tek's rating:

The Wrong Mans, on BBC Two (UK) / Hulu (USA)
A.V. Club; BBC; IMDb; TV Tango; TV Tropes; WebVeeGuide; Wikipedia
streaming sites: Amazon; Google Play; Hulu; iTunes; Vudu; YouTube

This is a co-production of the BBC and Hulu. So, in America, it's technically a web series, but I'm putting my review in the TV section instead of the web section, because it did actually air first on TV, in Britain (if only by a couple weeks or so). With that established, it was hard for me to decide in which category to put my review. I could have gone with "dramedy," because it's very much a mix of comedy and drama. Or I could have called it "quirky." Or "weird" (though that category is itself subdivided into comedy and drama, and I wouldn't know which one to list it under). I suppose I could have put it under "mysterious," because the plot is so convoluted that I have very little idea what's going on. (And trying to explain it in any detail would spoil the fun of actually watching it.) It also bears some similarity to some of the shows in the "legal and detective dramas" category. But ultimately, I went with "action/adventure," because there's a ton of that in the show. But upon reflection, I'll also put a link in "comedy." And, what the heck, I'll also put a link to this review in the web section... but at the bottom of this review, I will not put a link to the web section. So there.

Anyway, there's this guy named Sam Pinkett, a very ordinary, boring sort of guy with a very ordinary, boring sort of job. He's also trying to get over a breakup with his ex-girlfriend, Lizzie Green, who happens to be his boss. I think. And there's another guy at work named Phil Bourne, who wants to be friends with everyone, especially Sam, but no one actually likes him. Sam kind of takes pity on him, though. Anyway, one morning on his way to work, Sam witnesses a car crash. After the police have been there and gone, and the driver has been taken to the hospital, Sam finds a cell phone on the ground. And he gets a call on it from someone who had apparently kidnapped the driver's wife, and was going to kill her if her husband didn't bring the ransom money. Of course, since Sam answered the phone, the kidnapper thinks he's the husband, and tells him not to involve the police. And Sam has no idea what to do. Somehow, Phil gets involved in all this, and unlike Sam, he's really excited to be part of the kind of situation you normally only see in movies.

Beyond that, I can't tell you anything about the plot, except that every episode is so full of insane plot twists that every time you think the situation is about to be resolved... the whole thing just spins off in a new, even more intense direction. So Sam and Phil just keep getting in more and more over their heads. And if you manage to hang onto your sanity, it's hilarious. And thrilling. And did I mention insane? ...Well, the first season (which is six episodes) does have a pretty cool resolution, but I was really looking forward to more insanity in season two. And then... it turned out I couldn't watch season two for free on Hulu, as I had season one. And I can't currently afford to subscribe to the service, so... I have no idea when I might get to watch any more of the show.


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