Common Sense Media Review
By Marty Brown
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Shallow neo-noir series has drug focus, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Sugar
What's the Story?
SUGAR follows private detective John Sugar (Colin Farrell) through Los Angeles as he searches for the missing granddaughter of a renowned producer. Sugar tries to mimic the detectives from classic noir films, but he ends up more emotionally invested in the case than Mike Hammer or Sam Spade would ever be. Could he be hiding a secret of his own?
Is It Any Good?
Detective series are the lifeblood of comfort television; this one dutifully checks all the boxes for a typical mystery, then adds an extra layer of noir references. Sugar goes as far as showing clips from 1940s and '50s movies, and Sugar even carries "the same gun Glenn Ford used in The Big Heat." Savvy viewers might wonder why Sugar goes to such lengths with its meta flourishes but makes the central mystery so routine. The puzzle at the heart of the series may not be exactly what it seems; like plenty of other comfort TV, Sugar is a little too dependent on one big reveal.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the mystery. What do we know about the disappearance? What are the clues? What do you expect to happen?
Who is Sugar? What makes him unique? What do you think is his "secret"? How does he change from the beginning of the series to the end?
How does Sugar use classic movies? Why do you think both the series and the character of John Sugar borrow from classic detective noir? How does this help tell the story?
TV Details
- Premiere date : April 5, 2024
- Cast : Colin Farrell , Amy Ryan , James Cromwell
- Network : Apple TV
- Genre : Drama
- TV rating :
- Last updated : April 18, 2024
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