[Warning: General spoilers ahead.]
It’s no secret that Warren Christie is my boy, back to Alphas, and via Hallmark, and again with Motive and GG2D, so when he was cast in USA’s new thriller, Eyewitness, I was pretty much all in, sight unseen (no pun intended). Well, now that I’ve seen several episodes, Christie’s Blue Steel bad boy is essentially my gateway drug into a The Killing-type rabbit hole. Y’all remember how that went, right? Mama’s in trouble.
What begins as a murder mystery just blossoms exponentially around the love story of two teenage boys in a small town. I had zero clue about that aspect going in, and I was blown away by the performances of the two young men at the core of that arc. Tyler Young and James Paxton deliver gorgeous, delicate performances as Philip, settling into semi-rural foster care after life with a drug-addicted mother, and Lukas, the dutiful son of a strict, widowed single father whose dreams don’t go beyond the immediate, until he meets Philip.
Philip is fairly self-assured, but Lukas isn’t, and it opens the door for him to take a look at who he really is and more importantly, who he wants. All this plays out against the backdrop of a multiple homicide they happen to witness, which is complicated by the fact that nobody knows they’re even friends.
On top of that, the sheriff, Helen, (Julianne Nicholson who I adore back to The Others) and her husband, the local vet, Gabe (Gil Bellows), are Philip’s foster family, which ratchets the secrets and complications way, way up, especially when Helen has to investigate the murders amidst multijurisdictional ruler measuring and the presumption that she’s small town. Then there’s the killer who caught a glimpse of a jacket but not a boy.
It’s a taut, multi-layered story that’s made so much richer by the performances. I might just be in love with this show. I get a little giddy stupid when a series sneaks up on me in an unexpected way and introduces me to new talent. You’ve been warned.
The first two episodes are directed by Twilight‘s Catherine Hardwicke, who also produces, in moody tones that evoke another excellent series we loved, Top of The Lake, directed by a fellow kickass woman director, Jane Campion. Eyewitness is based on a 2014 Norwegian miniseries called Øyevitne and is creator Adi Hasak‘s second show to air this season–he also launched NBC’s Shades of Blue this spring.
The rest of the predominately Canadian cast includes 19-2‘s Tattiawna Jones, Rookie Blue‘s Matt Murray, Orphan Black‘s Amanda Brugel, and The Listener‘s Rainbow Francks.
Eyewitness premieres this Sunday at 10/9c on USA. Here are a few sneak peeks, and you can watch the the first 12 minutes of the premiere here.
[Updated: The series ran one season and every episode is on Amazon Prime, iTunes, and You Tube in the US.]
Thank Me Later: Will Trent
[Warning: spoilers ahead.] I’m on record as loving and losing shows over at ABC so I’m usually very reticent to pick something up on the network until it’s been renewed, and I seriously hope I’m not jinxing it, but I took a chance on the deeply odd and very sweet…
Dennis Heaton Talks The Imperfects
Longtime readers at TV Goodness will know that Motive is one of my ride-or-die series, and as such, I am fiercely loyal to its creator, Dennis Heaton. He followed up that fantastic reverse procedural with Netflix’s The Order and is back on our streaming screens with The Imperfects, which dropped…
Kelly McCormack Talks Favorite Moments in A League of Their Own
[Warning: Mild spoilers for season 1.] Now that you’ve had a chance to watch A League of Their Own, here’s the rest of my chat with Kelly McCormack about her favorite moments of the season. Seeing the iconic Peaches uniforms for the first time wasn’t just a goosebump moment for…
John Griffin and Harold Perrineau Talk From on EPIX Season 1 Finale
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] How are we doing, #FROMily? In case you missed it this morning, the very good news is that that cliffhanger will be followed by a second season, which was gifted this morning ahead of the linear broadcast of the finale. I always legitimately appreciate when we…
Elizabeth Saunders Talks EPIX’s From
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] One of the things that makes EPIX’s From such a fun ride is the abundance of Canadian cast members. Elizabeth Saunders, who plays Donna, is a favorite from her turn on the third season of Mary Kills People [streaming on Global TV in Canada and Roku…
Corteon Moore Talks From “Broken Windows, Open Doors”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight’s episode of From had us all in our feels as we learned through flashbacks about the Sophie’s Choice Boyd had to make to save his son, and back in the present as Boyd said his piece with Ellis before heading into the woods with…
Pegah Ghafoori Talks From “All Good Things…”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode] Tonight on From, Fatima’s anniversary celebration turned into a Colony House of horrors when a misguided Kevin let his monster bae in and she promptly killed him and left the window open for her crew. While the party devolved into terror and sent everyone running,…
Shaun Majumder Talks From “Book 74”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight on EPIX’s From, Father Khatri made a bold move, kidnapping Sara instead of turning her in, and then recognizing her as a vessel for some big messages. That startling realization speaks to him on multiple levels–as a man of faith, a man trapped in…
Avery Konrad Talks About Sara’s Struggle in From “Silhouettes”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Over the course of the season so far on From, we’ve witnessed Sara’s battle against the voices telling her to to do terrible things, and tonight we saw her unravel further, threatening the Matthews and lashing out in a moment of terror with horrifying results….
Hannah Cheramy Talks From “Choosing Day”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight, on EPIX’s From, the Matthews participate in the show’s version of the sorting hat, choosing where to call home–the town or Colony House. At the end of the episode, Julie makes the decision to split from her family and instead settle in with Fatima…
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…