Sugar is a frustrating misfire

Sugar, starring Colin Farrell at his coolest, is one frustrating show to write about. Basically, everything that annoys me about it is a spoiler. It’s a series that promises one thing and delivers another, and even does that half-heartedly. In setting up the big twist, Sugar accidentally turns out to be a charming and odd-ball private eye story. One that’s far better than what it actually wants to be about.

The setup is familiar and simple. Farrell plays a man called Sugar. He’s a private eye, and a damn good one. A bit aloof and odd, but a consummate professional. We meet him in Tokyo, where he’s tracked down a kidnapped child of a Yakuza gangster. He’s not interested in moral dilemmas when it comes to a pay cheque.

Sugar receives a call from Los Angeles. The daughter of a famous film producer has gone missing. She’s done so before, but this time something feels wrong. Like it’s actually for serious. Nobody is talking, and there’s a sense that everyone knows more than they let on. This is Hollywood, after all. There’s a front for everything.

And that’s all I can say about the series before we hit spoiler territory. Everything after the first episode is basically off the table. Suffice to say, the problems don’t really start until just after the halfway point. By then, you’re probably invested enough to sit through until the end. I know I was. But I did so out of obligation and anger, rather than enjoyment.

None of this is the fault of the cast. Everyone from Farrell to Kirby, Amy Ryan, and James Cromwell bring their A-game. At its best, Sugar feels like you’re in a charming recreation of The Long Goodbye. There’s a similar freewheeling energy. A suave “what the hell” attitude, despite the fact that you know everyone’s working really hard at it.

Yet for every bit of swagger, there’s awkward showboat directing from Fernando Meirelles, which pulls you out of the illusion every time. Like the director is annoyed that you’re not paying attention to him. It’s particularly frustrating when it happens in a scene that only requires a stationary camera and two people talking. Suddenly, we’re looking up someone’s nostril as images from old films flash by.

When Sugar just gets out of its own way, it’s a hell of a good time. That happens probably three, maybe four times during the eight episode long first season. All other times, it’s an exercise in how to ruin a good thing by just trying too damn hard.

Maybe they’ll get it right in the second season.

Sugar premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, April 5.