SERIES PREMIERE

SEVERAL KIDS HAVE BEEN TALKING TO THEIR IMAGINARY FRIEND, DRILL - WHO IS NOT AS IMAGINARY AS THEIR PARENTS THINK - WHOSE MYSTERIOUS GAMES TURN DANGEROUS, AND HALFWAY ACROSS THE WORLD, DEFENSE DEPARTMENT OPERATIVE WES LAWRENCE UNEARTHS A STRANGE, HAUNTING GEOLOGICAL PHENOMENON, ON THE PREMIERE OF ABC'S "THE WHISPERS"

We love to play games with our children. But what happens when someone else starts to play with them, too? Someone we don't know. Can't see. Can't hear. In "The Whispers," premiering MONDAY, JUNE 1 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network, someone - or something - is manipulating the ones we love most to commit the unthinkable.

In the premiere episode, "X Marks the Spot," several kids have been talking about their imaginary friend, Drill. What the parents don't know is that this friend is not as imaginary as they think. And when the mysterious games Drill convinces them to play turn dangerous, FBI child specialist Claire Bennigan is called in to investigate. Claire is still grieving over the death of her husband, Sean, who was killed when his military jet mysteriously crashed. And she's still getting used to being a single parent to her son, Henry, whose hearing was lost due to an illness. But what she doesn't know is that Henry has also been secretly speaking with Drill. Meanwhile, Defense Department operative Wes Lawrence's life, as well as the lives of his wife Lena and daughter Minx - who is also secretly in communication with Drill - has been turned upside-down ever since Lena discovered that her loving husband had been having an affair with Claire. But life as they knew it will never be the same when Wes travels halfway across the world, to the middle of the Sahara Desert, and unearths a strange, haunting geological phenomenon; unlike anything he has ever seen.

"The Whispers" stars Lily Rabe as Claire Bennigan, Barry Sloane as Wes Lawrence, Milo Ventimiglia as John Doe, Derek Webster as Jessup Rollins, Kristen Connolly as Lena Lawrence, Kylie Rogers as Minx Lawrence and Kyle Harrison Breitkopf as Henry Bennigan.

Guest starring are Catalina Denis as Dr. Maria Benavidez, Abby Ryder Fortson as Harper Weil, Autumn Reeser as Amanda Weil, Alison Araya as Callie, Darien Sills-Evans as General Ousmane Damba, Ki Hong Lee as Peter Kim, David Andrews as Secretary of Defense Frommer and Adetokumboh M'Cormack as Dr. Karif.

"X Marks the Spot" was written by Soo Hugh and directed by Mark Romanek.

"The Whispers" is executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank and Zack Estrin. Soo Hugh developed the series. "The Whispers" is produced by ABC Studios, with Amblin TV as co-producer.

"The Whispers" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format with a 5.1 channel surround sound. A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to the airdate.

For more information on "The Whispers," visit ABC.com