Maniac

Starring: Jonah Hill (10 episodes), Emma Stone (10 episodes), Sonoya Mizuno (10 episodes), Justin Theroux (9 episodes), Sally Field (9 episodes), Kathleen Choe (9 episodes), Danny Hoch (9 episodes), Allyce Beasley (8 episodes), Stephen Hill (8 episodes), James Monroe Iglehart (8 episodes), Dai Ishiguro (8 episodes), Sejal Shah (8 episodes), Billy Magnussen (7 episodes), Aarakyn Anderson (6 episodes), Gabriel Byrne (5 episodes), Julia Garner (5 episodes), Jemima Kirke (5 episodes), Nate Craig (5 episodes), Alexandra Curran (5 episodes), Jesse Magnussen (5 episodes), Trudie Styler (4 episodes), Geoffrey Cantor (4 episodes), Rome Kanada (4 episodes), Hank Azaria (3 episodes), Grace Van Patten (3 episodes)
Directed by: Cary Joji Fukunaga (10 episodes)
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Science Fiction
2018

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two broken people (Jonah Hill, Emma Stone) come together at a pharmaceutical trial for a drug that promises to cure all their issues.

Review:
Tim: I was really intrigued by Netflix's "Maniac". The main reason I checked it out was to see what Cary Joji Fukunaga would do with the mini-series. He did such exceptional work on the first season of "True Detective" and I loved the fact that he would direct all 10 episodes of this series. Going into it, I heard a lot of good things about the mind-bending, twisting journey. I also heard that it was a "love it or hate it" kind of show. Usually when I hear that, I fall into the "love it" camp. Unfortunately, I found myself in the middle path- "Maniac" was okay. There were some things I liked about it, but there was a lot I didn't. I'm still glad I watched the series, but I wasn't always that interested in the story or characters. I was glad this was designed as a 1 season show.

I think the premise is genuinely fascinating. There's a pharmaceutical trial that promises to solve all your problems with a few pills. The process is a little difficult, but there's salvation at the end of the journey. This was never hit as hard or direct as it needed to be. This would be a life-changing, game-changing, world-changing opportunity and it feels like the focus of that was lost. I understand the desire to focus on individual characters, but that causes the series to lose some of its scope and importance. It felt like Fukunaga focused on other, less powerful aspects of the story. As such, nothing here felt all that compelling. When one episode ended, there wasn't anything driving me to watch the next one, other than the personal obligation to finish what I started. Watching this show was something I did, not something I felt especially driven to do.

A series like this works when the story is so brilliant and twisting that it keeps you on your toes. It needs to continually remind you that you need to pay attention to every detail or you'll be left behind. I never felt that way here. I was mildly intrigued to see how it would all end up, but the series lacked any real urgency.

The other big reason I was excited to see this series was to see Jonah Hill and Emma Stone in the lead roles. I was eager to see them reunite here. That aspect of the series doesn't disappoint. Both Hill and Stone give strong performances. They're both called upon to show a ton of range in their performances. That's one of the cool aspects of the story- we see them in different settings, as different versions of themselves. This gives both actors ample opportunity to showcase their talent. That was the biggest draw of the series- Hill and Stone are both really good and fun to watch. Sonoya Mizuno was fine. She had a few good moments here and there. I'm really not a fan of Justin Theroux and his performance here didn't change my mind. He often felt too over-the-top and just not believable. It felt like he was acting so hard- nothing felt natural or authentic in his performance. I was delighted to see Sally Field was involved, but her character and performance weren't anything special. She's a good addition and adds to the film, but wasn't as nearly as effective as I hoped. I liked seeing Gabriel Byrne here and he had a few great moments. Billy Magnussen was solid, too. As a whole, the cast is impressive and a major reason to watch this series.

While I can't claim to love "Maniac", I still very much appreciate it as a series. I believe we need to keep pushing the boundaries of television. Challenging, unexpected, unique series like this absolutely have a place in the world. The fact that "Maniac" doesn't quite work out isn't a reason to stop ambitious attempts. I appreciate what Fukunaga attempted here. While this isn't a show I loved, I'm still happy I watched it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: True Detective, Fringe