Creators Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (I Love You Phillip Morris, Focus) helm this new series on Paramount Plus that follows John Weir (Kiefer Sutherland), a private espionage operative who’s especially adept at orchestrating complicated plans rife with deception. The series’ nonlinear plotting keeps viewers guessing as the story moves back and forth in time, revealing that what we think happened was in fact another ploy orchestrated by Weir and his team.
By the third episode, Weir’s father, Dr. Ben Wilson (an always welcome Charles Dance), a CIA spy long thought dead, shows up, leading to an already paranoid Weir growing ever more suspicious. We get a love interest in Hailey Winton (Meta Golding), who may or may not be who she says she is.
Part of the fun of the series is its connection to real world events and its general sense of cynicism, paranoia, and the belief that sinister forces are at work manipulating our world. When Weir is framed for murder, the story kicks into high gear. You could argue there are too many needlessly complicated twists, but considering the series’ title, the shoe fits. (eight 44- to 56-min. episodes)
—Glen Starkey
