The Hour is the show you would get if you put Mad Men and Rubicon in a martini shaker and gave them a good blending. The series, which premieres Wednesday, August 17 on BBC America, is equal parts office period drama and conspiracy thriller, centering upon the creation of a new current affairs show on the BBC in June 1956. There are lots of men in suits with slicked-down hair, but there's also a strange conspiracy subplot that seems rather disconnected from the rest of the series, despite the presence of the main character in both storylines.
That main character is Freddie Lyon, played wonderfully by Ben Whishaw (Layer Cake). He's really a blend of James Badge Dale with Matt Smith; he's a frizzy-haired sleuth with a sharp wit and unpredictable antics. Don't be mistaken by Dominic West's prominence in promotional material; the show's pilot really centers on Freddie, with West's character Hector Madden playing a more supporting role.
There's also an easy comparison to be made between Freddie and Jon Stewart (of The Daily Show). They share a frustration with the complacency and laziness of television news. Early on in the first episode, Freddie voices his frustration with the BBC ignoring informative news pieces in favor of more entertainment, viewer-interest ones. Sounds like an allegory for our times, doesn't it?
If the show was only a look at the early years of news (the basis for the flawed newsmedia of today), I think it'd be brilliant. But it's weighed down by a tacked-on conspiracy plot that really makes no sense for the entire first hour of the program. Sure, it adds some intrigue to the story, but the subplot feels like too much too soon. Even Freddie seems fairly disinterested as the mysteries start to unfold around him.
In the end, it's not really clear what The Hour will become once it gets going. The U.K. has already seen the first four episodes of the slated six, but it's unclear to me whether it will continue walking the disjointed line between social commentary and conspiracy thriller.
Having said that, the pilot was engrossing enough for me to continue, despite my misgivings. The Hour seems like it might take a few weeks to really find its legs, and the pilot episode was enough to convince me to stick around until then.
The Hour will premiere Wednesday, August 17 at 10/9c on BBC America.
The review is correct – I saw episode 4 last week and that's when it all really starts to pull together. In saying that, the earlier episodes aren't exactly crap either. Give it a go, can't wait for ep5 tonight!