The Box

Nothing about this show works. The writing is bizarre, the accents are wild, and the single indoor set the whole thing takes place on is like some community theatre idea of what an American police station looks like. Oh and the costumes, my god, the costumes. Hilarious.

The whole thing feels like a cutaway joke from 30 Rock.

If you like the idea of Anna Friel playing a detective with unmanaged PTSD, watch Marcella instead.

Right from the opening credits & throughout, the The Box is an uncomfortable watch, with tedious & dark scenes, accents which obviously aren't American, although they're supposed to be & all underlined by miserable music & overacted performances.

Friel was long ago over promoted from her British soap opera beginnings & her short comings are left wide open & on view here as there's no one around to support her with any glimmer of talent. The clumsily inserted ID politics & ridiculous man's suit add to the unintended comedy.

The blurb for the show sounds great, but getting anywhere near this story means wading through a morass of dreary nonsense. One wonders what happened to the 'Entertainment Business', as modern Hollywood seems bent on entertaining no one.

Enjoyed Anna Friel as Marcella. This role is similar: The outsider cop accused of wrongdoing with mental health problems and a complicated private life. The character worked as Marcella, here not so much, seems Friel has no range. It is not clear why this Swedish production chose to use a host of British actors in a US setting. It is jarring, better to use this cast in the UK or get Americans.

Horror/suspense clichés are littered throughout the first two episodes (As much as I could stomach) - quirky camera angles, dark restricted colour-palette sets, jittery lighting ... This is not an intrinsic problem, but The Box has nothing else to recommend it.

Such a disappointment, this had the potential to be compelling viewing, but fails on every level.

Red Spider, Dead Lady who's speaks Serbian. Nail Polish with dramatic name....was a good start. Then....off it goes in several directions.

It seems very THEATRE. So you need incredible performances and tight photography to make it work. But it isn't.

I have no idea, I'm bored, no one seems good, which means the director didn't direct well.

Loved her in Marcella, let's face it, it's why 99% of is are watching, but this isn't doing her justice.

I came here hoping the reviews would tell me what the f is going on.

Anna Friel should not have been involved in this.

That is my headline too.

What a s*it bargain.

Started bad, got worse, Then all went to c R A P.

No. No more of this.

Good and mediocre actors WILL not make it.

No.

It goes to the trash.

Sorry.