What’s the name of the show? Aquarius.
When does it premiere? The two-hour season premiere airs Thursday 28 May at 9pm EST on NBC. The network will air episodes each Thursday at 9pm, but the entire 13-episode season will be available to stream on NBC.com for a month starting Friday.
That’s kind of odd, isn’t it? It surely is, and it is an interesting proposition for the network. Even though CBS has its stand-alone streaming service and all the other networks own a stake in Hulu, this is the first time that a network is giving a show such a priority on their website. We’ll have to see what it does to the ratings of the show (or if we can even judge that based on the current stats we get from Nielsen) to see if this idea will get picked up again, but it’s clearly a shot across Netflix’s bows.
What is this show? In LA in 1967 David Duchovny plays a cop who is hot on the trail of Charles Manson.
The Charles Manson? The very one.
That’s pretty bold. Yes, it is. And dare I say it’s pretty genius too.
What’s the show’s pedigree? John McNamara, best known for working on Lois & Clark, Fastlane and the American version of Prime Suspect, created the show.
What happens in the premiere? LAPD detective Sam Hodiak (Duchovny) gets a call form his ex-girlfriend Grace (Michaela McManus) whose daughter Emma (Emma Dumont) has been missing for days after sneaking out of the house and going to a party with a bunch of hippies. Her father Ken (Brían F O’Byrne), a wealthy lawyer, wants the investigation kept quiet and off the books.
In order to get in good with the underground scene Hodiak enlists the help of Brian Shafe (Grey Damon), an undercover cop who busts drug dealers with shaggy hair and fringed leather jackets by looking just like them. They eventually figure out that Emma has run off with a charismatic singer-songwriter by the name of Charles Manson (Gethin Anthony, who played Renly Baratheon on Game of Thrones).
Is this show any good? Ever since the Sharon Tate murders in 1969, two years after the action of this show, Charles Manson has been America’s bogeyman. For years, he’s been trotted out in news stories and daytime talkshows to remind us that there is someone out there who embodies pure, insane, nihilistic evil. Considering his reputation it would be interesting to have a show that looks at how he drew his followers in, led them on a bloody spree across LA, and the effect he had on the culture of the time. This, however, is not that show.
Aquarius is essentially a cop show and not an especially interesting one, at least judging by the first episode. The central dynamic is between Hodiak, a relic of the 50s with a buzzcut and little consideration for the rights of those in his jurisdiction, and Shafer, a new generation of cop with his long hair and insistence that Hodiak read everyone their Miranda rights and be treated fairly. Like every other mismatched cop show in existence, they have to work together to close this case and the other cases that come their way.
The problem is, the show is only truly gripping when Manson’s in it. In the second hour, Hodiak and Shafe are derailed by a murder investigation that has nothing to do with the main plot. I just wanted them to wrap it up so we could get back to Crazy Charlie. It doesn’t help that in this investigation they terrorise a member of the Nation of Islam who shouts, “You better watch your back,” while leaving the police station. That’s not so much foreshadowing as an actual spoiler.
There is some really great stuff in Aquarius and it’s a lot more intelligent, engaging, and challenging than most of the game shows, reality programs, and other pap that the networks put out this time of year. Aquarius really wants to be a prestige TV show (we know this because NBC is calling it an “event series”) with all the dark grit and psychological violence that would be found in a cable drama. However, it still plays it too safe, cleaving to its cop show roots when it should be willing to wade into Charles Manson’s insanity.
Which characters will you love? Manson, duh. And you’ll kind of hate yourself for it.
Which characters will you hate? Duchovny does a great job in a role that is pretty stale and thankless but it’s Damon’s Shafe that really rankles. The character has a sort of prissy condescension about his new age ideals that’s a little annoying.
What’s the best thing about it? While the soundtrack is first-rate – it must have cost NBC a fortune to license so many hits of the late 60s – it’s the look of Aquarius that really sets it apart. Like all good LA crime stories, it’s a noir and uses dark interiors and shadows to give everything a mood of claustrophobia. But it’s really the daytime shots that are remarkable. The colours are so washed out it’s as though the show takes place in a dimly remembered dream. It also makes the sunshine of LA look menacing and oppressive. Manson and his family would approve.
What’s the worst thing about it? Aquarius feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. While it’s one of the better offerings I’ve seen this year, I just can’t shake the sense that it could be better. It could be a little bit less of a rote cop show. It could be more invested in the psychology of the women who follow Manson. It could really dazzle us by drawing interesting connections between the culture at large and the Manson family. But it doesn’t do any of that. It’s not Aquarius’s fault that there is a glut of mid-century period pieces on television, but it’s not making it stand out much from them either.
Should you watch this show? I’m going to err on the side of yes on this one, but only if you promise to stream it on NBC.com. If we’re going to make the revolution happen, then we have to take these unique opportunities when they arise. Let’s just hope that season two fine-tunes what is a promising debut.
