‘Sugar’ Series Review: A Stunning and Ultra-Inventive Neo Noir

An extremely well-crafted and completely enthralling love letter to film noir (and a bit more), Apple Tv’s Sugar, is a most welcome new series. Through its unique tone and sharply focused scripts, this engrossing piece excels in placing its allegiances to times gone by. As Colin Farrell’s passionate yet enigmatic private investigator, John Sugar, moves through the city, one can almost hear the noir music of Dimitri Tiompkin and Miklos Rozsa or the boozy John Williams score from Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye guiding his way. This is Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane, and Robert Towne blended into the twisted America of today.

Written by Donald Joh, Sam Catlin, David Rosen, and series creator Mark Protosevich, Sugar honors the film noirs of classic cinema and does so with purpose. A lover of classic film noir pictures, John Sugar vibes to the rhythms of the city while visions of tough guy movie detectives dance in his head; the character’s thoughts and motivations guided by a myriad of old films. Like any great L.A. mystery, past or present, the character walks to the beat of his own drum, sifting through clue after clue while keeping the mystique of his own life to himself.

Through his fine lead performance, Colin Farrell continues his ascent to existing as one of his generation’s best actors. From John Sugar’s entrance in the first episode, Farrell commands the screen. Opening in Tokyo, Sugar has tracked down a Yakuza boss’ missing child. Tensions are high and Sugar accepts his pay, leaving immediately with the comfort of a safe child but the uneasiness of the vicious payback the guilty will receive. Farrell’s face is one of conviction, worry, and relief, although the character might be masking a more profound perspective on his place in the scheme of things. Immediately, the actor captures the sexiness and mystery found in such a character, infusing the work with a mixture of tough and tender and just the right amount of ambiguity.

Coming back to Los Angeles, he meets with his handler Ruby (Kirby) and, going against her wishes, accepts a job from powerful film producer Jonathan Siegel (the treasure that is James Cromwell) to investigate the disappearance of his granddaughter Olivia (Sydney Chandler). Oliva is a recovering drug addict who vanishes often only to reappear. This time, there is a more sinister feel to her disappearance and Sugar becomes wrapped up in danger, double crosses, and a host of shady characters.

Protosevich knows how to craft interesting characters and proves it with every carefully constructed role. Olivia’s shady movie producer dad Bernie (Dennis Boutsikaris), mom Margit (Anna Gunn), her asshole former child star brother David (Nate Corddry), and especially her former rock star alcoholic ex-stepmom Melanie (Amy Ryan), are all finely tuned in both performance and creation. Ryan is a standout, as she fully establishes the weight of trying to stay sober while someone she loves has gone missing. The work is tender and honest. This is a terrific turn from a great character actress.

Not only did a lot of thought go into the writing and creation of the characters, this unique neo-noir series finds the perfect ingredients for its alluringly mysterious atmosphere. Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge’s score has the right amount of sultry sax and whiskey-bar piano, as it blows like an ultracool breeze through César Charlone and Richard Rutkowski’s cinematography.

As the series continues, mysteries abound and the carefully chosen movie references that are the impetus of Sugar’s every move give clever cinematic weight to the story, with clues hidden throughout. Don’t be so quick to think you have it all figured. Protosevich and his directors (Fernando Meirelles and Adam Arkin) are too smart, crafting intricate twists and turns before they allow any payoff. The creators want their audience to be in the dark as much as they can before the reveals begin. There is a lot to investigate and the audience is in lockstep with Sugar’s every move, although he too may also have a few surprises to share. The skill that went into the creation of this series will keep audiences in their grip until the season’s final frame. This is smart and inventive writing.

Sugar is far from the average “private investigator on a case” tale. With a story so rich in character and ideas, it is clear that a great deal of thought went into its creation. This series is a welcome and inventive breath of fresh air and the finest pice of television in 2024, thus far.

The first two episodes of Sugar premiere Friday, April 5 on Apple Tv+ with a new episode releasing every Friday through May 17.