You’ve heard the news that the locally produced Arkansas PBS educational series “Mystery League” has been selected for national distribution! You’ve heard from Arkansas PBS writer Corey Womack and directors Terrell Case and Eric White.
We sat down with them again ahead of the March 21 PBS KIDS premiere of “Mystery League” to gain more insight on how the show came together. Hear from the trio about how two dogs were adopted by crew members, how the 1990s played a role in how the show was written and looks, and how “Mystery League” showcases the state of Arkansas.
In 2024, “Mystery League” won five regional Emmy Awards from the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) for original, local productions.
What did it mean to you all that “Mystery League” was not only recognized with Emmy awards but also has been picked up nationally?
Corey: They’re both very appreciated. The regional Mid-America Emmys are judged by other television professionals around the country – so it’s always nice to get that positive feedback from your peers.
"Mystery League’s” national distribution was a surprise to me. Eric, Terrell and I love making content for the kids of Arkansas, and the idea that the folks at PBS KIDS are giving us a chance to entertain and teach kids from all over the country? Wow! It’s a real honor!
Terrell: It means a lot to us to get recognized and to see the show have more life with a much larger audience. Not many shows like this get produced in this part of the country, and this one felt special because of the people involved who believed in it from the beginning.
Eric: When you are working on a project, you always hope for the best but it’s hard to know just how it will be received once you get it shot, edited and all. I am incredibly thankful for all the recognition, but for me, the biggest reward is the process, which sounds crazy, but hear me out. Sitting at home and watching it, you wouldn’t know that the actors couldn’t keep a straight face for the finale of Episode 3 or that the tomato exploding in “Diner Disaster” was a complete accident. It’s all those moments that will stick with me, everything else is just the icing on the cake.
What were your biggest inspirations for writing or directing "Mystery League”?
Corey: Tonally, I think we started off leaning on things like “Pete and Pete” or “Eerie, Indiana” … however once everyone in the writers’ room got their sea legs, it really became about inspiring each other. As the stories and characters became more real and concrete, the people of Mulberry Springs began telling us their stories.
Terrell: We drew from the ’90s since that was our decade for consuming children’s entertainment. It was a colorful time of saturated palettes and whacky designs, and those styles are coming back around. We looked at other PBS shows and more modern school sitcoms. I think as far as the characters, we wanted the main three to be a friend trio that wouldn’t normally exist but bond over a love of mysteries and reading. They are grounded, relatable characters surrounded by a quirky ensemble of supporting characters that can be a little over the top.
Eric: Terrell and I initially drew inspiration from a lot of ’90s kids’ programs that informed a lot of our early decisions on production design and locations. But really, once you start working with actors it always takes on a different angle. Half of directing is listening and collaborating, finding a rhythm to scenes through pacing. Considering there are three protagonists, the “rule of three” became sort of the drum for how we paced a lot of the blocking and gags. You just have to go in each day with joy, some humor and a sprinkling of good faith. And I think that all transferred to the screen.
What makes “Mystery League” different from other projects you have worked on?
Corey: Scope, in every sense of the word.
Most of the narrative children's projects we’ve tackled at Arkansas PBS have been short form. Knowing from the very beginning that "Mystery League" would be several, longer episodes spanning weeks opened up the narrative possibilities – giving us the chance to watch characters learn and grow – and that growth is what makes an audience respond. It is that narrative scope that makes "Mystery League" special.
Terrell: "Mystery League" is the biggest project I’ve been a part of. It took 55 days to shoot and even longer to edit. It took over a year from start to finish when you include the writing and everything. We had cast and crew primarily from Arkansas, but we also had people from all around the country come to Arkansas to make this. It was a huge undertaking, but we assembled an amazing team to make it all happen!
Eric: "Mystery League" was a special project in a lot of ways, but the thing that really sticks out in my mind about the production was the collaborative community we formed to make the show. It was a real “Let’s put on a show” mentality, everyone showed up, ready to create such a wonderfully realized world. Working with so many local actors, artists and technicians was the highlight for me.
How did you find the locations, and what made them integral for shooting?
Terrell: Finding the locations was not an easy task, but thankfully we had a great scouting team. We looked at a few different towns around Arkansas and ultimately settled on Benton and Little Rock for several of the key locations. Benton offered a lot of small-town vibes, including downtown, city hall and diner locations. The school and the cornfield were probably the hardest to find. We needed a full two weeks at an elementary school with access to classrooms, hallways and cafeteria. Just south of Little Rock, we found the perfect school that had just about everything and had the look we wanted. Not too new, not too old. We lucked out on the cornfield as well and found a property that worked for scenes from several episodes. Our location scout was struggling to find a place and just decided to ask some local workers on the side of the road near Scott, Arkansas. They led him to our spot!
Eric: From the beginning, we always felt it was necessary to film in real-world locations so that it would help ground the characters and give the series a sense of place. And so, it became a real challenge to find all the locations that the scripts called for here in Arkansas. But, we had such a wonderful locations team with Andrew Cantu and Pricilla Tran, they worked the entire shoot securing locations for us. For me, the unspoken character in the show is Arkansas. We tried really hard to give the show a unique Southern feel, to reveal a different side of the South that doesn’t get featured a lot.
“For me, the unspoken character in the show is Arkansas. We tried really hard to give the show a unique Southern feel, to reveal a different side of the South that doesn’t get featured a lot.”
What were your favorite behind-the-scenes moments?
Corey: Leading a team of folks – many of whom haven’t written a lot of stories – through the writing process was thrilling. Every scene, every episode, and even the season as a whole are all sort of like puzzles you’re trying to solve with the characters and locations you’ve created.
Being in that room and watching everyone get excited as the Rubik’s Cube of "Mystery League" fell into place was just so much fun.
Millie hearing her grandma’s voice in the first episode, or Old Man McGillicuddy’s true identity being revealed – finding those moments is just pure magic.
Terrell: My favorite moments behind the scenes generally were when people were having fun on set. It was hard work for everyone daily, but there were plenty of moments to goof off and have some fun. That energy would translate into the work and add some joy to the final product. I also loved that two crew members adopted dogs they met on set. One dog was just running loose on set one day, and the other was used on camera at a local animal shelter. Both found a good home thanks to a couple of crew members.
As far as filming goes, it was really fun to close down a block in downtown Benton to film the kids riding their bikes with a camera mounted on an ATV. One week, we filmed on some property by the Ouachita River, and every morning we had a gorgeous view of the water and the rocky ridge across the river. It was below a dam that would let out water in the afternoon, so we had to make sure we filmed everything we needed at the sandbar in the morning before it disappeared.
Eric: Hands down, some of my favorite moments are from the “Diner Disaster” episode. Because that whole episode was single location, we had a lot of extra time to improvise, adding jokes and visual gags. Like midway through the episode, we built up a gag where Mike is delivering a new order to his Uncle Chuck to really reach an absurd fever pitch. We just kept feeding them silly orders and the two actors, Daniel Stapp and Brett Ihler, would play off each other, building off this natural rapport they had with one another. There are so many funny little bits that we ended up having to cut for time, maybe we’ll make a supercut of it.
What were some of the challenges you guys faced?
Corey: Every scene. Every line of dialogue serves a purpose – either moving the plot or revealing character. However, filming in Arkansas in the summer – things like locations, schedules and budgets – those things are fluid, so scripts have to be fluid as well.
This is where having gifted directors is essential. Sometimes scenes and dialogues have to change because of the realities of production; the director has to understand the purpose of every word in the script, so when changes are made the story still works.
Eric and Terrell are incredible, thoughtful directors – I never have to worry about a change hurting a script.
Terrell: We were very fortunate to not lose any days to weather or sickness. There were a few delays due to the weather, but we were always able to shoot our pages. Some days we barely got everything done. Keeping all of the young actors focused and motivated could be a challenge on occasion. They loved being on set, but putting in the work day after day can start to feel like a grind for everyone. Thankfully we had the weekend to reset, and each new week offered new locations and experiences to keep us all engaged.
Eric: Time and the elements were always the biggest challenges on set. There never seemed to be enough time in the day. The team was always trying to beat the clock, get in a few more setups, a few more takes. And then on top of all that, the summer we filmed just happened to be one of the hottest on record. We had a lot of exteriors so making sure that everyone was safe was imperative.
How has working on “Mystery League” touched other projects you’ve worked on?
Corey: Again – getting to live with and follow the characters in Mulberry Springs for so long really allowed me to flex some narrative muscles that don’t get used as often on shorter form content.
Terrell: Personally, my communication skills improved throughout production. I think I am better at expressing my opinions about new projects. In the past, I’ve had to wear multiple hats on projects out of necessity. On “Mystery League,” collaboration and delegation were key on a daily basis. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with a dedicated crew.
Eric: I think I always take something away from a project, that I learn something new for my filmmaking toolbox. For “Mystery League,” I think I learned new ways to block a scene. We used a two-camera setup for almost every scene. So the challenge would always be to stage the actors in ways that would appear natural but also open them up to both cameras. Then we would be able to film a wide shot and close up simultaneously, which would save us valuable time.
HOW TO WATCH
PBS KIDS Family Night marathons will air on Saturdays, March 22 and 29, and repeat Sundays, March 23 and 30, at 6 each night on Arkansas PBS.
In addition to airing on Arkansas PBS and member stations nationwide, “Mystery League” will also be available on all PBS KIDS digital streaming platforms, including the PBS KIDS Video App, and pbskids.org, starting March 21.