Prime Video’s limited series “Bait” was the focus of a panel discussion at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, where the team behind the show discussed how the project came together and how its tone, themes, and style were shaped. Star Riz Ahmed appeared with co-showrunner Ben Carlin, producer Allie Moore, director Bassam Tariq, and music supervisor Kira Elwis in a conversation moderated by filmmaker Daniel Kwan.
Ahmed said the series began from a personal place and was not originally centered on James Bond. After his experiences on projects such as “Rogue One” and “The Night Of,” he felt a gap between how others saw him and his own everyday life. He described the disconnect as a kind of distance shaped by shame and said it inspired him to either seek therapy or make a television show about it.
Carlin later suggested using Bond as the central symbol to help tell that story, arguing that the show needed a focal point that could reflect the protagonist’s internal struggle rather than simply the public reaction around him. That idea helped turn the series into a larger exploration of identity, pressure, and self-perception.
The panel also discussed the show’s unusual structure and shifting tone. Because the main character goes through an identity crisis, Ahmed said the series itself needed to reflect that instability. Each episode adopted a different style, with influences ranging from a Bollywood soap opera to a walk-and-talk format reminiscent of Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise.” The creators said their priority was always to balance character and tone while making sure the emotional core remained intact.
Tariq spoke about the challenge of mixing absurdity with emotional realism, especially in scenes inspired by Bollywood melodrama. He said the goal was to make those moments feel intense and truthful rather than cartoonish. Moore added that the team kept returning to the same two principles throughout production: character and tone.
Music was another major part of the series’ identity. Elwis said she researched classic Pakistani and Bollywood soundtracks while also bringing in contemporary underground artists to create a sound that felt rooted in tradition but still modern.
Ahmed also drew from his own experience as a Muslim in the West, saying it can feel like living inside a spy thriller. That perspective helped shape the series’ use of Bond-style imagery, surveillance, and paranoia to express what it feels like to be watched, judged, and not fully seen.
The panel ended with Ahmed reflecting on audience reactions to an early screening in Texas, where viewers said they recognized themselves in the story. He said that ability to see yourself in a stranger is the purpose of storytelling.
