‘Dear Edward’ is about ‘resilience,’ ‘connection,’ and the power of the human spirit, says creator Jason Katims

A deadly plane crash brings a group of unlikely people together to deal with their grief, and make connections that likely never would have otherwise happened. That’s the premise of the new Apple TV+ series Dear Edward, debuting Friday.

It’s from Friday Night Lights creator Jason Katims, who tells ABC Audio despite the heavy subject matter, it’s not a depressing show.

“To me, it’s really a story about resilience and about moving on and about the power of the human spirit,” he explains.” “I think of it as a very uplifting show and show that I think is really about connection.”

Connie Britton, who stars in the new series, echoes the same sentiment, stating, “Even though there’s a lot of grief and sadness and loss and tough emotional stuff around that in the show, the ultimate takeaway is actually life affirming. And actually hope. And that, I think, is a really wonderful thing to be able to create.”

Britton plays a wife who loses her husband in a plane crash, and she finds out he left behind some secrets — which got her thinking about what loose ends she might leave behind if something tragic happened. 

“I’m not a fearful flier at all,” she explains. “But I, now that I’m a mom, you know, that’s all I think about. I’m just like, if I died in a plane crash, is my son taken care of?” 

So, what drew her to the role?

“I love that this was an ensemble,” she shares. “I love that this was a really connective way of talking about grief. And by creating a system of support, even through all these very, very different lives.”

The first three episodes of Dear Edward air Friday with one episode-a-week thereafter.