Before The Boys, Jack Quaid Starred In A Failed Zombie Series On Prime Video

Jack Quaid has found what could very well be his career-defining role in Prime Video's "The Boys." The anti-superhero series, based on Garth Ennis' irreverent comic book, cast Quaid as Hughie Campbell. After his girlfriend was accidentally killed by A-Train (Jessie T. Usher), a member of the superhero team The Seven, Hughie joined Billy Butcher's (Karl Urban) titular group of vigilantes. The Boys are dedicated to taking down the team of "Supes," led by the narcissistic and vindictive Homelander (Antony Starr). Now four seasons in with a fifth in the works, "The Boys" has proved a huge hit with audiences and has made Jack Quaid a household name.

Before his role on "The Boys," though, Quaid was almost part of a very different series for Amazon. Between 2013 and 2017, Amazon ran public pilot seasons on Prime Video in which viewers would have the opportunity to watch and give feedback on a range of new series pilots. Based on audience feedback, Amazon would then decide which series were greenlit. One of the final pilot seasons on Prime Video included a zombie comedy that starred Quaid alongside Glenn Close.

Amazon's pilot season program came to an end as Prime Video moved to what has become a more traditional approach in the world of streaming, often forgoing pilots and ordering shows straight to series. However, before the program concluded, it gave audiences a look at some experimental and exciting new projects, including Quaid and Close's "Sea Oak."

The Prime Video pilot "Sea Oak" cast Jack Quaid as Cole, a stripper and nephew to Bernie (Close). Together with Cole's sisters, Min (Jane Levy) and Jade (Rae Gray), they live in a dilapidated housing complex called Sea Oak. The pilot saw Close's Bernie die from a heart attack when the family's home was broken into. Soon after the funeral, though, her grave appeared to have been robbed. In actuality, Bernie had returned from the dead. Confronting her nephew and nieces, the zombie Bernie — who appeared to have telekinetic powers — made it clear she was going to make up for all she had not done in life, set upon taking on multiple lovers after dying a virgin. Having been reluctant in life to push her nieces into getting work, she now made it clear they were going to help her pay for the lifestyle (deathstyle?) she wanted.

"Sea Oak" was a strange black comedy, but its unconventional premise and genre-defying story resonated with viewers. The pilot received largely positive reviews, currently sitting at an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, but Amazon made the decision not to pick up "Sea Oak" or any of its fellow pilots from Prime Video's fall 2017 pilot season. The decision seemed to herald Amazon's move away from the pilot season approach, but it wasn't the end for Quaid's association with the streamer. Just two years later, "The Boys" arrived, giving Quaid his moment to shine.