Tell Me Your Secrets

Amy Brenneman Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater all started on the stage before graduating to "character actors" on film and television. They know how to steal a scene.

In this series, Brenneman plays a grieving mother who will (quite literally) do anything to find out what happened to Theresa, her missing daughter. Rabe is the woman who was there when her serial killer boyfriend snatched Theresa, and cannot forgive herself for not stopping him. Linklater is a serial predator who hopes to stop looking for prey. Meanwhile, someone is killing young girls, and a local foster home is full of potential victims.

The show is helmed by Harriet Warner of "Call the Midwife," but its Louisiana setting, subject matter, and pacing seem more rooted in the gloomy "True Detective." Fear and depression follow each of the three lead characters through the steamy swamps and grimy buildings.

They all have something to hide, and the series gives us the slow, plodding revelation of their secrets. Sadly, the pacing is uneven, with more happening in the first episode than in the next three.

The production values are generally good, but the sound is at time uneven. Music drowns out voices, and the dark sets made it hard for me to watch in a well lit room.

There are multiple plots, which mean it is best seen as a binge stream over a few days.

I enjoyed most of it, and thought the acting was phenomenal. The plot? Unbelievable, but THIS IS TV.

If ever there was a title that represented truth in advertising, this is that title. All the characters in this limited series have their secrets, and in some cases, their their own hearts and minds keep secrets from themselves. The series features very good writing and excellent acting, especially from the principals: Lily Rabe, Amy Brenneman, and Hamish Linklater. Plenty of twists and turns for fans of murder mystery thrillers. So why did I rate this only 7 out of 10? Because the last couple of episodes start to spiral down a bizarre rabbit hole of secrets and conspiracies that are not plausible. "Heroes" become "villains" and vice versa. Certain secrets that we finally thought that we had learned and understood, turn out to not be true. That's all well and good if my disbelief and trust in "Occam's Razor" can be suspended, but everybody has their own limits in that regard, and mine were exceeded. Plus, I have a pet peeve about the last scene/shot of a drama being used to set up a "sequel" (or a second season, in this case), and not to provide any closure to the original story/season. Hence, a potential 9/10 shrinks by two.

Anyone who is confused simply needs to watch and pay attention. The story does jump in time but easy to follow. Watch it...judge for yourself...but don't let the totally unjustified bad reviews turn you away.

Leaps and bounds more engrossing and satisfying than "The Undoing", " Your Honor", and " The Sinner S2"

Rabe, Linklater, and Brenneman all inhabit their characters and the script keeps things moving at a steady , but swampy pace in keeping with the story locale and themes.

A creepy voodoo vibe a la " True Detective S1" and a myriad of complex characters each with layers of secrets ( similar to those in "Bloodline") make for a binge-worthy watch.

Pour out a couple of fingers of dark rum,Curl up with someone you trust(!) and let this atmospheric drama seep into your bones.

This series is better than many of the reviews here. The last two episodes were all over the place and rushed but the build up was good and the initial premise was fine. There were some wonky twists towards the end that went overboard but it's a limited series so I guess they didn't feel constrained to reign anything in for seasons that are never gonna happen.