Dispatches from Elsewhere

Arrestingly odd with a tender message about the value of human connection underneath, this one-of-a-kind series rewards patient viewers who don't mind a twisty narrative throughline. We're notified that we're in for something different from Dispatches from Elsewhere's very first scene, when a piercing Richard E. Grant stares silently from the screen in front of a vivid orange blank background. Twenty-three seconds go by before he begins to speak, just long enough for viewers to have checked to make sure their screen isn't frozen, and, having realized it isn't, to give their full attention to the show. And what a show! Though Segel's hapless Peter starts off with a life so drab even his shirt doesn't have any color, calling a number he ripped off a strange flyer posted to a phone pole gets him invited to an "induction" to a mysterious society (or is it?). Portents, ominous videos, inexplicable phone calls, clues written on walls and objects all follow -- and then in an alleyway shop of "beautiful things," Peter encounters Simone, and realizes there are others on the same adventure as he is.

That's where the heart of Dispatches from Elsewhere lies; the weird happenings are just window dressing (though it'd be a shame to revel said weird happenings, since many are positively jaw-dropping when they occur). We soon meet up with Janice and Fredwynn, who are directed to join Peter and Simone on their quest. Janice thinks this is all an elaborate prank, Fredwynn sees some type of dark governmental conspiracy, Simone believes they're playing a type of avant-garde game. But Peter hopes it's something different: real magic. That's just what this gripping, gorgeous show has, an emotional pull that casts a spell. It will remind viewers of other surreal mystery shows (Russian Doll, Twin Peaks and Lost come to mind), but what makes it ultimately more compelling is the message underneath: the real magic is people finding each other.