We’re rapidly closing in on the end of 2024. It was a year full of big swings on the big and small screen. As the year comes to a close, I’m looking back on series that worked for me that you can now check out. Today, it’s an ambitious limited series on Apple TV+.
Series: Disclaimer
Where to Find It: All seven episodes are now streaming on Apple TV+
What’s It About: This is an adaptation of the novel from Renee Knight. It’s adapted by filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron, who directed all seven episodes. It’s set in England and follows a story that plays out over time.
In the present, Catherine Ravenscroft (Cate Blanchett) is a successful documentary journalist who has an icy personality. That keeps people at a distance, including her husband (Sacha Baron-Cohen) and her son (Kodi Smit-McPhee). But what’s at the root of the struggle she has to connect with people?
Meanwhile Stephen Brigstocke (Kevin Kline) is a retired professor who is bitter and alone. His son died years earlier and his wife (Lesley Manville), consumed by her grief, also died. But before she passed, she wrote a book. When Stephen finds it and publishes it, the book sets off a chain reaction meant to bring a long-buried truth to life.
But is it the truth he expects? Will it bring him peace?
Why It Makes the List
This was not a universally beloved series. While many were excited to see a series from Cuaron starring Blanchett, this was an interesting production. The tone and the execution might not work for everyone. It’s also a mystery series that spends most of its run time trying to build up a certain kind of story only to flip the script near the end.
I enjoyed the performances. In the early going, I was taken with Kline and some of the choices he makes in building his character. I also like the way it builds up the story. You feel like you’re going in one direction and by the time the truth comes out, I felt caught up in the journey. To help add perspective, Cuaron used two different cinematographers in a means of creating a different look and feel, and I thought that worked.
In the end, this is a dark story that certainly won’t work for everyone. But I appreciated the craft and performances here, and I was taken with the way the twist turns the narrative on its head. It was a big swing and I’m glad I finished the journey.