There have been some solid American remakes of UK TV shows: All in the Family to Life on Mars. But there's also shows like "Coupling" too. This series seems to fit somewhere in the middle.
On the plus side, the acting isn't bad. The storyline has its multiple levels: it doesn't dumb itself down for the audience. And Detroit is an excellent choice of settings for this US remake.
On the negatives: my kingdom for a steady-cam. Are directors so infantile as to still believe the tired trope from Hill Street Blues that the more amateurish the guy holding the camera, the more it's supposed to feel like a documentary. Fail #1.
Fail #2: good directors make you care about the characters involved and some of the storyline before the blood and guts come out and create a visceral reaction. Unfortunately, this show opted straight for the violence as a cloying attempt to capture you're interest immediately -- except that it's performed on characters you know nothing about and have zero investment with. Maybe if I was 7 years old, but not as an adult.
Fail #3: the best dark shows often have comedic elements -- even if it's dark comedy -- to lighten up the pace. But this show is written with no redeeming moments -- no mood lighteners, no dark humor, no cracks. As such, it's a bit like listening to a 60-minute bass solo. Maybe you love bass, but it loses it's strength if that's all you get all the time. Darkness just has more impact when you get a reminder of the light once in a while. There is no light in this show.
Fail #4: Closing scenes where the actors emote to the soundtrack. Cheesy to the extreme.
