This compelling series-noir follows Hugh Laurie as a neuropsychiatrist who plays white knight for a femme fatale in distress, assisted by a helpful tough guy.
Chance feels a lot like classic Noirs like Double Indemnity, and I spent much of the series worried that there would be a too-obvious 180-degree turn. But the series offers more zig-zag turns than turnarounds. Things aren't quite what they seem, but this isn't a house of mirrors either. And for the most part the story holds together well, although one can criticize the unlikely convenience of D, who seems almost Deus Ex Machina.
Hugh Laurie tends to be the most riveting presence on screen, as in House or the Night Manager, but here the rest of the cast is too good to give Laurie and opening to take over. Gretchen Mol is terrific as the fragile damsel, and Ethan Suplee is riveting as D. I was shocked to see in the three pages of user reviews on this series he is rarely mentioned and most of the focus is on Laurie; it's as though people are so used to him being the best thing in a series that they can't tell when he's being outshone. Even though he himself is excellent as the obsessed intellectual going down the rabbit hole.
Chance takes more focus than most TV series. I didn't binge watch it simply because it requires more of me than something like iZombie. But if you're in the mood to pay attention, this is a great series to pay attention to.
