"It's a coming of age of a someday superhero" — Me creator Barry L. Levy on how the Apple TV show is more than a kids' series (Exclusive)

Apple TV Plus is bringing its viewers an engaging new family show titled Me. It follows the story of Ben, a 12-year-old boy who is adjusting to his life in a new town after his mother remarries. He faces typical adolescent challenges like bullying and making friends.

Moreover, Ben discovers that he has extraordinary powers that make him a superhero. With his stepsister Max by his side, Ben embarks on a journey of self-discovery as he grapples with his newfound abilities and his personal identity.

The show offers a unique blend of coming-of-age themes with superhero action stories, which makes it a promising watch for both children and parents. Ahead of its release this July 12, 2024, Sneha Haldar from Sportskeeda interviewed show creator and writer, Barry L. Levy, about the making of Me.

Regarding its theme, he stated:

"It is normally not what I do, but I knew I had to do it when my kids were young enough that we could sort of do this together. It's a coming of age of a someday superhero. But these are the years that sort of inform his head, his heart, and are going to make him the man, not the Superman, that he will be one day."

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From action films to kids' television: Levy talks about the series as a family show for children and adults alike

Barry L. Levy is an acclaimed American screenwriter who has written for movies like Vantage Point and Black Irish. With a background in action films, it was indeed intriguing why he chose to do a kids' show. Talking about it, he stated:

"I told Apple that this was not a kid's show. This was a family show and it was so important to make sure that the show we were making could be watched by adults with or without their kids, that there was enough depth and enough emotion and realism that there was something for everyone."

Me is a beautiful blend of emotions and stories that are not just about action sequences but bring to the table much more than that. Ben is a young boy with the usual teenage problems, which are as real as his burdens of being a superhero.

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Barry L. Levy looks back and shares what motivated him to create Me

The premise of the Apple TV series is extremely interesting. The narrative not only focuses on a middle schooler who is dealing with regular life issues but also on how he tries to figure out if he is capable of handling superhuman abilities. Talking about the inspiration behind creating the show Me, creator and writer Levy said:

"So my wife and I have identical twin daughters and then we have a son named Ben, who's two years younger. But he was rather tall when he was young. It became clear that people started to mistake him for a triplet. It was fun but it was also challenging because he couldn't quite be who they wanted him to be."

Levy continued:

"It became a conversation, well, who would you want to be? That conversation became bedtime stories and then it became an idea for a show of, if there was a boy named Ben who could be anyone he would want to be, who would he be? That became the show."

The Apple TV series is an extremely personal creation for Levy who also shared that Me is a "love letter" to his children.

"This show is a love letter to my children... I sort of unabashedly share this as an open letter to the world. This is my gratitude and trying to capture the energy, the inspiration, the humor, all of it that goes on in our house," Levy added.

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Catch Me on Apple TV Plus this July 12, 2024, and watch this space for more interviews with the show stars.