Anybody who has seen “Psycho” knows Norman Bates’ famous words, “A boy’s best friend is his mother”. But how exactly did Norman’s relationship with his mother become so special? Fans of the classic horror movie will be glad to know a television show to explain how the infamous killer became Norman Bates now exists.

The television show “Bates Motel” aired its first season on March 18, 2013 and received three million views in the premiere alone, breaking a record for A&E. The drama thriller series was developed by Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin and Anthony Cipriano and was produced by Universal Television. The show stars Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore and Max Thieriot as the main cast and Olivia Cooke, Nicola Peltz and Nestor Carbonell as recurring characters.

“Bates Motel” is the prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s film “Psycho.” The show is set in the modern day White Pine Bay, Oregon whereas in the movie, the hotel was located in Fairville, California. It explores the teenage life of Norman Bates in the house and motel where the events from “Psycho” take place.

The season begins as Norman Bates (Highmore) moves into the house behind a motel that his mother, Norma Bates (Farmiga), buys with money from her dead husband’s insurance policy. The new city is seemingly safe but there is a secret that is not spoken of. Still bitter about having his house foreclosed, the previous owner appears in front of the house and begins threatening the mother to leave. He leaves angrily but returns the same night and rapes the mother while Norman is out with some new freinds. When Norman returns, he sees his mother tied up and hits the previous owner’s head with a heavy object. He is knocked unconscious and Norma stabs the man violently until he dies. She decides it is better to hide the body and get rid of all the evidence than to call the police. They get rid of the corpse and continue to live as though nothing went wrong. The police become suspicious when they realize the previous owner has been missing and suspect Norma for murder. As the investigation continues, Norma begins a relationship with one of the officers on the case in order to protect herself and her son from any charges.

The night Norma and Norman are cleaning their mess, Norman finds a diary filled with drawings of girls being tortured and Chinese characters. He befriends a sick girl from school and together they try to uncover the truth behind the journal. It is also during this time that he develops a crush on the most popular girl in school.

Meanwhile, Norma’s other son Dylan (Thieriot) finds the Bates in their new home and decides to live with them, despite how much he hates his mother for various reasons. Dylan tries to prove he has changed by getting a job. His new job, however, is as security for a large marijuana field hidden in the woods. He tries to use his new money to better his life as well as Norman and Norma’s.

Overall, “Bates Motel” is a very interesting show. It is suspenseful and every episode leaves viewers wanting more. Each episode surprises the viewer as characters’ secrets are unearthed. Even characters who may seem innocent are not.

As the show progresses you begin to understand more and more how Norman Bates became the psychopath from the movie, which is the main idea behind the reboot of the series. The show has many beautiful shots and takes advantage of the space that is used to film. Although the acting is uncomfortable to watch at times (mainly the scenes where Norman cries), the story makes up for it most of the time.

The show explores dark themes such as rape, drugs and murder throughout so if you are not into those kind of shows, you may find it appalling. I do not mind the darkness of the show, so I liked it as a whole. I was emotionally invested in the characters and felt like I was in the show experiencing the same things with them. I rate the drama thriller series 4 stars out of 5.