The Purge

This spooky, compelling series proves that a night in which every crime is legal makes a dandy idea for a series -- not just a movie (or four). Some pretty deft storytelling is afoot here, and those who have a taste for darker entertainment will be sucked in by the very first world-building episode. The line between the haves and have nots is stark, particularly on the big night, when the rich hide behind high-tech security systems and the poor behind plywood panels, despite the fact, as an opening news radio voice-over tells us, that Purgers are increasingly targeting such easy-to-break-into homes. And, the series soon reveals, the Purge itself was specifically engineered to get rid of said have nots; it's "the Great Liquidator," in the parlance of one rich creep who has a lot to gain from the 99 percent offing each other. 

Meanwhile, several other plotlines keep things boiling on other burners. Just who does Jane want dead enough to risk her own safety, and what's involved in this big-money deal important enough for a Purge Night all-nighter? What's Penelope's motivation for joining a blue-robed cult that sells sacrificial suicide? The twists are slowly doled out, but this show's nicely handled shots of menace and creepy visuals keep things snappy. At one point, a panicked Jane runs into a man sharpening a huge blade in the basement of her building. He smiles and calls out in a friendly way, "Don't worry. It's not for you!" But if you think that makes Jane safe, The Purge has another think coming for you.