A short 6 episode 44 minute mini-series created, written, and directed by Ken Finkleman and airing on CBC, fresh off the attempted revival of his previous hit The Newsroom. I liked The Newsroom for what it was, and so going into this expected much a similar style of comedy, which we got in the sense its definitely still Finkleman's dialogue, characters, and set ups, but I would not call this a comedy at its forefront. An air of satire wafts about, but what we have is primarily a mystery drama following the Chateau Rousseau, a luxurious hotel in Montreal, and all the varied staff and tenants within. There really are a lot of characters, from a half dozen recurring guests, that many plus hotel staff, not to mentioned the through line plot of the series involving the hotel owner, her family, and a series of murders occurring within the hotel. Each episode typically also features a new hotel guest with some b-plot, and surprisingly, a musical number, although only one per episode. The musical number always took me off guard, its such a strange occurrence each time it happens, but I guess I must admit none were particularly bad, just weird given the surrounding series. The directing is good, probably its most notable aspect, there's some interesting choices anyway. It definitely feels a bit artsy, experimental. Some of the characters are a bit cardboard and superficial, and some others just outright poorly written, but the plots and dialogue are generally fun and unique, provided you can follow them. Which is really the series ultimate downfall, its just a bit too complicated and stuffed full of interweaving plots and characters; it was hard enough to follow when binging, I can't imagine someone watching week-to-week as it aired. Again none of its really laugh out loud funny, nor is it intended to be, and the drama is a bit sappy for something that's trying to be serious, so I'm not quite sure what tone Finkleman was ultimately trying for. Honestly, I'm not sure about this one, probably wouldn't recommend to most.
