In the real world, time keeps moving forward, but in the future world of the new time travel sci-fi/drama web series CAUSALITY, created by Glynis Mitchell (who co-wrote the show with Michael Montoure), and directed by her co-star, Ralph Fontaine, the past is always the present.

The show’s eight episode first season, set to air later this year, follows Holly Wells (played by Mitchell), who suddenly finds herself traveling back five years in time to one of the lowest points in her life. There, she meets a secret community of time travelers, who, after losing everything she’s known, give her a sense of community and friendship that she has never experienced before.

The cast also includes Gabe Sedgemore as Holly’s foil (and source of romantic tension) Mason, who’s “almost like that Vietnam vet who takes neighborhood watch too seriously,” Mitchell says. Fontaine plays his more emotional counterpart, Jude, and Carolynne Wilcox plays the brilliant yet tender member of the group, Dr. Genesee.

Mitchell was inspired to create CAUSALITY after going through her own personal struggle. “My mother was dying of lung cancer, and the day I got the call, my sister was on vacation, so she calls me super early in the morning. I ended up hanging out at this cafe, waiting for my sister. I texted a couple of friends, and I texted Montoure, and he asked, ‘do you want company’ and we sat down, and we talked for hours. I didn’t know what the framework was, and I wanted to make something that is almost like FRIENDS, in that this is your support network, your friends and the people around you, instead of your family. Montoure said, ‘I always wanted to write this time travel thing called CAUSALITY,’ and that’s where the spark came from.”

Like many web series creators, a lot of whom are actors, Mitchell developed CAUSALITY as an opportunity not only to tell a unique story, but also as a means of bypassing the traditional show business gatekeepers, by not only writing her own show, but starring in the main role. “I wrote the main character for myself, because I just wasn’t getting any work. I decided that I didn’t like auditioning, so I made a movie instead. I’m not sure that’s actually easier, but it was my choice, and as hard as it’s been, I do love it,” Mitchell says. “I like to make things happen anyway, so this was a good fit, even though it was incredibly difficult.” Even though the production had to endure a crew change due to their first crew being tied to prior commitments, not to mention budgetary issues, the series’ filming was enhanced not only by its incredible cast, but also by a talented group of people, each of whom were specialists in their field, from special effects, to cinematography, to make-up, among others.

Mitchell, who cites filmmaker David Lynch (TWIN PEAKS) as her primarily creative influence, believes that CAUSALITY is unique in that it transcends the sci-fi genre, with crossover appeal that will attract not only sci-fi fans, but fans of comedy and drama, with riveting characters and storytelling. “I want people to go in and look at this show, and I want them all to take away something different. If they take away that it’s lasers, and a little bit of romance, and a fun adventure with interesting characters, that’s awesome. If they take away that there are a bunch of layers, and there are ways to interpret it metaphorically, either the ones we built in, or their own interpretations, that’s also awesome.” Overall, though, her hopes for CAUSALITY’s success is simple, and her series provides viewers with a universal message, one gained from her own life experience: it’s always good to have friends who care, no matter who they are. “Don’t be afraid to be alone, because you won’t always have to be alone.”

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