American Crime

It's working on many levels, especially with premium cable, Netflix and now Amazon Prime. The issues I have with American Crime after three episodes is, it's far too slow and the commercials break any continuity you start building. If this is planned at 11 episodes the Brits could do it in 5 and it would be a better, perhaps even a grittier program. The special effects (if you can call them this) are more in line with high school, college film editing courses.. distracting; I know they're using it to hide curse words because it's broadcast but use them or stick with broadcast standards. So far it's too drawn out and had the opportunity of coming close to HBO's True Detective. I'm disappointed. When you see as many commercials promoting the upcoming show and twice as many after it's started it's not a good sign. This pilot season will be it's only season. Unless it picks up and as viewers we can connect more with the characters where you become interested to the point of wanting to advocate for them all is lost. Producers only need look at Luther, Broadchurch, Vera, etc., it can be done. Why those shows are not shown here without being Americanized like Broadchurch being remade into Gracepoint; it was nowhere near as good and was made several episodes longer which did not at all make it a better viewing experience.

If one adheres to the belief that art reveals some critical aspect of being human, then American Crime is one of the best pieces of art I've ever seen in a network television series. The title may mislead viewers into expectations of a high-octane cop procedural; those anticipating such will be disappointed. Just like Breaking Bad (without the violence) American Crime operates on a much deeper, psychologically-taut, gut-wrenching level. It burrows into the souls of its characters, depicting each as they react to and evolve from a single murder committed in Modesto, California.

Described without spoilers, the series begins after the fact, immediately introducing us to eight main characters touched directly by the crime and who are bluntly stereotyped by race, religion, familial position, lifestyle or psychological make-up. They react according to type but as facts of the murder emerge, the burden of carrying these conventions under such inconceivable circumstances forces each character to evolve from type or submerge more deeply and desperately within it.

To say that American Crime reveals how messy life really is would be trite, a whopping understatement. These are extremely diverse characters, linked by a singular event and inflicted with raw, immense pain. They are extraordinarily fleshed out by the likes of Felicity Huffman, Timothy Hutton, Penelope Ann Miller, Benito Martinez and the always underrated but extremely gifted W. Earl Brown (Dan Dority from Deadwood, for a television reference).

Creator John Ridley wisely chose to develop the series anthologically; like True Detective, the characters draw viewers into a world most never see and while the journey is richly satisfying, it is also so wholly unsettling that one can't imagine it continuing through 12 episodes, season after season.

Just two episodes in, and I am hooked and heart-broken again. I just keep thinking "this is all around us, this is all around us." The strawberries that we ate for dinner? And the low cost hotel I drive by on the way to work..what's happening in those fields and rooms?

The new members of the cast are as strong as the old. I feel that the issues that American Crime addresses this season are wider-reaching, yet personal at the same time.

It's hard to watch bright and shiny commercials during the show - a weird juxtaposition.

I watch a lot of foreign movies and TV series because I find most domestic products to be formulistic, highly predictable, shallow or simplistic (many fine exceptions exist - as examples True Detectives, Breaking Bad, Justified etc.). This holds particularly true for anything offered by the big 4 networks. As an example watch both versions of the series " Secrets and Lies" and you will clearly see the difference between an off shore and a domestic take on the same story. For me there is no comparison, the original Aussi version is much more to my liking.

Now to "Crime Story"; it takes a couple of episodes to develop but like a fine wine after it breathes a bit the content becomes richer and more accessible. I really appreciate the casting, character development is strong and the pace is just right for me. All the actors are superb, pretty much every cast member gives an honest and compelling performance. The camera work is artful, not artsy but artful, adding to the experience. It is a drama and as such there is very little to feel good about here but the story so far is strong, well told and deals with serious issues. I eagerly look forward to each new episode. My typical viewing habit is to record episodes of shows I follow and then watch 2 or more at a time. Skipping through commercials, especially for dramas, allows the story to flow and for emotional or dramatic moments to make their point and to leave a mark. If you are a reality TV watcher or do not value well staged dramas move on - there is nothing for you here. However if you enjoy a script which is well written and deals with big relevant issues, stellar acting and something different from the majority of the cookie cutter series out there I'd say give this one a try. I was very surprised when I read through the other reviews here for this fine series and found the amount of negativity that they contained. My guess is that, like myself, the audience for a show of this caliber pretty much dismiss network offerings and will never find it. Regular network viewers need the familiar and don't know how to appreciate the slower more deliberate pace of the story , the depth of the questions raised, or the skill with which this series has been crafted - this is too bad because I find the time invested to be well worth it.

American Crime focuses on the people surrounding a criminal case and the difficulties that they go through rather than the actual crime or criminal investigation itself. While I understand the merits of this and appreciate it the point they're trying to make, the fact of the matter is that I want to know the outcome. I want to know what happened. The acting is great and the series is well written (probably too good for network television though) but it's a let down getting to the end of the season having no idea what actually happened. The series doesn't need to focus on the investigation or be a police procedural to give the viewer a but more payoff at the end. We can struggle with the families of crime victims and ultimately learn the truth/see how things turn out without losing the main message of the show.