Critics recently took a bite out of Apple for its tone-deaf iPad commercial crushing centuries of culture in a vice, followed by a proposed streaming bundle with Netflix and Peacock that gives cord cutters another option but could be a slippery slope to the very cable monopolies that streaming was supposed to shatter.
Even if you are critical of both of those corporate moves in Silicon Valley, there’s no denying that Apple TV+ has a sweet batting average for its TV content. That’s especially the case for the neo-noir “Sugar,” which drops its eighth and final episode on Friday. If you haven’t seen it yet there’s still plenty of time to catch up as the first episode is the only one clocking in at 50 minutes — the rest are roughly a half hour for a riveting binge.
Created by Mark Protosevich, the series unfolds in modern-day Los Angeles where cinephile turned private detective John Sugar (Colin Farrell) investigates the disappearance of Olivia Siegel (Sydney Chandler), who happens to be the granddaughter of legendary Hollywood producer Jonathan Siegel (James Crowell).
Farrell is perfectly cast, sipping whiskey beneath mysterious eyes while delivering hard-boiled dialogue in voice-over narration. It’s a return to his breakthrough role in “Minority Report” (2002), which I maintain is a neo-noir placed in a futuristic setting. Since then, the Irish actor has won a Golden Globe for “In Bruges” (2008), another nomination for “The Lobster” (2015) and landed an Oscar nod for “The Banshees of Inisherin” (2022).
His private eye isn’t so much a gritty gumshoe but rather a swanky man of skills, driving fancy cars with slick hair and a fancy suit. As uncovers clues, Sugar leans on techie sidekick Ruby (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) and love interest Melanie Mackintosh (a fitting name for an Apple show), played by the always great Amy Ryan (“The Wire,” “The Office,” “Only Murders in the Building”), who starts out as a potential one-night stand but becomes so much more.
Surrounding them are three generations of Hollywood royalty. Cromwell (“Babe”) carries gravitas as the Golden Age producer grandfather screening his classic pictures at film festivals, while Dennis Boutsikaris (“Better Call Saul”) plays his Boomer son, the famous Hollywood director Bernie Siegel, while Nate Corddry (“Barry”) plays the nepo-baby actor grandson David Siegel, who is enabled by his wine o’clock mom (Anna Gunn, “Breaking Bad”).
Classic Hollywood is a recurring theme as directors Fernando Meirelles (“City of God”) and Adam Arkin (son of Alan Arkin) flash old film clips between the action, including “Double Indemnity” (1944), “The Big Sleep” (1946), “Gilda” (1946), “The Third Man” (1949), “The Big Heat” (1953) and “Kiss Me Deadly” (1955). At one point, a violent scene is intercut with Robert Mitchum’s iconic LOVE vs. HATE speech from “The Night of the Hunter” (1955).
For viewers, it’s a cinephile “sugar” rush because this is exactly how we see the world — with images of our favorite movies flashing before our eyes. It’s how we process the world around us, for better and for worse, imitating our screen heroes. You’ll shout at the screen as Farrell says, “What was the name of that movie with Russell Crowe and Kim Basinger? Oh yeah, ‘L.A. Confidential.'” You’ll smile as it immediately cuts to Cromwell.
As show runner, Protosevich clearly loves old movies, having adapted “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972) for Wolfgang Petersen’s remake “Poseidon” (2006) and adapting the South Korean thriller “Oldboy” (2003) for Spike Lee’s remake of the same name in 2013. He also wrote the original screenplays for Tarsem Singh’s “The Cell” (2000) and Francis Lawrence’s “I Am Legend” (2007), proving he’s not afraid of trying more fantastical genres.
“Sugar” continues to show Protosevich’s genre fluidity with film-noir themes that are straight out of “Chinatown” (1974), similarly starting with a detective exploring family drama to eventually expose a larger conspiracy in the seedy underbelly of L.A. for a damning social commentary. I wouldn’t dare spoil the ultimate reveal here, but let’s just say that there’s no way you’ll predict it. In fact, you’ll be left jaw dropped somewhere around Episode 6.
After last week’s Episode 7 cliffhanger, I can’t wait for the Episode 8 finale to drop on Friday.
This type of show is exactly my cup of tea — or should I say Cupertino.
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