In this episode of The Hollywood Beat’s Take on TV, Lisa and Tandy offer an Adolescence review and a Disclaimer review, two drama limited series that push the envelope in that they use unconventional story-telling techniques.

Adolescence Review

The first, Adolescence, runs only four episodes, and—wait for it—each episode is shot in one take. Let that sink in. There are no edits, and it will blow your mind.

The story is from an original series of scripts about a 13-year-old boy is accused of committing a violent murder. It is not based on any specific, real life crime, but more of a series of crimes involving cyber bullying and angry young men.

The British cast may not be familiar to American audiences, although creator, writer and star Stephen Graham who who puts in a gut wrenching performance as the accused boy’s father, is better known for his roles in films including Blitz, The Irishman, Venom: The Last Dance, Rocket Man and The Damned United.

Also be prepared to be blown away by the performance of young Owen Cooper as the accused adolescent. He had never acted a day in his life before he was cast, and handled this outrageously difficult project like a seasoned veteran. His work is astonishing.

Make no mistake about it, Adolescence has to be one of the most original and riveting series we’ve ever seen.

Reportedly, there have been discussions for another season focusing on an entirely different set of characters and crimes. Emmy Awards may have a little something to do with that. We can’t wait!

Disclaimer Review

The second limited series, Disclaimer, is adapted from Renee Knight’s 2015 novel by the same name. Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron created, wrote, and directed it.

This one has an all-star cast including Cate Banchett, Sacha Baron Cohen, Kevin Klein, and Kodi Smit-McPhee and Lesley Manville.What makes this series standout is its use of voiceover narration, the kind you might expect to find in a script.

Also, flashbacks are used liberally which sometimes are confusing.

But it’s worth sticking with it — in addition to the sublime, and soon to be Emmy nominated performances from these A-listers, the ending is extremely powerful and moving. All your questions will be answered.

In this episode of The Hollywood Beat’s Take on TV, Lisa and Tandy offer an Adolescence review and a Disclaimer review, two drama limited series that push the envelope in that they use unconventional story-telling techniques.