With the pulse-pounding pace of its very first episode, WGN America’s “Underground” transported viewers to the antebellum world of 1857 Georgia, a dangerous and desperate place where slaves on plantations plotted their escapes via the Underground Railroad from their existences of degrading captivity.

The series, which airs its season one finale tonight, has delivered the highest ratings ever for a scripted original on the network, and has already been picked up for a second season. Ahead of tonight’s finale, TVWeek Open Mic blogger Hillary Atkin got the story behind the show, including comments from creators Misha Green and Joe Pokaski and executive producer and director Anthony Hemingway.

Please click here to read Hillary’s report.