A show that is bolstered and outright kept afloat by the brilliant performances of Firth and Collette. Much of the bluster and force is gone after Episode 4, and we're left with a meandering character study for the remaining episodes. It's not bad viewing per se, but much of the grip and tension makes way to plodding introspection. This mini series does a much better job at showing all angles and then leaning into Michaels guilt, whereas the documentary does everything to frame Michael as innocent. To that end, I'm even more undecided on what I think happened. But I digress. Some award winnning performances and some great composition, but be prepared for some air-y character study towards the backend. Definitely a flat 7/10 for me when all is considered.

colin firth's one failing in this role is that he's too wonderful, it makes me root for him in a way i never rooted for his real life counterpart in the docuseries.

excellent dramatization though - i'd say watch the docuseries first if you find the episodes difficult to follow or too confusing to keep your attention. knowing the real story won't make it any less enjoyable a watch, promise! it'll just keep you in step with the moving timeline and family structure.

Can we just take a moment to appreciate that Colin Firth literally delivered the best performance of his whole career.

Overall 6/10, but every scene with Toni Collette 9.5/10.

[HBO Max] If the docuseries was an amazing dissection of surprising events and a flawed judicial system, the fiction adds depth to the consequences, rather than the crime itself, which is shown in a clinical, sharp and violent way. It wants to cover too many aspects, but it manages to compose an atmosphere of distrust, tragedy and melancholy that speaks of guilt, loneliness and the faking nature of relationships.

Can't fault the cast and the production values but ultimately kind of a bit pointless. You'd be better off watching the documentary series.

It’s hard to fault the cast in this show, they do an excellent job, especially Colin Firth. I don’t have any compassion for the bastard he portrays, but Firth does a good job portraying him.

I think it is the cast that keeps you interested in the show. A bit long as most of these shows are these days, but overall a pretty well done show.

I think it is the cast that keeps you interested in the show. A bit long as most of these shows are these days, but overall a pretty well done show.

The performances here by Firth, Collette, and Binoche are nothing short of tremendous with excellent supporting performances by Stuhlbarg, Parker Posey, and Cullen Moss.

It's ever so slightly overlong and drags in the 5th and 6th episode, but the finale packs a great punch that lingered in my mind long after the credits rolled.

As someone who grew up 45 minutes away from where this real-life story took place, I was in awe of the accent work here. North Carolina is so dense with diverse accents and it is almost unheard of for TV and film to even approach success in this department, so I was utterly giddy to hear my home state represented as accurately as it was. This is not bound to be a show that enters our pantheon of most respected mini-series, but it would be a shame not to think of it as incredibly solid with some stellar character work. The slow burn is effective and this is a great show to take in over a few nights with a nice glass of whiskey.

Midway through binging I found myself intrigued to pause it and go watch the documentary instead. Because I wasn't familiar with the case before starting this show. And it made me realize and appreciate the incredible accuracy and effort it took to portray everything. Very well done indeed. However, kind of unnecessary. The documentary was more compelling.

Meh, the documentary was better, not really sure why this was made.

Really enjoying this, I liked the documentary version a few years back but this looks like it's better.

Overall it is a good show. The cast is terrific, special mentions to Firth and Stuhlbrag, acting and direction are top notch. However, why does it seem now mandatory that the story be told with different timelines. It is sometimes hard to follow in which part of the story you are. And I fail to see the added value. After watching "Dopesick", this narrative style seems to be on trend to a fault. Also we have a touch mandatory wokeism, race-swaps (french director is now black for some reason).
BOTTOM LINE: It's really good, not amazing, and please WATCH the original docu series on Netflix. It is a LOT better, the best true crime series ever in my opinion.

Colin Firth sounds like John Goodman in this, and it's deeply unsettling.