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Jul 18, 2014 Web Exclusive By Daniel Kohn

When Seth Gabel first read the script for Salem, he had a good feeling about the show. But he didn’t expect the flagship show of the WGN America network to gain such a loyal following in such a short period of time, much like his previous show, Fringe.

Salem is inspired by the 17th century Salem Witch Trials. Gabel stars opposite Janet Montgomery and Shane West and plays the witch hunter Cotton Mather, also the town’s reverend. The first season finale aired last week, but the show has been picked up for a second season. Next Saturday Gabel and his cast-mates will be appearing at a Salem panel at San Diego Comic-Con (from 5:45 - 6:45 p.m. in Room 6DE, for those of you lucky enough to be attending Comic-Con).

When he isn’t helping raise two children with actress wife Bryce Dallas Howard, Gabel stays busy. He’s currently working on other projects, such as producing a comic book and working on another TV show. But the actor is perfectly content about his career trajectory.

Following a power lunch with Salem co-creator Brannon Braga and before he took his children to New Orleans to spend time with their mother (who is currently working on the next Jurassic Park film), we spoke with the actor about all things Salem, including his thoughts on the show being picked up for season two, what he likes about playing Cotton Mather, and why it may not be ideal viewing for his kids.

Daniel Kohn (Under the Radar): Congratulations on Salem getting picked up for a second season. Were you surprised that it was picked up so quickly?

Seth Gabel: We’re so excited because we’ve put our heart and soul into this. Getting picked up puts more wind in your sails to put more into the show and to know that it’s being received. It gives you a good feeling. I thought it made sense that they’d pick it up quickly since it’s WGN’s first show. I felt like it would be a good message to the fans that they can invest in the long run and watch every episode and know that it’s not going to be canceled. I thought that was a good move and it felt good for us because it showed that WGN was putting its confidence in the work we’d been doing that hadn’t aired yet, and with season two promising to be more epic.

How so?

I can’t get into any specifics but it will be more grand and at the same time we’ll hold onto our roots and keep things scary, horrifying and fun.

What is it like portraying a character with so many complexities as Cotton Mather has?

Cotton is the best role in the world. I get to do everything. I get to be a villain, or in his case, an anti-villain and I think that’s a perfect way to describe him. When we’re first introduced to Cotton, he’s a bit of a flat character. He’s just going to be the villain of the show and at the end of the season everyone is going to be rising up against him. In most TV shows, the characters rarely change and if they do change, it happens very slowly. The good thing about the Cotton Mather character is that every episode the character is growing and you’re learning more about his backstory, so he’s constantly evolving. If he was alive in the 1700s, I feel like he would have been a Founding Father.

How does the fan base of Salem compare to the rabid following that Fringe had?

Pretty similar. I feel like Fringe people have made the move to Salem, which is great. Any time you’re involved in a bit of a genre show, you have a very intelligent fan base that’s paying attention in their own way, and they’ll give you a shot and continue following what you’re doing. If it meets their standards, then they’ll be very vocal about spreading the word because they’re technologically savvy and are effective in letting people know how they feel about it. So far, that’s been the case.

What would you say to your kids if they saw Salem on TV?

I’d say turn it off! [Laughs] The chances are they’d see me naked with some prostitute or something like that who is not their mother, which could be problematic. When I go someplace else, I have to explain to them that part of my job is to play pretend and I go places and pretend to be other people and work with people that pretend to be other people. It’s a confusing concept but they get it and I think they’re as surprised as I am that I get paid to play pretend for a living.