Good American Family: Aims for prestige but settles for Lifetime

Photo: Hulu

I’m something of a true crime skeptic. I understand the appeal and I’ve enjoyed a series or two before, but I find the majority of them off-putting. This goes double for any adaptations of true crime stories. Too often these series devolve into a retelling of events propped up by casting a few name actors. With Good American Family, I’ll give them credit for attempting to break the mold. That very faint praise is about all I can muster.

Inspired by the true story of Natalia Grace, Good American Family gives her the Lifetime treatment. Kristine and Michael Barnett (Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass) adopt Grace (Imogen Faith Reed), finally fulfilling their dream of having a daughter. Their dream quickly turns into a nightmare once they suspect Natalia isn’t who she seems. Or is it the parents who aren’t what they seem?

This is the central question of Good American Family, but if you’re watching the series as it releases, you won’t even realize it. The show’s first 4 episodes show us the situation from the perspective of the Barnetts, particularly Kristine. Only in the show’s second half does the audience learn about the actual events and the parents’ callousness. It’s an odd way to frame a story of very real child abuse, but one that maybe would have worked if the series released all at once. The rare example of a show that actually benefits from the binge release model.

It doesn’t help that, except for Reed, everyone is putting in minimum effort here. Ellen Pompeo tries to expand audiences’ perception of her as the self-centered Kristine. It’s hard not to just see an evil version of Meredith Grey. The show’s first half adopts her paranoid feelings about Natalia, but it only serves to detract from her performance. Mark Duplass plays her bumbling husband Michael like he’s in a different, funnier show. Imogen Faith Reed is the sole bright spot as Natalia and even then, she’s relegated to playing her like a horror villain for the first half.

Good American Family attempts to subvert viewer’s expectations by putting us into the viewpoint of these, negligent at best, parents. It could be an interesting idea. In reality, it makes the show feel more exploitative than if they stuck to a straight retelling of the events. There’s a real chance that many viewers unfamiliar with this case will watch an episode or two and come away with the opinion that the Barnetts were in some way justified. That’s a failure for all involved. If you must watch this series, just this once, wait for the full story.

Good American Family is currently streaming on Hulu. New episodes release on Wednesdays.

Final Verdict: Tune Out

Adolescence: Netflix’s latest miniseries is harrowing and stunningly acted

Photo: Netflix

We open with a police raid. More accurately, we open with two officers bantering right before the raid. They’re tasked with apprehending a 13-year-old (Owen Cooper) who we’ll soon learn is a suspect in a grisly murder investigation. For the next hour, the camera will stay focused on this moment in time. The characters we follow might change, but the scene never does.

That’s the central idea behind Adolescence, a gripping crime drama from Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham. Each episode focuses on a distinct moment in the case of Jamie Miller, the aforementioned 13-year-old, through one continuous take. The directing technique has earned a lot of press, but the show’s true strength comes in the layers it slowly reveals. This is a far cry from your standard crime series.

Adolescence’s 4 episodes are dense and full of character moments, both big and small. The show’s pace is an achievement in itself. It packs a lot into each hour and the fact that it never loses sight of the people swept up in all of this is one of the program’s many strengths. The serious subject matter could lead the show into more maudlin territory, but Thorne and Graham’s carefully crafted scripts keep it on track. It helps that the show refuses simple answers and consistently finds new ways to subvert viewer’s expectations.

Writing alone doesn’t make a show special. Thankfully, Adolescence is full of captivating performances. Graham pulls double duty as Jamie’s dad, Eddie. He is the emotional glue that binds the series together. There is a raw emotional energy to everything he does that makes you immediately feel the grief and pain of his situation. Ashley Walters takes the spotlight in episode 2 as DI Bascombe, the lead detective on Jaime’s case. His ability to project an air of confidence that slowly falters throughout the episode helps ground the proceedings. Erin Doherty appears in the show’s most harrowing episode as a forensic psychologist. The moments between her and first-timer Owen Cooper are electric and some of the tensest in a series full of suspense.

Director Phillip Barantini takes what could easily be a gimmick and creates something truly special. Unlike 1917 or Daredevil’s hallway fight scenes, the filmmakers shot Adolescence in one take, rather than editing it to look that way. It’s a technical distinction, but one that adds so much to the craft of this series. Barantini proves to be as impeccable with his construction as the writers and actors. The camera glides between characters and perspectives with no fuss. That it doesn’t call attention to itself is a plus. The directing is just another element for ratcheting up the inherent drama of this story.

Adolescence can be a hard series to watch, but it’s a necessary one. The show delivers its timely message with such care that you can’t look away. Heart-breaking performances and a thought-provoking story help to elevate this to one of the year’s best. Even the show’s biggest flaw, it’s lack of focus on the victim of this crime, is part of the overall message. This is a rare treat: a TV show that sticks with you long after it’s finished.

Adolescence is currently streaming on Netflix.

Final Verdict: Tune In

Deli Boys: Chaotic in the best way

Photo: Hulu

I have a soft spot for comedies that add a dash of chaos into the mix. There’s something endlessly charming about a series attempting to mask its flaws with wild comic energy. At its best, you get shows like Community or The Good Place that use the chaos to further develop characters. Deli Boys is the latest show to follow this madcap blueprint with hilarious results.

The series follows Mir (Asif Ali) and Raj (Saagar Shaikh) sons of the multimillionaire owner of a popular chain of delis. The brothers are polar opposites in the vein of The Odd Couple. Mir is a hardworking member of DarCo, the corporate arm of their father’s empire. Raj is a party boy with a sex cabal and a shaman who knows just what combo of drugs he needs. Forced to work together in the wake of their father’s demise, the brothers discover DarCo is a front for a vast criminal enterprise. Together with their father’s closest confidante Lucky (Poorna Jagannathan), they must juggle the criminal and public-facing aspects of the company.

Deli Boys takes many story cues from other crime capers. The pilot follows the Breaking Bad method of introducing us to our duo in a dangerous situation before looping back to at the episode’s end. The show features plot twists you’ll likely see coming if you have a passing knowledge of these types of stories. That the show succeeds despite the predictable plot is largely thanks to the writers’ knack for taking criminal cliches and turning them into a comedy playground. The story is merely our way of getting from one comic set piece to the next.

Of course, none of this would work nearly as well without a game cast. Ali and Shaikh prove to be an incredible comedic duo, finding new ways to bounce off each other as their situation grows more intense. They are a reliable foundation for the show’s comedy, but the actual star of the show is Poorna Jagannathan. Lucky Auntie, the name bestowed to her by the brothers, is the show’s comic weapon. Jagannathan makes a meal out of every scene. Whether she’s trading barbs with a criminal rival or cursing the ineptitude of our heroes, every moment sings.

Deli Boys’ lack of depth may lose it a few points, but the show is such a force of chaotic energy that it still charms. The plot and characters likely won’t hook you, but the rapid-fire dialogue and bloody comic set pieces just might. Despite its potentially dark subject matter, this is a light and breezy watch that begs you to laugh at the absurdity of it all. In other words, it’s a welcome distraction.

Deli Boys is currently streaming on Hulu.

Final Verdict: Tune In

Running Point: Netflix’s new basketball comedy misses the layup

Photo: Netflix

In the world of sports shows, we usually focus on coaches and players. They’re the ones deep in the game for every crucial moment. The action and drama naturally follow them. Netflix’s Running Point dares to ask the important question: What about the lowly team owner? Sure, all that actual sport is gruelling and fun to watch, but what about the obscenely wealthy people in charge of day-to-day operations? Let’s see what hijinks they get up to!

Running Point is the latest project from Mindy Kaling, along with co-writers Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen. Kate Hudson stars as Isla Gordon, a member of the family that owns the Los Angeles Lakers Waves, a prestigious basketball team for a legally unnamed professional basketball league. Isla’s three brothers hold prominent positions within the company, but her role is limited to community outreach. That changes when oldest brother and president of the company, Cam (Justin Theroux) steps down and appoints Isla as his successor. With the help of her dutiful assistant Ali (Brenda Song), Isla must learn how to navigate the problems that come with running the team.

There are about a half dozen other characters that round out the cast. You have a previously unknown 4th brother, the Waves’ sexy coach, who definitely won’t be getting with Isla, and Chet Hanks as himself in a basketball jersey among others. It’s a lot of characters to keep track of when you only have 10 half hour installments to work with. The cast all do admirable work, but it’s hard not to feel like everyone apart from Hudson is a little underdeveloped.

Basketball fans might instantly recognize the parallels between Hudson’s Isla and real-life Lakers owner Jeanie Buss. They’ll certainly notice her name in the credits as an executive producer. This explains why Isla always appears morally right. She’s the only person worthy of the job and it’s everyone around her that causes problems. It’s a hard act to pull off when you have a cast full of quirky characters. Thankfully, Hudson is more than up to the task. Her charm and energy make Isla someone worth rooting for. It’s almost enough to make you forget about the extreme wealth on display.

Running Point is not a show interested in taking the piss out of the wealthy. This is not Succession, it’s not even Arrested Development. The writers aim for light and breezy, hoping you check everything you’ve ever heard about sports team owners at the door. It’s an approach that potentially works with enough fine-tuning. Unfortunately, Running Point doesn’t have that kind of time. I could easily see this turning into a fan favorite show if the team has the space to work out the kinks. As it stands now, though, this is too scattershot to land anything meaningful.

Running Point is currently streaming on Netflix.

Final Verdict: Tune Out

Daredevil: Born Again: Marvel’s original TV hero returns with a mix of new and old

Photo: Marvel/Disney

This review contains spoilers for the first episode of Daredevil: Born Again.

This year marks a decade since the debut of Daredevil and the start of Netflix’s relationship with Marvel Television. In hindsight, the Netflix shows are very hit or miss, but it’s hard to deny their impact. For Netflix, it further established them as the premier streaming service. For Marvel, it provided fans with a darker and more mature take on the MCU, even if the connection between the shows and films was tangential at best. Through it all, Daredevil stood out as the biggest and best of these shows. Now, after 6 years away, Matt Murdock and his friends are back.

Well, Matt Murdock is back. Matt’s friends, Foggy and Karen, don’t have much time in Daredevil: Born Again before they’re killed and moved to the other side of the country, respectively. It’s an awkward set-up that hints at the show’s well documented creative overhaul. In short, the creators originally conceived the revival as more of a standalone legal drama, and they shot 6 episodes before executives decided it wasn’t working. They then installed a new showrunner, and the program became more serialized.

Those 6 episodes are still the bulk of Born Again’s first season with a new pilot episode preceding them. This is literally two shows fused together and while that sounds more chaotic than it actually is, the seams are still visible. In its weakest moments, you can feel the show struggle with being accessible to newcomers while still feeling like a continuation of the Netflix series. That it still mostly hangs together is a testament to the strong writing and consistently impressive acting.

After the awkward opening scenes, Born Again follows Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) still reeling from the death of his friend Foggy. He works at a new law firm and has officially retired the Daredevil persona. Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) is back in New York and intent on winning the city’s upcoming mayoral election. There are plenty of shows trying to speak to our current moment, none of them are subtle. Born Again isn’t either, but it finds a villain in Fisk who embodies all the ills of our political climate. Of course, it helps when you have a talent the caliber of D’Onofrio playing that villain.

D’Onofrio and Cox were the standouts of the Netflix series and they remain so here. Cox continues to make Murdock interesting and charming, even in his current wounded mental state. D’Onofrio finds more ways to showcase Fisk’s barely contained rage. The show clearly relishes giving the Kingpin a new playground as mayor. These are two characters who are trying to bury parts of themselves and thankfully you don’t have to wait long before the cracks appear. You can see the first signs in a scene where the two have a Heat-esque diner meeting. There’s an inherent tension based on the shared past of these two characters and a sense that either of them could lose control at a moment’s notice.

On the “full reboot” to “revival” scale, Born Again definitely falls into the latter category. It’s hard to imagine this series working as well for newcomers. That diner scene is a great example. The incredible performances create palpable tension, but newcomers unfamiliar with the Netflix series will miss the history and nuance. For fans though, this is the Daredevil that you know and love with a bigger budget and a new direction. There’s some obvious growing pains as the show struggles to work with two different creative agendas, but they never completely overtake the narrative. It’s a tricky act to balance, but Born Again pulls it off.

Daredevil: Born Again is streaming on Disney+. New Episodes release on Tuesday.

Final Verdict: Tune In