The current trend for great new TV shows seems to indicate that they’re finally coming from sources besides HBO, Showtime and AMC. Top of the Lake is the latest, a miniseries airing on the Sundance Channel in seven parts. It is helmed up by acclaimed director of The Piano and other terrific works, Jane Campion, and takes place in her native New Zealand, following the investigation of the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl who is revealed to be pregnant. Elisabeth Moss is the lead detective on the case, who has a backstory of her own that has implications on her role in the investigation and is rolled out as the series progresses (at the time of this writing, four of the seven parts have aired).
This series has a similar vibe to The Killing, a show I found to be underrated largely because people became frustrated with its snail-pace plot despite its promotion as a kind of thriller. Top of the Lake does not give any indication that it is meant to be thrilling. It takes the things I really like about The Killing and makes them the primary focus of the series: a unique sense of place in this New Zealand setting, a main female character who shows grit in the face of sometimes sickening gender politics and with a mysterious history that you want to know more about, and a disappearance at the center of it all that demands answers that you know aren’t going to come easily. Resolution is overrated. It’s the journey to finding answers that is compelling, especially when it becomes more and more apparent that there is going to be little satisfaction in finding out the truth. Campion and co-creator Gerard Lee have done some outstanding work on this miniseries, and while it isn’t likely to generate a large audience, those who have been tuning in recognize it as something special indeed.
Have you been keeping up with any of these new TV shows? Are there any others you’d recommend? Share your comments below.
Published: May 3, 2013 11:04 am