Sugar

I admit I have a soft spot for private detective drama's whatever the time frame and this looks to be a good one. The genre relies on a strong male lead with some kind of vulnerability and Colin Farrell as Sugar completely embodies the requirement. All the cool you expect from the genre is on display, the car, the suits, the neon, every box ticked. The plot conforms to all the requirements, wealthy man hires private eye to find granddaughter, money is no object, all is not as it seems, dark secrets, etc. The directorial style and cinematography really lift this piece and the referencing to classic noir enhances the look. We're only two episodes in so it could go badly off the rails but as I say, if the reviewer at The Guardian hates it then it is going to be good.

FIRST SEASON

During the first 6 episodes, i liked it a lot at first but then, something started to feel off. All those film noir references, Farrell's strange acting and behavior, were interesting at first but gradually, i was confused and i was feeling a bit detached. Farrell is charismatic and a great actor, he wouldn't let this show go off the rails, so i decided to keep on watching it, even though i didn't love it anymore.

And then, a major twist happened. A twist that explained it all. Unfortunately, i can't say anything about it because even a small detail could be a spoiler. Overall, the less you learn about this tv show, the better.

I will say only this : I love spaghetti. I also love honey. There are many tasty (or tasteful, if we're talking about other things than food) things that cannot be combined. I mean, you cannot put honey in your spaghetti, it would be stupid.

SUGAR combines two ENTIRELY different things. It's like putting honey in a plate of spaghetti. At first, i was a bit shocked. Are we serious? But, eventually, i can say that i liked it even more than the first 6 episodes. Because, at least, everything is being explained in a satisfying way. I don't claim that it works, there will be many people who won't like it, maybe they will find it ridiculous.

But it worked for me. And i applaud every daring creative choice, i mean, we can't complain that everything has already been told in movies/shows and then get upset when a film maker tries something different.

I hope there is gonna be a second season. There is a lot of creativity and originality here. Characters are likeable, the bad guys are really bad, the story is interesting, not for a second i felt bored. Well directed and well acted. In any case, i don't expect much from 20's tv shows and movies. If i am being entertained, it's enough.

This show caught me totally by surprise. I am not typically overly impressed by pseudo-noir style shows, but I'm hooked. Only reason it's not a 9 or 10 is due to the cliffhanger-esque ending of episode 6 without 7 being immediately available. :p

The acting is superb, casting is perfect, and I'm eager to see exactly wth is going on. I'm usually very good at seeing things coming in shows/movies (to the point where during certain films *coughNun2cough* I am legit saying what's going to happen before it does), and several times already I've had to "wait, what?" and back up a few scenes.

Really interested to see where this show goes. Don't eff it up, Apple.

Colin Farrell is simply perfect in this role. Vulnerable yet strong, serious yet fun, and mysterious yet open. Really stellar supporting cast with beautiful scenery of LA. A real trip back in time to the old style self-narrated private directive genre. Apple hasn't disappointed and continues its excellent record of releasing excellent limited series like this one. The only negative is in a world of instant gratification, waiting for a whole week for a new episode is torturous! But this is most certainly work the wait. Finally, I also love the embedded black and white clips from old detective movies throughout. It adds to the intrigue for me.

Sugar is a new LA noir private detective show that works both as a hommage to the genre and a self serious meta parody with all the cliches imaginable. After 2 episodes it's difficult to tell where it will go but I like it for the moment.

Colin Farrell is great as usual and succeeds in giving gravitas to a character that for the moment is paper thin. We feel he has a past and relationships and traumas and an inner life.

I reserve the right to revise my note according to the evolution of the next episodes. Many shows started great and collapsed very fast (the Apple TV+ Godzilla show for example). Let's wait and see.