Quantico Information

Quantico is an American television thriller series created by Joshua Safran which premiered on ABC on September 27, 2015. The protagonist of the series is Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra), who is suspected of committing a terrorist attack. Flashbacks tell her story and the stories of her fellow recruits at the FBI Academy in Quantico. ABC picked up the show for a full season with subsequent orders in October and November to a total of 22 episodes. On March 3, 2016, ABC renewed Quantico for a second season.

Synopsis

The series follows a group of young FBI recruits; each has a specific reason for joining. Flashbacks detail their previous lives, while the recruits battle their way through training at the academy in Quantico, Virginia. However, the series reveals in a flash forward twist that one of the recruits, upon graduating from the academy, will be suspected of masterminding the biggest terror attack on New York City since the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Cast and characters

Main

• Priyanka Chopra as Alex Parrish, a promising FBI agent who becomes a prime suspect in the terrorist attack. Framed, she goes into hiding to track down those responsible and clear her name.
• Josh Hopkins as Liam O'Connor, a seasoned FBI agent who had a fling with Miranda Shaw, demoted to work at the Academy.
• Jake McLaughlin as Ryan Booth, an undercover FBI agent who was tasked to surveil Alex, but fell in love with her instead.
• Aunjanue Ellis as Miranda Shaw, director of the training program at Quantico and Alex's mentor. She refuses to believe that Alex is guilty.
• Yasmine Al Massri as Nimah & Raina Amin, twins brought into the program by Miranda, who masquerade as one person under Nimah's name. Aggressive and secular Nimah desperately wants to be a special agent but is not quite up to the physical and mental challenge, while the more religious Raina is better suited to the role, but only entered training because Nimah wanted it so much.
• Johanna Braddy as Shelby Wyatt, Alex's best friend and an excellent shot. She is rather wealthy and her family owns a couple of corporations. Shelby's parents were both killed on 9/11, leading her to join the FBI to try to stop terrorist attacks in the future.
• Tate Ellington as Simon Asher. He is Jewish and has a fascination with Nimah, who discovers that he spent part of his life in Gaza. Simon was officially kicked out of Quantico, but is secretly a deep cover agent.
• Graham Rogers as Caleb Haas, who originally flunked out of the Academy as an agent, but brought back to train as an analyst, and then re-instated as an agent trainee again. Prior to the Grand Central Terminal Attack, Caleb was stationed as an analyst in San Diego, but requested a transfer to New York.
• Anabelle Acosta as Natalie Vasquez, Alex's rival in Academy standings and for Ryan's heart as well. In the events after the attack, she is shown to have become an FBI agent and is one of the agents hunting Alex down.

Recurring

• Anna Khaja as Sita Parrish, Alex's mother
• Brian J. Smith as Eric Packer
• Johnathon Schaech as Michael Parrish, Alex's father
• Rick Cosnett as Elias Harper, an openly gay analyst trainee who seems interested in Simon both personally and professionally.
• Mark Pellegrino as FBI Deputy Director Clayton Haas, Caleb's father.
• J. Mallory McCree as Charlie, Miranda's son
• Jacob Artist as Brandon Fletcher, an Agent trainee
• Marcia Cross as Senator Claire Haas, a Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee and Caleb's mother
• Jay Armstrong Johnson as Will Olsen
• Li Jun Li as Irish Chang
• Lenny Platt as Drew Perales

Episodes

|ProdCode        = 101
|Viewers         = 7.14
|ShortSummary    = FBI recruit Alex Parrish is found amidst the ruins of Grand Central Terminal. She is held by the FBI and questioned. Flashbacks show her FBI training at Quantico with the other recruits. One of them, Ryan Booth, is really an undercover agent who is instructed by Special Agent O'Connor to surveil Alex. Alex had told O'Connor how she shot her father, Jeff Michaels, during a fight with her mother. He turns out to be an FBI agent himself. Back in the present, they find Ryan unconscious, shot with Alex's gun in her apartment, together with evidence that points to her involvement in the attack. Alex is arrested. Miranda Shaw, her mentor from Quantico, helps her escape.
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|ProdCode        = 102
|Viewers         = 6.98
|ShortSummary    = Liam has caught Miranda, but Alex has escaped. She visits her apartment to collect evidence and is almost caught by Natalie. Alex calls Ryan at the hospital; he tells her he does not remember who shot him, but he knows it was not Alex. He offers to help her from the inside, but to do so, he must tell Liam that Alex is guilty. At Quantico, Miranda warns Nimah and Raina not to blow their cover, Elias finds out about Simon's past in Gaza, and Miranda finds out that Ryan is an undercover agent and worries that he is spying on her. 
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|ProdCode        = 103
|Viewers         = 5.75
|ShortSummary    = Alex's mother, Sita, is brought in for questioning and reveals that Alex had vanished for a year when she was in India. She is convinced by Liam to publicly beg Alex to turn herself in during a television press conference. Alex, meanwhile, seeks help from Simon, who was kicked out of Quantico some time earlier. They discover that Alex was being set up from the very beginning of her training. Simon helps her escape, but he is secretly working for Director Clayton. At Quantico, Alex learns from Liam that her father was a special agent. The NATs complete psychological profiles of each other, but the exercise is a test set up by Miranda. Raina must step up to the plate when Nimah leaves Quantico. Miranda learns that her son, who she had put into prison, may be paroled.
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|ProdCode        = 104
|Viewers         = 5.30
|ShortSummary    = Simon helps Alex avoid being captured by the FBI. They track the wire from her apartment to one of Shelby's companies and search for evidence at her house. Shelby knows that Simon is officially undercover for Clayton and Ryan discovers it, too. In the end, Alex holds Shelby hostage, Ryan and Simon plot together, and Clayton announces Alex is shoot-to-kill. At Quantico, Alex still struggles with what she learned about her father and fails during a training raid of a hostage situation. Liam wants Ryan to get Alex to quit Quantico and Ryan finds out that his undercover assignment was never officially sanctioned. Miranda asks Nimah to return to Quantico and tells her how her son was influenced by extremist groups to plan an attack on his high school. Elias becomes more suspicious about Simon.
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|ProdCode        = 105
|Viewers         = 5.10
|ShortSummary    = At Quantico, the NATS have 15 weeks more but they are all tired. So, as a treat, Miranda sends them all on an undercover mission. They all are asked to pose as a person and infiltrate a company and meet the CEO. Caleb destroys all of Shelby's efforts as a way of taking revenge, as he thinks she ratted on him being in the shooting arena in the beginning. At the end, Alex, Ryan, Nimah are among the "winners" of the challenge. Nimah and Raina make up and Nimah encourages Raina to pursue Simon. When Elias finds out that Simon has been lying about everything and wants to report him, Simon tells him he was in the Israeli Defense Force and is now living a lie to cope. In the present, Alex broadcasts a video stating her side of the story. Then, she escapes from the venue, leaving Shelby behind who, by then, believes that Alex could not have bombed Grand Central and does not give up Simon and Ryan. At the end, Simon gets a message with the names of agents near the area at the time of the bombing. Caleb is on the list.
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|ProdCode        = 106
|Viewers         = 4.05
|ShortSummary    = At Quantico, romances heat up among several of the recruits and the recruits learn the art of surveillance on suspects. Meanwhile, Shaw must deal with her recently paroled terrorist son. While surveying Shaw's home for an assignment, Alex learns that Liam has hired Booth to spy on her. Nimah plays matchmaker for Simon and Raina but, in the end, Simon catches the twins together in their room. In the present, Caleb takes over the investigation, prompting Simon to bug his computer, but it turns out that Shelby's the one who Caleb is investigating.  Simon and Alex find surveillance footage showing the twins at Grand Central before the attack.
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|ProdCode        = 107
|Viewers         = 4.38
|ShortSummary    = One of the twins is seen at Grand Central two days before the bombing. When Simon and Alex find one of the twins, she explains how they have infiltrated a terrorist group across the street and are trying to find out when the next attack is planned. At Quantico, the trainees face a crucial test where they are locked in a classroom with a bomb. The trainees work together to unlock the door, but are unable to defuse the bomb in time. However, they find out that the bomb is a fake. Trainees who stayed back with the team have passed the test and demonstrated their readiness to sacrifice themselves for the country. Caleb is bumped back to NAT and the twins are officially introduced to the class. In the present, Natalie suspects Ryan of helping Alex, so she tracks him and leads the FBI to Alex. While trying to apprehend Alex, the FBI raid puts the twins and their operation in danger. Ryan accidentally gets shot and is injured. Natalie finds him and Alex, but lets them go.
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|ProdCode        = 108
|Viewers         = 4.20
|ShortSummary    = Ryan talks Alex through field surgery to save his life. When the FBI's files are hacked, Alex calls her friends from the Unknown to help sort out the data. Meanwhile, Clayton asks Caleb to erase any trace of his affair with Shelby, leading Caleb to stumble upon evidence that might exonerate Alex. At Quantico, the NATs are given personalized assignments that turn out to be part of a larger lesson at FBI headquarters. Ryan helps Alex get information on her father, leading to a confrontation with Liam, who reveals a secret from his and her father's past. Caleb accidentally reveals the existence of Shelby's half-sister to the FBI. Miranda tries to engage with her son, with tragic consequences. Simon and Raina are disappointed to learn that it's Nimah he's more interested in. In the present, Alex realizes that there's another deadlier bomb and reluctantly turns herself in to inform the FBI of the threat.
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|ProdCode        = 109
|Viewers         = 4.07
|ShortSummary    = Elias returns as Alex's legal counsel, whom she called before surrendering herself. HIG, another government group, has a presidential executive order to interrogate Alex. They press her to confess by torturing Ryan, whom they caught when intercepting his helicopter. When Caleb examines Agent Goodwin's body, he notices that her phone is missing and that her body was set up to look like she was caught in the explosion. Caleb, Elias, Natalie, Liam, and the twins want to help Alex by establishing a timeline and find out that she was kidnapped into a van and drugged before being supposedly relocated to the explosion site. This is enough evidence for Liam to free her from HIG, but Alex agrees to plead guilty so that the real culprits still feel safe. At Quantico, Miranda is at the hospital after being attacked. Ryan is concerned with Alex constantly checking up on Liam, who is getting drunk because he could not prevent the terrorist attack when working with her father. Simon decides to report falsified evidence regarding a serial killer and is criticized by the other NATs. He meets with a friend of his, who gives him blueprints for all New York train stations.
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|ProdCode        = 110
|Viewers         = 4.39
|ShortSummary    = The twins, Caleb, Shelby, Natalie and Simon go to work investigating the rest of their class to find the real traitor. Liam frees Miranda and they convince Alex to put the others under surveillance since Alex is now the only NAT who cannot be guilty. Nimah discovers what they're up to and tells the others, while reprimanding Raina for her sympathies towards the terrorist they were dealing with. Simon meets with his bomb maker friend and then reveals to everyone that the Grand Central bombing is based on a dark plan he once devised, but denies knowing anything about the bombing itself. At Quantico, the NATs are assigned to help vet the next class. Alex and Ryan investigate Natalie who is called before the NAT review board under suspicion of lying on her application. Nimah learns the truth of Simon's past and forces him to reveal horrific details to the rest of the class. Ryan defends him, but accidentally reveals that Simon attacked him weeks earlier and Simon is dismissed from training. Natalie is allowed to continue while Ryan and Alex discuss their future before he departs.
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|ProdCode        = 111
|Viewers         = 4.56
|ShortSummary    = At Quantico, the NATs are given a long weekend off for New Year's Eve. Alex, Natalie, Shelby and Nimah, all fleeing from family problems, try to spend the weekend drinking and reviewing cold cases. Nimah tries to have a heart-to-heart with Miranda about her son's potential abduction, with mixed results. When Miranda goes home, she finds Charlie injured outside her doorstep. Caleb brings the others to a political soiree where Shelby finally meets his mother, but Caleb's resentment towards his parents has disastrous consequences for his relationship with Shelby. Meanwhile, Alex encounters Ryan undercover with his ex-wife Hannah and still pining for Alex. In the present, Alex, Nimah, and Natalie learn of Simon's disappearance from a battered Elias and find Simon with a detonator taped to his hand in the hotel where the Democratic delegates are staying. While Miranda works to defuse the bomb, Liam gets the delegates to the command center, where Senator Haas tells Shelby that she will ruin her for breaking Caleb's heart. Elias comes clean about being blackmailed into framing Alex for the first bombing, but admits he targeted Simon for the second because he was scared. Elias faces justice on his own terms, but the agents are horrified to learn that there's a third bomb which detonated in the command center.
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|DirectedBy      = Jamie Barber
|WrittenBy       = Jake Coburn
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|ProdCode        = 112
|Viewers         = 
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|DirectedBy      = Jamie Barber
|WrittenBy       = Sharbari Z. Ahmed
|OriginalAirDate = 
|ProdCode        = 113
|Viewers         = 
|ShortSummary    = 
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|ProdCode        = 114
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Production

Development

On September 17, 2014, ABC announced the network had bought the original concept for the drama series written by Joshua Safran and produced by Mark Gordon Company, described as Grey's Anatomy meets Homeland. ABC ordered the pilot on January 23, 2015 for the 2015-16 television season. The pilot episode was filmed in Atlanta and directed by Marc Munden. On May 7, 2015, ABC picked up the pilot to series with an order of 13 episodes. ABC picked up the show for a full season on October 13, 2015, with an additional six episodes, increasing the episode count to 19 and in November to 22 episodes.

Casting

Casting advertisements began in February 2015. Tate Ellington was the first actor, cast as an FBI trainee on February 9, 2015. On February 9, Graham Rogers joined the series as another FBI trainee. On February 25, it was announced that Aunjanue Ellis would play the leading role of Miranda Shaw, the assistant director of the training academy; Ellis was cast in this role following the success of ABC's How to Get Away with Murder, which also features an African American lead. Later, it was announced that Dougray Scott, initially cast as Ellis' character's former partner, had been re-cast as her subordinate. On February 25, Indian actress Priyanka Chopra landed the role of FBI trainee Alex Parrish, the series' young female lead. On March 3, it was announced that Jake McLaughlin would play Alex Parrish's love interest, while Johanna Braddy and Yasmine Al Massri were cast in the final co-starring roles.

After picking up the pilot, ABC began making casting changes. On May 19, 2015, it was announced that Dougray Scott, who played FBI Special Agent Liam O'Connor, had left the show and the role would be recast; Josh Hopkins replaced him in that role on July 17, 2015. On July 15, 2015, it was announced that Anabelle Acosta was cast for a multi-episode arc as a Quantico recruit and former cop. On July 20, 2015, Rick Cosnett signed on to play a recurring role as a gay former defense attorney and analyst recruit. On September 4, 2015, it was announced that Acosta had been promoted to series regular. On September 11, 2015, Jacob Artist was cast in the recurring role of a friendly and confident FBI Agent in Training, who is a former quarterback from a wealthy, prominent family. It was announced on November 6, 2015, that Marcia Cross was cast as Claire Haas, Caleb's mother and wife of FBI Deputy Director Clayton Haas, who is a high-ranking senator and now Vice Presidential candidate. It was also announced in November 2015 that three people were cast for recurring characters, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Lenny Platt, and Li Jun Li, to be added after the first seasons midseason break.

Filming

While the pilot episode was filmed in Atlanta, the series began filming the first season in Montreal, Quebec and Sherbrooke, Quebec in late summer 2015. Production of the first 13 episodes began on July 20, 2015 and ended on December 17, 2015.

Reception

Critical response

Quantico has received positive reviews from television critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 83% approval rating with an average rating of 6.6/10 based on 54 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Obvious copycatting aside, Quantico provides ludicrously entertaining thrills from a well-balanced cast." On Metacritic, the series holds a score of 70 out of 100 based on 25 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

Awards and nominations

At the 42nd People's Choice Awards in 2016, Priyanka Chopra won Favorite Actress in A New TV Series, and Quantico was nominated for Favorite New TV Drama.

Ratings

</ref>

| title2 = America | date2 = October 4, 2015 | rs2 = 1.9/6 | viewers2 = 6.98 | dvr2 = 1.7 | dvrv2 = 4.93 | total2 = 3.6 | totalv2 = 11.91

| title3 = Cover | date3 = October 11, 2015 | rs3 = 1.6/5 | viewers3 = 5.75 | dvr3 = 1.8 | dvrv3 = 4.90 | total3 = 3.4 | totalv3 = 10.65

| title4 = Kill | date4 = October 18, 2015 | rs4 = 1.6/5 | viewers4 = 5.30 | dvr4 = 1.6 | dvrv4 = 4.59 | total4 = 3.2 | totalv4 = 9.89

| title5 = Found | date5 = October 25, 2015 | rs5 = 1.5/4 | viewers5 = 5.10 | dvr5 = 1.6 | dvrv5 = 4.38 | total5 = 3.1 | totalv5 = 9.48

| title6 = God | date6 = November 1, 2015 | rs6 = 1.2/3 | viewers6 = 4.05 | dvr6 = 1.6 | dvrv6 = 4.65 | total6 = 2.8 | totalv6 = 8.70

| title7 = Go | date7 = November 8, 2015 | rs7 = 1.3/4 | viewers7 = 4.38 | dvr7 = 1.7 | dvrv7 = 4.43 | total7 = 3.0 | totalv7 = 8.81

| title8 = Over | date8 = November 15, 2015 | rs8 = 1.3/4 | viewers8 = 4.20 | dvr8 = 1.8 | dvrv8 = 4.45 | total8 = 3.1 | totalv8 = 8.65

| title9 = Guilty | date9 = November 29, 2015 | rs9 = 1.2/4 | viewers9 = 4.07 | dvr9 = 1.5 | dvrv9 = 4.23 | total9 = 2.7 | totalv9 = 8.30

| title10 = Quantico | date10 = December 6, 2015 | rs10 = 1.2/4 | viewers10 = 4.39 | dvr10 = 1.1 | dvrv10 = 3.12 | total10 = 2.3 | totalv10 = 7.51

| title11 = Inside | date11 = December 13, 2015 | rs11 = 1.3/4 | viewers11 = 4.56 | dvr11 = 1.3 | dvrv11 = 3.68 | total11 = 2.6 | totalv11 = 8.24 }}

Broadcast

Quantico was initially scheduled to air Tuesdays at 10:00 pm, but was moved to Sundays at 10:00 pm, due to Of Kings and Prophets being retooled. The show premiered on ABC on Sunday September 27, 2015. In Australia, the series premiered on the Seven Network on October 11, 2015. The series was acquired by Alibi in the UK. Quantico started airing in India on the Star Network from September 27th, 2015