Critic Andy Greenwald made a TV show. It's solid and if USA decides to renew it, I do feel like it could be the next best TV drama (so few of those now, I think Succession and Better Call Saul are the only ones that fit the bill for me).

The first season of Briarpatch (probably my choice for the worst title to a series since Terriers and Halt and Catch Fire) was a solid neo-noir venture that blends the quirky character traits of Twin Peaks with the layered plotting of Elmore Leonard. Rosario Dawson and Jay Ferguson made an amazing duo who I'd love to see more of on a weekly basis with different plots.

What didn't work and prevents me from labelling it as an excellent first season like that of The Sopranos or The Wire, is that towards the conclusion Greenwald loses his grip on how we're supposed to see each of the characters. The Kim Dickens character is heroically fighting [Gene] and starts telling Allegra she's been on to him and we see her as a hero but this is retconned in the finale when we're told she made the second bomb. Such scenes feel like cheap tricks to make the audience think differently even when Dickens character represents a fabricated persona when hugging Allegra and running for Mayor. Also, the mystery becomes quite convoluted and hard to follow (I think it was around the dream sequence, which is a terrific scene, that I saw Felicity driving and said: "Oh yeah, her murderer is still out there"). I also feel like the cat death was supposed to be intentional foreshadowing but really gave it away. I haven't read Ross Thomas's book, but I am now tempted.

I will say Greenwald showed more love for the world rather than the story (the emphasis on the Jarritos rip off soda and the math detective series). Greenwald nails style, and although some complained about how it was shot after Ana Lily Amanpour left I never saw a setback in the show's visuals afterwards. I also just loved how each character even had their own wardrobe (like on Breaking Bad) and this is only enhanced by the performances. And the animals roaming all over the town, this show was nearly brilliant.

I do believe Dawson, Ferguson, Edi Gathegi and Alan Cummings deserve recognition for their turns here but seeing as to how the Limited Series category is packed (Devs, I Know This Much is True, Mrs America, Normal People, The Plot Against America, Unbelievable and Watchmen) I don't expect any of them to receive such recognition. My only hope is that USA moves the series to their streaming service Peacock, where Esmail's other producing credits (Evangelyne and the Battlestar Galactica reboot) will find a home. As a critic once wrote about Mr Robot and Fargo during their first seasons, neither is a great show...yet (Fargo did turn into a masterpiece in its second outing where Mr Robot unfortunately never grew to become one of the best American dramas like Breaking Bad or Justified). Anyhow, I do hope USA considers renewing it or at least shopping it elsewhere because it can turn into the next great drama.