras (Lost Girl), showrunner, at WonderCon 2016 in Los Angeles. “Because there’s a complicated sister relationship, I also pitch it as Buffy meets Frozen. But with more exploding heads.”

“It was honestly as if they had cooked up my perfect project in a lab. It’s got a demon-hunting cowgirl who’s a complete hot mess and it takes place in the West,” said Andras.

Wynonna Earp showcases a much younger, less fully-formed heroine than was presented in the comic, presenting her origin story for audiences.

“I always wrote Wynonna Earp at 35-40, in her prime and in control. This is what is great,” said Smith. “You take an onion and it’s got layers. This is the reverse. I’ve given them that little bit and they’ve added all these other layers to it.”

“Sexy layers,” Andras added.

“They cut out all the bad things,” joked Smith. “In two episodes, Emily has been able to show what has taken me 20 years to show.”

The sci-fi western is certainly unique to television, an increasingly tough claim to make.

“I don’t think it’s been represented on TV in a long time. I can’t speak highly enough about the Alberta landscape,” said Andras. “That’s what felt fresh to me. We see a lot of claustrophobic spaceships. This has the terror of endless sky and seeing something from a long way off, crawling toward you and still not being able to get across the desert away from it. That is something new to bring to this genre.”

“I said to my wife, ‘This is going to look different than other shows on TV.’ She was like, ‘You’re just being biased.’ No, the Calgary landscape is going to make this look like nothing else. There are a couple scenes that just looked John Ford-ish,” said Smith.

It helps when you have a veteran crew from Fargo and The Revenant.

“Now it’s time for the real critically-acclaimed demon-hunting cowgirl.’ This is the one, guys. Finally,” said Andras.

The show hinges on the titular role, and Damien actress Melanie Scrofano fit the bill by being different.

“The truth is there’s no real model for being a female hero. Unfortunately, what you tend to see is a lot of really strong young actresses who don’t get the chance to do a lot of action or stunts,” said Andras. “You see a lot of actresses doing Bruce Willis or Clint Eastwood. I’m just not interested in characters like that. I want them to be a person. I want them to be three-dimensional, vulnerable, funny, messed up and crazy.”

“[Melanie] came in with a real take no prisoner’s attitude, kind of a Jack Nicholson-vibe but with great legs,” said Andras. “She was chewing gum, the ultimate no-no in an audition, but she was so funny and off the cuff. I honestly didn’t know what this girl was going to do in the audition. I knew right away she was our Wynonna.”

“I don’t remember that,” said Melanie Scrofano of the gum.

Under her breath, she mutters, “but I’m sure it’s true.”

“I had such a non-shot of getting it, that I thought I’m just gonna go in there and play. As an actor you’re always trying to get it right. I’m not going to try and get it right because I don’t think they’re going to like me,” said Scrofano. “I’m not…like whatever that superhero is. I’m not that. I have a push up bra and that’s about it.”

Scrofano talked about how different this character is.

“She is so many things that are opposites. She is really strong in some ways and really weak in others. When I was in high school, a guy came up to me and was like…I always get emotional when I talk about this, but he came up to me and he was like…”

Scrofano pauses, choking up. Following a reassuring embrace from costar Shamier Anderson (who plays Agent Dolls), she continues.

“‘You’d be really beautiful if you didn’t joke around so much.’ It really affected me and I stopped joking around. I stopped being myself. Because I thought I had to be this one thing,” said Scrofano. “Wynonna shows girls you can be funny, a fuck-up, and it doesn’t mean you’re not beautiful, it doesn’t mean you’re not strong, but that we’re all these complicated things. Not a lot of people let you play that. That’s my favorite thing about it.”

When asked about the show’s target demographic, Scrofano gets wistful.

“I would love for a younger version of me to watch it,” said Scrofano.

Anderson interjects, “Younger version of you? You are young, what are you talking about?”

“If I was 12 or something. Some impressionable age, and learn that you can face the unimaginable. She has strength about her, and individuality. Purgatory is such a small town it’s like being in high school, where everybody hates her, and she’s forced to face that. A lot of people feeling like an outsider could really get something out of it and find their strength in being who they are. So whoever that is.”

Then she gets serious.

“Also grandpas. Specifically elderly men from Minnesota.”

“Key demographic there,” said Anderson.

“And cats. We’re keeping it a niche market,” said Scrofano.

“What kind of cats?” asked Anderson.

“Persian cats. White Persian cats. They need all the help they can get,” said Scrofano.

Anderson nods, “Of course they do. 150 percent. What about dogs? Nothing?”

“No. F*** them,” Scrofano said.

“There she is right there. Wynonna. A little sneak preview,” said Anderson.

We get the whole thing this Friday April 1 when Wynonna Earp premieres at 10 p.m. on Syfy.

[Cube image courtesy of Syfy via IGN; embedded image courtesy of Syfy via TV Series Finale]

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