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The deadly love triangle as a motive for murder is something that's been around for millennia. There are stories of love and betrayal in the Old Testament. It should come as no surprise that even people who profess to hold Christian values are capable of the deadliest of sins.

Josh Mankiewicz's skills as a storyteller are on full display. This is a complex case, with plotlines that include love, sex, religion, friendship and betrayal. When a perfect family seems to have it all, it's always a shock to discover it was a facade. The cracks in the foundation of one California couple's marriage went a lot deeper than their closest friends suspected. This is a gripping story with some unexpected twists.

If there's one lesson that everyone should take away from this docu-series it's that police investigators cannot always be trusted. In the JonBenet Ramsey case, the rush to judgement was so fast, so deliberate, and so inept that the chance of a successful conclusion to the case was essentially impossible.

Almost straight away, Boulder Police detectives had "decided" that one or both of the Ramsey parents were responsible for JonBenet's death. I say "almost" because the first, critical hours of the investigation were so completely and thoroughly botched that JonBenet's body wasn't discovered in the basement until SEVEN HOURS after police had arrived on the scene. Seven hours after the residenct had been "searched", a Boulder detective had suggested that John Ramsey do another sweep of his home to look for anything out of place, and it was on this occasion that he, not the police, located the body of JonBenet. The home was not secured as a crime scene until that point, which meant that critical evidence would be irretrievably lost.

This is a cautionary tale. The police in this case were inept beyond description. The media was complicate in taking the tidbits leaked to them by police and releasing it as if it were factual information, but in many cases it was not.

If you think the Lifetime movie of 2016 presented a "balanced" view, you probably believed a lot of the lies that were leaked by police and spread by the media. If you think JonBenet's parents or then-10 year old brother was involved, you likely saw and believe much of that misinformation. Police leaked lies that fit their own beliefs, while covering up any exculpatory evidence. It's truly shocking.

I loved the pilot. Jeff Bridges shines as an unlikely former CIA spook and John Lithgow brings substantial weight to the role of the FBI's assistant director who shares a history with Bridges character. The setup is believable, especially the opening scenes at Bridges home. Alia Shawkat is the surprise breakout actor in this series, and the source of the first big plot twist.

Unfortunately, the premise is solid, but the fleshing-out of the story falls flat. Too much slow-burn without enough payoff. The series switches back and forth between a downbeat study of aging and regret, and a "Taken" style actioner where we are reminded not to underestimate the older guys.

As much as I love Jeff Bridges, I can't heartily recommend this one, unless there isn't anything better on. 6.5 out of 10.