12.08.2013

Television: The Wrong Mans

So I'd heard this Hulu series was good and had been wanting to see it, and finally tonight I was able to watch the first two episodes.

And it is really good.

I only stopped watching because it was getting late and I'm grown-up enough to know I need a certain amount of sleep to get through the day without ripping heads off. I could easily have kept popping episodes of this show like candy.

Going in, I had only a vague idea of what the show was about, so if you're in the same space as I was, I'll give you the notes: Sam (Mathew Baynton) witnesses a car accident while walking to work one morning, and after the wreckage is cleared discovers a ringing mobile phone. He answers it only to be threatened with the death of his wife. Clearly the owner of this phone had some, er, issues.

Meanwhile, Sam has problems of his own in that his boss is also his ex. (The part I don't get: why she's willing to depend on him to make her look good at an important meeting? Unless she's just that sure of his devotion. In which case she's using him. Bitch.)

Okay, but Sam just wants to turn the whole phone thing over to the police . . . Except then he gets a voicemail on the phone, complete with a woman screaming, that says if he goes to the police she will die. And Sam can't live with that on his conscience. He inadvertently ropes in the mailroom assistant Phil (the ever funny James Corden) as they attempt to sort out the threads of this phone, its owner, and how to save the damsel in distress.

It's truly a funny show, well written and equally well produced. Just has all the right touches and is paced perfectly so as not to be boring while still developing characters one cares about and can cheer for. I'm looking forward to more. Only sorry there are only six to start with.

3 comments:

Trisha said...

This sounds intriguing! I wasn't expecting you to say it was funny, but I guess things can be funny and serious at the same time. Like Six Feet Under. ha. But that was more macabre than anything.

I will definitely look out for this one!

Roland D. Yeomans said...

Thanks for this review. I have been debating on whether to take a chance on it or not. I did HULU's western for an episode and was underwhelmed -- perhaps it was just building steam.

Now, I will take the plunge. Always enjoy your posts. My job as rare blood courier keeps me with limited time for blog reading lately. Thanks again, Roland

M said...

I think for me it's a matter of sensibility, and I usually respond well to the British style. I was raised on it, so . . .

And thanks, Roland, for the kind words! (What an interesting job to have, btw.)