No network this year has delivered more fascinating original dramatic programs than Sundance Channel, with its recent seven-hour mini-series “Top of the Lake” and next week’s new
entry “Rectify,” its first wholly owned original series. If this keeps up, Sundance is going to find itself in the company of AMC, FX, TNT, USA Network and other basic cable networks that
continue to distinguish themselves as providers of some of the most compelling scripted dramas on television.
“Top of the Lake” has come and gone, though I suspect it will continue
to find viewers through replays and other means for months if not years to come. Set in a remote mountain region of New Zealand, it revolves around the desperate search for a missing 12-year-old girl
who is five months pregnant. Elisabeth Moss stars as a detective visiting the area who refuses to leave until the girl is found. Her investigation brings her in contact with challenging and dangerous
characters, including a ruthless local drug lord who is also the missing girl’s father and a deeply spiritual woman who operates a camp for women. It is a mesmerizing, fascinating and at times
profoundly disturbing viewing experience unlike anything that I can recall on basic cable or broadcast television. This is provocative, grown-up entertainment at its finest, and it feels right at home
amid the many terrific independent and foreign films that make Sundance one of the more invaluable channels in any cable system.
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I’m certain “Lake” will receive a second wave
of media attention later this year when the Emmy nominations are announced. Elisabeth Moss and Holly Hunter, as the enigmatic camp leader, would seem to be shoe-ins for acting nominations in the movie
and mini-series category. (At this point, I can’t imagine Moss not winning.) Expect the series itself to be recognized, along with writer and director Jane Campion (“The Piano”).
Next up from Sundance is “Rectify,” which premieres on Monday. Like “Lake,” and AMC’s “Mad Men,” this one is determinedly distinctive, with pacing,
production values and performances that are a bit out of sync with most of the rest of television drama. I’m not sure the series itself is strong enough to snag significant attention come award
season, but lead actor Aden Young, as a Georgia man suddenly released from prison after two decades in complete isolation on death row, is simply outstanding. In fact, his work here is as arresting as
that of Damian Lewis in Showtime’s “Homeland” and Bryan Cranston in AMC’s “Breaking Bad.” (“Rectify” executive producers Mark Johnson and Melissa
Bernstein are veterans of the latter.)
Like the people behind the very best basic cable dramas, “Rectify” creator and writer Ray McKinnon has delivered a production that expands
our understanding and acceptance of what a television series can be. Collectively, the six episodes that comprise the first season of “Rectify” explore the first seven days of its lead
character’s newfound freedom. Here’s hoping we’ll get to experience several more weeks in the life of this fascinating individual.
A similarly offbeat new series is taking
shape over on BBC America. “Orphan Black” is a sexy science fiction mystery about a beautiful young street hustler who assumes the identity of a dead police detective who looked just like
her – only to discover that she is one of many clones, all of whom are being targeted by a killer. Stunning series lead Tatiana Maslany is terrific in the lead role and in an ever-increasing
number of supporting roles as more clones are discovered. Meantime, the supporting characters that are not clones are uniformly engrossing and often quite eccentric. The creators of “Orphan
Black” certainly know how to stand out in a crowded TV landscape, stacking the show with enough sex, nudity, violence and colorful narrative quirks to hold the attention between kick-ass action
scenes.
The satisfyingly smart “Orphan Black” is the third scripted series produced by BBC America, following the equally impressive (if slightly less fun) “Copper” and
“Ripper Street.” Like the new shows on Sundance, they’re obviously intended for adult viewers who are looking for something different and don’t mind giving thought to what
they’re watching.
The other notable new scripted series of the moment is Syfy’s sweeping action-adventure saga “Defiance.” Nothing about the show itself feels
particularly original – it’s all multiple alien species, post-apocalyptic landscapes, scary monsters, futuristic political intrigue, dashing heroes, hot babes and blazing weaponry –
but sometimes the tried-and-true makes for the most satisfying of diversions. What makes “Defiance” special is its ongoing synergistic link to a massive multi-player video game of the same
name. That connection defines “Defiance” as a historic television project, but this is only the beginning for Syfy, which announced last week at its upfront presentation that, going
forward, every scripted and non-scripted original series on the network will have major interactive components via digital media, social networks and second screen technologies. “Defiance”
isn’t just Syfy’s most ambitious scripted effort to date; it is also the network’s foundation for an entirely new approach to television entertainment.