Peyton List: ‘Frequency’s’ gender-swap update is ‘incredibly smart’

The CW’s new time-traveling drama, “Frequency,” is off to a great start, and anyone who has seen the original movie knows that there are still quite a few twists and turns ahead of us.

As far as remakes go, “Frequency” is a very faithful adaptation, but we’re really digging the differences more than the similarities.

RELATED: ‘Frequency’ is about to be the best show on The CW

The major change-up from the original movie is the character of Raimy Sullivan (Peyton List).

In the film, Frank Sullivan (Riley Smith) is contacted by his adult son in the future instead of his daughter. That father-son dynamic dominates the film, whereas the TV show is pioneered by Frank’s relationship with his daughter. The gender-swap is an incredibly smart idea given The CW’s female-friendly demographic, and it creates an entirely different tone for the show.

“I think changing it to a female allowed us to delve into different issues and delve into different relationship aspects,” says Peyton List. “A father-daughter relationship is a very unique thing, and it’s very complicated and complex. It can be beautiful, and it can be weird, and it can be hard to navigate.”

RELATED: Fall TV 2016: Trailers for CW’s new shows ‘Frequency,’ ‘No Tomorrow’ & ‘Supergirl’

That father-daughter relationship is an incredibly strong part of an already engaging pilot episode, and we’re eager to see the differences emerge even more as the season goes on.

The main difference we can spot already (besides Frank’s profession as a cop instead of a firefighter) is the strained relationship the two characters seem to have. The TV adaptation takes a new look at Frank as a father — turning him into a workaholic cop — whose daughter feels abandoned by him.

Consequently, Raimy has a healthy dose of bitterness for her absentee father instead of the hero-worship John Sullivan had for his firefighter dad.

Living with both timelines in her head — the one where she had a loving father who was always there for her and the one where her parents were estranged before Frank was killed — will surely play tricks on Raimy’s mind. We can only guess how that will affect her relationship and interactions with her dad in the past.

So far, we give “Frequency” two thumbs up for its premiere episode, and we can’t wait to see what the rest of Season 1 has in store.

“Frequency” airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

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