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Steve Zahn during the 2016 Winter TCA.
"It was a very difficult shoot. It was very hot, very humid. Steve caught dengue fever shooting the pilot," executive producer Shawn Ryan said during the Television Critics Association press tour on Monday. "We constantly have them in the jungle. The characters were doing really, really difficult stuff, so by extension the actors were doing very difficult stuff. And I was amazed how they were able to keep up the quality all throughout."
Dengue fever causes fevers, headaches, muscle and joint pains, and in some cases can be deadly.
Despite the sickness, Zahn said that going from the cold of shooting ABC midseason series "Mind Games" in Chicago to being in hot Puerto Rico was worth it for the experience and the people he worked with. On "Mad Dogs," Zahn stars alongside Michael Imperioli, Billy Zane, Romany Malco, and Ben Chaplin.
"I'm happy being a crazy circus person going from Chicago, freezing your ass off, to being in the jungle and having dengue fever. It's hard to explain, but I love it."
Amazon
From left, Steve Zahn, Michael Imperioli, Romany Malco, Ben Chaplin, and Billy Zane on Amazon's "Mad Dogs."
Amazon's head of drama series, Morgan Wandell, referred to "Mad Dogs" as a "delicious blue sky adventure."
Ryan explained that the location by the ocean helped to further distinguish the series from the UK version, which was set in "the middle of the country."
"The idea behind finding this idyllic spot that looks like a place you'd just want to go to, and relax, and hang out for a week, and then, see all this horrific stuff start happening was really appealing," he said.
"Mad Dogs" premieres Friday, January 22, on Amazon Prime Video.
Read more live coverage from the Television Critics Association press tour.
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