Truth Be Told

_Truth Be Told_ I wasn't expecting this show to work, and even though I'm not sure that it does actually work, it is really entertaining. For fans of Serial and true crime, this show scratches an itch that other fictional mystery shows have left irritated for years (based on Kathleen Barber's novel, _Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber_). The highlight of the show is the performances of Octavia Spencer, Aaron Paul, and Lizzy Caplan which pull the viewer into a moderately interesting story and world. I'm not sure that I buy the storyline or some of the a-bit-too-easy plot twists, but I couldn't stop watching it. I certainly hope that Apple does the right thing and brings this back for another mini-series.

This is an interesting take on a current phenomenon, the crime podcast. Poppy Parnell (Academy Award Winner Octavia Spencer) is an investigative crime reporter turned podcaster. So the premise of the series is untangling a mystery per season. The cast and performances are solid. The tone and music are evocative. My biggest problem was with how the series is held hostage to its premise. Because each episode contains portions of a podcast, the pace is dampened by heavy handed moralizations and narrative. The first season’s mystery was compelling enough to compensate for it (I consistently rated those episodes 8/great) but, despite the addition of Kate Hudson to the second season, the podcast narrative ground the series to a slow crawl. Overall, I give this series only a 7 (okay) out of 10. [Mystery Drama]