On August 13th, TNT will unleash a new drama called Legends. If you’ve seen the brilliant hashtag going around, #DontKillSeanBean, this is the show they’re talking about. Sean Bean (Game of Thrones) stars as an undercover agent working for the FBI’s Deep Cover Operations (DCO) division. Since he’s gone undercover so many times, he begins to question his identity and sets out to discover his true self. Along for the ride are Ali Larter (Heroes), Morris Chestnut (American Horror Story), Tina Majorino (Veronica Mars), Steve Harris (The Practice), Amber Valletta (Revenge), and Mason Cook (The Lone Ranger).

I sat down to talk with some of the cast (not Sean Bean though) and executive producers Howard Gordon and David Wilcox at SDCC 2014 to find out more details about the show.

Tina Majorino’s Character is Similar to Mac, but Still Different

Tina Majorino played computer genius Mac in Veronica Mars and admits to there being some obvious comparisons to her character in Legends, Maggie Harris. Maggie is the newest member of the DCO, and very capable with a computer. Majorino explained the work she put into finding the differences between the characters, keeping in mind the comparisons that would obviously be made:

I love Mac. She’s very rebellious and fully herself. She goes against the grain. She stands up for her friends and causes trouble. Mac is naturally talented and figured out how to do things herself.
Maggie is a highly trained professional, so there’s a different intention behind what she’s doing. I don’t necessarily look at Maggie and connect her all the time with a computer, even though that’s where she always stays. She’s part of the support staff so she’s helping set up these deep cover operations and trying to keep agents safe. There’s not really room for that rebellious nature. There are people’s lives on the line here and she’s had to work really hard to get where she is so she takes it seriously.

Ali Larter Refuses to Carry a Smaller Gun

Ali Larter plays Crystal McGuire, also an agent in the DCO unit. In order to prepare for the role, she worked with an actual FBI agent, who had a female partner, on several things, including gun training. Larter quicker learned that holding a Glock was very difficult due to her hand size, but, like the FBI agent’s female partner, she refused to change guns. “It just doesn’t work the same way with someone who’s larger in size. His partner would never change the gun. It was a part of pride for her, and that’s something that’s interesting to me. If the boys are going to get it, then I’m going to get the exact same thing. So I just had to work on it a bit more.”

This Won’t Be Your Typical ‘Legend of the Week’ Show

“We’re not doing a legend of the week, if you will. These are deeper stories that play over multiple episodes and he [Martin Odom, Sean Bean’s character] lives in that legend over multiple episodes. I think that’s the biggest difference between other shows,” says Executive Producer David Wilcox.

Morris Chestnut and Sean Bean Will Battle a Lot

Tony Rice (Morris Chestnut) is described as a quick-witted and charming FBI/DCO agent, to which Morris Chestnut says is a “huge departure” as any real life attributes. Oh please, Morris! He charmed the pants off of everyone, even the men, during his interview. He explains how Tony Rice opens the show in pursuit of Martin Odom, thinking he committed one of the crimes he’s investigating only to find a “larger conspiracy going on.” Tony ends up working with Martin and his team in almost a Doakes-Dexter kind of way. Chestnut says Tony challenges Martin constantly: “We don’t ever get physical, but we battle each other.”

The Question “Who Am I?” Will Be at the Center of the Show

Martin Odom (Sean Bean) transforms into a different person for each assignment leading him to ask the question, “Who am I?” Howard Gordon, Executive Producer, expands on that saying, “I don’t think any of those other characters [of different shows] asks, ‘Who am I?’  That’s what it really comes down to. It becomes a mystery. If I’m not Martin Odom, then who am I? It deconstructs and reconstructs the question.” David Wilcox reiterates that identity will be the core theme of the show leading Martin to wonder if “Martin Odom” is an actual legend. “This is a show driven by character, not the case. We really wanted the question “Who am I?” to really resonate throughout.”

There Won’t Be any Ridiculous Wig Wearing a la “The Americans” 

When talking about how much Ali Later loves the fact that she gets to put on different personas as a deep undercover agent, she explained that it’s “shades of yourself.” She assures us, “This isn’t a show where you where wigs. Maybe a little bit of a hair change, the clothes do so much, a new demeanor, and that’s it.” But without a wig won’t everyone in the world recognize them? I’m a little bit sad we won’t be seeing silly wigs everywhere, but I know it’s for the best.

Legends Will Be Psychological, not Mechanical

Sometimes when playing with the idea of “Who am I?” things can get a little cheesy if you start adding in implanted chips and whatnot. The Executive Producers are working hard not to let that happen saying, “I don’t want anyone to have stuck a chip in his head so it really does come from character and pathology.” They promise a show as “psychological as possible, not mechanical,” letting the stories breath and move quickly.

Legends Will be Fun to Watch

Even though Legends is described as a drama, and has some serious identity questions going on, Ali Larter declares that there’s still some fun to be had in it. In the first episode alone, she has an action scene, a scene where’s she’s being an authoritative FBI agent, and a scene where she does a little striptease which is a good example of the range of the show. She says, “One of the things about this show is that not only are they taking difficult, interesting story lines and weaving it into this great mythology, but we also want to have fun while we’re making it. This isn’t just some dark edgy show, it’s fun to watch also.”

The #dontkillseanbean hashtag initially caught my interest, but from what the cast and creators say about Legends, I’ve already got my DVR set to record. Legends premieres Wednesday, August 13 at 9 pm (ET/PT) on TNT.

This is the Action Flick Chick, and you’ve just been kicked in the ass!