10 Unexpectedly Awesome Netflix TV Shows That Need Binge Watching
9. Top Of The Lake
Arguably the finest meditations on murder have originated from Europe in recent years, from bleak police dramas like The Killing and Broadchurch making America’s TV cop thrillers look like T.J. Hooker. Well, Australia and New Zealand threw their hat in the ring with Top Of The Lake, from the Oscar-winning auteur Jane Campion.
Elizabeth Moss plays Robin Griffin, a police inspector specialising in sexual assault and rape with a dark history of her own. In 2013’s season one, she devotes herself to solving the mystery of a vanished pregnant twelve-year old in New Zealand. In 2017’s season two - subtitled China Girl and set in Sydney - Griffin investigates the death of an unidentified girl found on the beach.
Moss’ work in recent years has only bolstered her reputation as one of the world’s most compelling actors, and here she’s ably supported from career heavyweights like David Wenham, Holly Hunter, Peter Mullan and Nicole Kidman. A welcome addition to season two is Game Of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie as Griffin’s new partner.
Powerful, unsettlingly beautiful and utterly riveting, Top Of The Lake is a masterpiece of television production from a star and a writer/director at the height of their powers, and will stay with you long after the credits roll.