ILuvMovieehs

I was excited for the opportunity to watch Truth be told- a crime/murder mystery series with an african-american female lead playing a journalist/podcast character who solves crime along with a strong supporting cast. Unfortunately it fails to deliver so far due mostly to poor writing and lack of structural balance in plot construction. Season One starts with an interesting podcast premise investing much time in character development. Usually this is a good thing especially if the series hopes to have life beyond first season. But the plodding pace, poorly crafted script left me wondering what are they trying to do with this show? Is it a soap or murder mystery? And because of this indecision the show comes off as somewhat incoherent and downright boring. A true crime podcast has more life than this show. On the other hand the actors looked like they had fun with series especially Lizzie Kaplan who delivered on her role with great success. The mostly wonderful Octavia Spenser came off as very wooden and uncertain. She is better in season 2 giving a bit more life and depth to the role of Poppy. The show also gets a lift in part bc Kate Hudson's strong performance as evil Mika. And another bright spot was the introduction of Andre Royo's over-the-top aging cool cat lawyer character. Brilliant! I wish they'd make a show around that guy! But that's an aside. My main criticism in general is the decision by director or show runner to write the show as a soapy family drama along side with a murder mystery. Good murder mystery shows certainly need character development or family drama to help drive suspense and get audiences emotionally invested in the story. But the problem with Truth Be Told is that it fails to do this well in a balanced, meaningful or artful way. The family drama seems to overwhelm and is much too disconnected from the murder mystery, making it superfluous. And the murder mystery ends up suffering from lack of suspense and intrigue. Maybe by season 3 the writing will improve, but I am not sticking around to watch. Two seasons are enough.

This series is hilarious! It reminds me a bit of the American show Castle. In that show the no nonsense detective was a woman and quirky consultant was a famous mystery writer/author who was a man. The series will definitely appeal to viewers who are art-buffs that also enjoy a good who-dunnit crime show. It's this intersection that gives the show it's edge. Each crime revolves around a classical painting or notable artist's work. I am geeky enough to want more on the art and less of the crime but honestly the show is nicely balanced. The two leads have great chemistry and if you enjoy French humor, this show is a delight. My French is passable enough but there are decent English subtitles and the French dialogue isn't super complex making it easy to follow. Action scenes aren't anything spectacular. It's your typical long shot of cops chasing after the fleeing suspect. Instead this is really a show about solving the crime - with the crimes being wonderfully inventive, and the criminal in some way being motivated by art or the sake of art. Overall quite an entertaining series!

Like several others i really detested this show when I first watched it. The comedy premise - a clueless billionaire divorcée trying to help people thru her vanity charity project was just too close and certainly one of many things wrong with the philanthropy business. Take it from me I work in this field! But then I read over some of the reviews and checked my professional hat at the door, and gave this show another chance. After all it is Maya Rudolph. And though it"s not great comedy, the show is a bit smarter and fun than I initially gave it credit. I am caught up now through season 2 and just appreciate the show for its all of its wonderful quirks like the implausible story, the fantastic cast ensemble, and of course Maya unleashing her amazing comedic talent in the character Molly as the show grows into its own.. Call it a guilty pleasure but I love to watch this show at the end of a particularly tough work day. It makes me laugh! The show entertains precisely because of its over the top characters and outlandish formula for comedy. And for that I am grateful. After all it is only a TV show, not reality. I hope it keeps going!