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Power creator Courtney A. Kemp and fiancĂ© Tani Marole always envisioned Los Angeles as the home for their upcoming Netflix heist drama, Nemesis. Speaking together in a Zoom interview ahead of the seriesâ eight-episode premiere on May 14, Kemp explained that filming anywhere else never truly felt like an option.
âThe story was always set here, though there was some conversation at one point about shooting it in a different state,â Kemp admitted. âTani and I were both like, âAbsolutely not. It needs to be here.â L.A. is a character in the show.â
The series centers on Detective Isaiah Stiles, played by Matthew Law, whose relentless pursuit of criminal mastermind Coltrane Wilder, portrayed by Yâlan Noel, begins to consume and unravel his personal life. While the two characters stand on opposite sides of the law, Marole noted that they gradually discover they may be more alike than either expected.
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âWith families to feed, both men have reasons for their actions, and it makes the viewer think about the other side of bad deeds,â Marole explained.
Nemesis carries the spirit of classic heist stories such as the 1995 film Heat, starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. The series brings that same cat-and-mouse energy into a modern episodic format, blending crime, action, and emotional depth into a binge-worthy drama.
In a separate interview, Law and Noel sat down to discuss the showâs humanity and the inequality that shapes the lives of the characters in the show.
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âThe story is rooted in the context of these families and these overbearing pressures,â said Law. âEach is trying to provide for their families. Itâs hard, and I donât think many people know what itâs like to starve, or what it means to be hungry in the streets and to break the law to feed your family. Or, what it means to have built this enterprise, and now somethingâs going to come and bring it crashing down, and the feeling of, âIâve got to do whatever it takes by any means necessary.â Thatâs in the philosophy of these characters. I think we all carry that code.â
Law also described his character as someone âborn with a curse,â raising the question: âHow do we break curses that are placed on our shoulders?â
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Noel believes the two characters are ultimately fueled by the same intense drive to succeed. âItâs interesting because the thing that makes them so similar is just how much they want to win and how obsessed they are with refining their craft, and then itâs back to winning again. Itâs very important for them, and now they have finally found another person on the other side that they can explore that with, and itâs like an interesting dance, you know?â
He also compared their rivalry to sports, explaining that a true rival often pushes someone further than they would normally go on their own. âItâs a game of mental warfare for them.â
Kemp, who serves as the seriesâ showrunner and executive producer, said filming in Los Angeles was important for both storytelling and personal reasons. âThe men in this world need to come from a city where there are legacy black areas. And we really wanted to write and show those places,â she explained.
She also emphasized her support for keeping productions in Los Angeles, pointing to the cityâs deep talent pool and creative community. âWe also want Los Angeles to thrive. And thereâs such a high level of talent here. Taking production out of L.A. only makes things harder. We really hope that we get to do more seasons of Nemesis and we get to make more shows here.â
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As more film and television productions move away from Hollywood in search of tax incentives in other states, Kemp and Maroleâs decision to keep Nemesis in Los Angeles carries even greater meaning, particularly as local communities continue recovering from the Alta Dena and Palisades fires. Keeping productions based in the city helps support local crews, businesses, and families connected to the entertainment industry.
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently expanded the stateâs Film and Television Tax Credit program, raising it to $750 million annually as part of an effort to bring more productions and jobs back to Los Angeles.
Netflix already produces several long-running projects locally, including Nobody Wants This, The Lincoln Lawyer, and the upcoming fourth and final season of The Night Agent.
Kemp and Marole hope Nemesis eventually becomes part of that group. Beyond continuing the story after its intense finale, they see filmmaking in Los Angeles as a direct investment in the city and its creative community.
Kemp also said she hopes audiences simply have fun watching the series. âLife is really heavy right now for a lot of reasons that we wonât go into, and itâs nice to have some entertainment. Itâs nice to have something fun. We also want our core audience to see themselves represented on screen, looking great, looking fabulous. I really want them to feel understood, especially our core audience who feel misunderstood a lot of the time.â
If the series is renewed, Kemp says Los Angeles will continue to remain central to the showâs identity. âI would love to have a TV universe here in Los Angeles, just like how we kept people working in New York on Power.â
Source: Various
