Truth Be Told

I liked this show right off the bat, however it lost its steam for me after a few episodes. Dragged on and on and on. Disappointing.

I don't understand the negative reviews. I find the acting by Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul (who I love) to be superb. My attention span is not what it used to be so I cannot watch slow moving shows. This one has kept my attention and I don't find myself wandering off because the story line is not just about the plot but also about the characters.

Season 1 is decent enough. Season 2 goes off the rails. Octavia Spencer and Kate Hudson have zero chemistry and the story sucks.

This is an interesting take on a current phenomenon, the crime podcast. Poppy Parnell (Academy Award Winner Octavia Spencer) is an investigative crime reporter turned podcaster. So the premise of the series is untangling a mystery per season. The cast and performances are solid. The tone and music are evocative. My biggest problem was with how the series is held hostage to its premise. Because each episode contains portions of a podcast, the pace is dampened by heavy handed moralizations and narrative. The first season's mystery was compelling enough to compensate for it (I consistently rated those episodes 8/great) but, despite the addition of Kate Hudson to the second season, the podcast narrative ground the series to a slow crawl. Overall, I give this series only a 7 (okay) out of 10. {Mystery Drama}

... in order to see where it goes. But it's difficult. Poppy is extremely unlikeable and I'm not a great fan of Octavia's acting here. I also find her relationships with the two men (husband and ex) very mismatched - I cant see either of them being in a relationship with her to be honest. Aaron Paul is great but he isn't seen as often as needed to hold this cast up. The Lanie/Josie characters are a bit of a caricature and over-acted. I'm hoping they will pull something out for the last few episodes that surprises us and redeems the series.