Even if the service is trailing all of its major competitors by quite a large margin, Apple TV continues to bring out the big stars for their various TV shows and movies — many of which have been written about on this very website.
That brings us to Sugar, the Colin Farrell-led drama that returned for its second season this year and over two years after the first season which, unfortunately, is another trend with Apple TV. The show has a massive twist in season one that helped define the series, but was the follow up season worth the watch? What about season one?
Let’s get into it with a new Should You Watch focusing on seasons one and two of Sugar.
How many seasons?
Two with no word yet about a renewal for a third.
How many episodes?
16 total.
What type of show is it?
A detective-themed drama with an element of sci-fi.
When did it come out?
2024, 2026
Where can you watch it?
Apple TV
Who is it for?
For those who like gumshoe private investigator/detective/noir dramas.
What’s the commit level?
657 total minutes or 11 total hours. If you skip past the credits, you save 48 minutes so let’s call it a shade over 10 hours. A lot of the episodes are around 35-ish minutes which makes this pretty breezy to work through.
Is there a bailout episode?
I’d give this a few. Again, there’s a big twist in s1 but it’s not a make or break twist in terms of how good the show is.
Any interesting background in the show’s creation?
Wikipedia tells us there was a bidding war for the show that Apple won in December 2021 with Farrell confirmed in June 2022 when the show was officially green lit. That’s about it.
Are there actors the average TV watcher would recognize?
Colin Farrell, Amy Ryan, Shea Wigham, James Cromwell, Tony Dalton and to a lesser extent, Dennis Boutsikaris and Sasha Calle
What’s the main plot in a sentence?
A Los Angeles-based private investigator with a penchant for old movies and with some secrets plies his trade a long ways away from home.
What’s the rewatch factor?
Low.
If you like these shows or movies, you’ll like this:
Perry Mason, Spider-Noir, LA Confidential, Fringe, True Detective
What’s the reaction been?
It was nominated for a Primetime Emmy award for cinematography for the episode “Starry Eyed” along with some smaller awards.
On Metacritic, the overall series has a 69 generally favorable rating while Rotten Tomatoes has an excellent 89/87 split.
Is this a first or second screen show?
I’d say mostly a first, but there’s definitely some opportunities to look at a text or two.
Should you watch Sugar?
It’s an interesting task writing about a show in which you can’t reveal one of its major elements because it’s such a fun reveal, but I’ll attempt to anyway.
Even though he’s a leading man who could do pretty much anything, Farrell gravitates away from the big budget/major IP/summer blockbuster projects (Batman/Penguin aside) to less flashy work like Sugar which allows him to simply act. And, of course, he’s really very good at it.
This is a unique drama in a few ways. There’s a season-long case for him to solve which runs parallel to the larger plot of his life and him adjusting to being in a very different place than where he came from. In both seasons, that aforementioned case leaves plenty of room for the larger plot to breathe and vice versa which I like quite a bit.
There also isn’t a big cast in either season that requires a dedicated focus on side stories. The supporting cast does just that: support Farrell’s John Sugar character. Wigham, for example, is an awesome actor that I could watch in anything and while he’s involved in season two, it’s just the right amount of spice for the meal.
They also have an interesting storytelling technique of including clips from old movies, almost as if Sugar is picturing himself in the same position as the actors he adores on screen. It’s a nice touch and adds to that noir feeling they are going for.
The only downside? The two years between seasons. Sugar feels like a three or maybe four season show, but if we have to wait a few years in between, that definitely hurts the viewing experience. An example: when they showed scenes from season one during season two, my wife and I looked at each other and realized we didn’t remember anything from the first season outside the big reveal and the case in general.
As we take in so much media from all angles these days, it’s hard to restart that car.
I also have zero inkling of whether it will get picked up for season three. I assume Farrell will be busy with Penguin-related activity and depending on how well the show is doing, I could see Apple either punting on it or waiting a few years. That also hurts the season to season flow as well. It’s a good show, but it hasn’t crossed over like its contemporaries. If it was on Sundays on HBO? That’s a different story.
Overall, Sugar is well worth your watch. It’s a change of pace from the other Apple shows and has a unique spin that I’m trying really hard not to spoil if you haven’t seen it. Farrell is great, the show looks great, and with the shorter episodes, it’s an easy watch to start and finish up with in a week.
Should you watch Sugar? Yes.
