ABC really doesn't want you to know what 'The Whispers' is about

ABC’s new midseason drama The Whispers is a mystery within a mystery.

The series is described as a race against the clock to defeat an unseen entity out to destroy the world. The entity uses children to do their bidding, purporting to be their imaginary friend named Drill. Of course, Drill is not really imaginary. But what is he (it?)? ABC really doesn’t want you to know—and we’ll respect that during this story—but some online sleuthing may provide you with answers. (Hint, hint.)

Initially, the network was much more forthcoming, even providing critics with screeners that included the big reveal for the series, which stars Revenge’s Barry Sloane, American Horror Story’s Lily Rabe and Heroes’ Milo Ventimiglia. But executive producer Soo Hugh said at the Television Critics Association’s winter TV previews that they decided to rejigger the pilot by pulling back on some of the story as to preserve the surprise for later. “The question of what is Drill and who is Drill plays a bigger part of the series,” she said. “We wanted to make that question more of a season-long question. In the social media world that we live in, let’s be honest, there will be some people making conjectures of what or who Drill is.”

“What we’re selling is a show about mystery,” added executive producer and writer Zack Estrin. “I think we’re selling a show about what happens when someone or something is influencing your children and you don’t know what it is. Part of the adventure is the unraveling of that. It’s more interesting to wonder for a little while before we [reveal it].”

Want to find out what the entity is? Tune in when The Whispers debuts this spring on ABC.