Welcome to my Monday newsletter! This week, I am looking at Under the Bridge and Dinner with the Parents plus giving thoughts on the Emmy race for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. I also have a few thoughts on Palm Royale and Manhunt!
Hulu premiered the first two episodes of their murder mystery series Under the Bridge last week and although it follows most standard murder mystery tropes, it does them well and creates a solid mystery through the first pair of episodes. The Canadian-set drama was not immune to some eyeroll moments. Like nearly every TV limited series whodunit, the series splits time between getting to know the victim before the murder and the murder investigation. It has a standard opening for the shows with a melodramatic voiceover and darkness that then leads into a much happier time months earlier.
The show shines at times though thanks to its very strong cast. That includes Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone, who play former friends now coming at this murder from very different angles. It also includes Archie Panjabi, who is in a different type of role for her as the mother of the victim. But those three awards-baity actresses don't have the best moments in the first two episodes. That belongs to a group of teenage characters who are a bit like a very dark re-imagining of Mean Girls. At least through two episodes, the story seems to propel forward much quicker when it's focused on those characters and not on the adult ones, whose stories were hit and miss in the first two episodes despite the solid performances.
