Chris Connor reviews the first two episodes of Apple TV+’s Sugar starring Colin Farrell…
L.A. set noir’s are certainly not a new phenomenon from the literary likes of Dashell Hamnett and Raymond Chandler to iconic films like Chinatown there have been many to pour over. The latest in this long tradition is the Apple TV+ series Sugar starring Oscar nominee Colin Farrell coming off the back of some of the strongest work of his career. Farrell plays the eponymous hero John Sugar, a PI with a knack for tracking down missing people.
After a run-in with the Yakuza in an entertaining Japan set opening, we get to the crux of the main story, Sugar is hired by Jonathan Siegel (James Cromwell) a movie mogul who’s granddaughter has seemingly gone missing. This leads Sugar into a family who are seemingly all hoarding secrets, some they’d be keen not to make the public eye. It’s unclear who if anyone Sugar can trust as the case appears more complex than simply just another missing person.
There are of course all the trappings of classic film noir of years gone by like a voiceover from our lead and plenty of smoky bars and Sugar’s classic car. Sugar is a film buff himself and there are plenty of references to the genre staples like The Big Heat and some of Humphrey Bogart’s best-loved pictures.
However, far from simply being another Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade, Sugar feels unique and Farrell is revelling in the part. There are fun twists like Sugar being almost intolerant to alcohol, coupled with his obsessive movie knowledge. It is refreshing to have this be set in the present day, which further helps differentiate it from the greats of the genre.
The first two episodes of Sugar point to this being another winner for Apple TV+, it clearly wears its homages on its sleeve but simultaneously manages to use them to create something fresh that never feels like purely a pastiche. There is an intelligence to the mystery that will likely keep the audience hooked as we try to piece together exactly what links the events that Sugar is following and how reliable the witnesses may be as a trap is laid for Sugar to end his investigation for good.
For fans of the noir genre, there is plenty to love here and Sugar may well end up joining the pantheon of greats that have come before it.
Chris Connor
Originally published April 1, 2024. Updated April 2, 2024.
