Our take
The first thing that hits you about Sugar is its style: this is a show tailor-made for fans of a bygone Hollywood era, an era dominated by film noir and dapper leading men like Humphrey Bogart, whom Sugar emulates throughout the series. The show inserts clips from old films and, even better, echoes their style through tasteful jumpcuts and fisheye lenses. It’s dripping with panache, and Farrell is undeniably cool as he narrates his investigation and inner demons. That said, Sugar is also a show that’s more style than substance. If you strip it off its snazzy clothes, you’re left with the barest bones of a mystery that is simply too cliched to stand on its own. If you’re looking to dive into a heady mystery with surprising twists and thrills, you’re better off watching something else. However, if you’re a true blue fan of vintage noir, the kind who still puts TCM on religiously and swears nothing new can compare to the old, then this is your show.
What it won
Spirit Awards
1 nom
Sundance
1 nom
Nat. Board of Review
1 win
The story
An enigmatic private detective struggles with personal demons as he investigates the disappearance of a Hollywood producer's beloved granddaughter.
Elsewhere
"The way the series and its titular character both struggle with ideas of violence, shame and complicity is enthralling from start to finish, and proves that while “Sugar” isn’t necessarily reinventing the genre, it's bending it to its will."
— Kaiya Shunyata
When private detective John Sugar (Colin Farrell) is commissioned to look for a big-time Hollywood producer’s missing granddaughter, he gets more involved than planned.
Farrell and his commitment to giving a hard-boiled, old-fashioned noir performance. There are times when it teeters on parody, rather than homage, but he ultimately sells it.
If you’re an Old Hollywood fan, you’ll have fun with this homage—otherwise, Sugar’s core mystery might leave you unsatisfied.
The details
Streaming arrival
Who picked it
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
