With Peak TV flooding the world with hundreds and hundreds of programs each and every year, networks and streaming services really have to showcase series that stand out in some way to hopefully survive in 2019. And in the case of the upcoming USA Network series “Briarpatch,” there are several standout reasons why you should pay attention.
As seen in the first trailer for the series, the big reason to watch “Briarpatch” is it covers the typical whodunit murder-mystery story but in a unique way. With a darkly comedic tone seen in a film like “Fargo,” “Briarpatch” takes the murder of a police officer and puts it in the middle of a setting that includes some truly eccentric characters and a town overrun by zoo animals.
And as if that’s not enough to catch your eye, there’s the fact that the creator of “Mr. Robot” is producing the series and it stars Rosario Dawson, who is endlessly watchable in just about anything she lends her talents to. Basically, in a world with dozens and dozens of terrible TV series, at least “Briarpatch” might actually be interesting and well-made.
The series stars Dawson, Jay Ferguson, Edi Gathegi, Kim Dickens, and Brian Geraghty. “Briarpatch” is created by Andy Greenwald, a writer and podcaster. The series is produced by Sam Esmail, the man behind “Mr. Robot” and the Amazon series “Homecoming.” Filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour, best known for her work on films like “The Bad Batch” and “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” is the director of the pilot episode.
“Briarpatch” will have its world premiere at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival before arriving on USA Network in 2020.
Here’s the synopsis:
Sparked by the mysterious death of her sister Felicity, Washington political fixer Allegra “Pickle” Dill (Rosario Dawson) returns home to the small Texas town where she grew up. Tenacious, direct, and in defiance of local police captain Gene Colder (Brian Geraghty), Dill begins to interrogate old childhood acquaintances, like estate attorney A.D. Singe (Edi Gathegi) and the self-made mogul Jake Spivey (Jay Ferguson), with hopes of finding answers. As in all good mysteries, with every discovery she makes, more questions arise — like why are exotic zoo animals running wild all over town?