Dominic Orlandogets a special mention in the season 2 premiere of Amazon Prime’s horror seriesThem, and for good reason.Themis a haunted house anthology showcreated for the streaming service, that first premiered in April 2021, with the subtitle,Them: Covenant. The second season,Them: The Scare, premiered a few years later in April 2024. Both seasons focus on Black families put into horrifying supernatural and sometimes disturbingly real situations. Created by Little Marvin,the series has earned mixed reviews across its seasons.
The first season of the show only has a 58% onRotten Tomatoesbut the second season has a 100% onRotten Tomatoes.Them: The Scarehas the honor of opening with a dedication to Dominic Orlando, a writer for the series. Season 2, episode 1, “Are You Scared”, is set in 1991 and centers on LAPD Detective Dawn Reeve (Deborah Ayorinde) who is assigned to a gruesome murder case that has left every other officer involved shaken up. The first episode starts with Reeve being put on the case, introducing a wholenew cast forThemseason 2.
Dominic Orlando Wrote Three Episodes Of Them
Orlando Wrote One Of The Scariest Moments In The Show
At the end of the season 2 premiere, a black tile card appears that reads,
“In loving memory of our friend Dominic Orlando”
Orlando was a writer on the first season ofThemand was the credited writer on three episodes. He did episode 5, “Covenant I”, where Lucky (Deborah Ayorinde) meets Ella Mae (Anika Noni Rose); episode 8, “Day 9”, where Henry (Ashley Thomas) and the girls finally come home; and episode 9, “Covenant II”, where a new couple arrives into a town, causing a stir in the neighborhood. Each of the episodes he wrote looks back into the past of the show, as Orlando tries to uncover why the season’s events are unfolding the way they are.
5
8
9
Covenant II
One scene he wrote inThemepisode 5 about a “cat in a bag"is a particularly gruesome and awful look at racial violence. Sadly,Orlando passed away on July 24, 2025, at the age of 57. A spokesperson said his death was due to complications with cancer (viaTHR). His passing came only a few months after theThemseason 1 finale. His family said in a statement,
“He was the person everyone wanted to sit next to at Thanksgiving, at the brunches in Minneapolis and the backyard barbecues in L.A. He was the loudest voice, arguing, talking, stating his firm opinion and yet still, somehow, he always managed to be an empathetic and avid listener. A mentor, friend and a deeply generous soul, he spent his life building social circles the way he built stories, and he was the heart of every circle.”
Orlando is survived by his brothers, John and Steven, and sister-in-law Sara.
Orlando Also Wrote Episodes Of Mindhunter, The OA & Outer Range
Dominic Orlando Was Also A Producer And A Playwright
Dominic Orlando had a prolific career beforeThemas well.He was a three-time WGA nomineeand wrote multiple episodes forOuter Range,The OA, andMindhunter. TheMindhunterepisode he wrote, season 1, episode 4, involves Bill and Holden’s interview with convicted serial killer, Monte Rissell, and it’s one of the most disturbing sequences in the series. Orlando also produced a handful of series, includingA Murder at the End of the World,Outer Range, andNightflyers.
1 (writer)
2017
10 (writer)
2016-2019
6 (producer)
2018
3 (writer)
2021
2 (writer), 8 (producer)
2022
A Murder at the End of the World
7 (producer)
2023
Orlando didn’t just keep his talents sequestered to television, he also wrote several plays, includingDany Casolaro Died For You,The Nature Crown, andFissures (Lost and Found). His works have covered a variety of genres and touched many different audiences, but what’s clear from peoples' memories ofDominic Orlandois that it was his loving spirit that is missed most of all.
Them
Cast
The new story centers on LAPD Homicide Detective Dawn Reeve, who is assigned to a new case: the gruesome murder of a foster home mother that has left even the most hardened detectives shaken. Navigating a tumultuous time in Los Angeles, with a city on the razor’s edge of chaos, Dawn is determined to stop the killer. But as she draws closer to the truth, something ominous and malevolent grips her and her family…
