Showing: March 5th Some might say this is critic-bait, or an attempt by ABC to help massage the ego of an Oscar winning director a bit more, but there's no doubting that this self-consciously "important" drama should be an engaging watch all the same. There have been accusations of over-direction and a lack of self-control (he's just won an Oscar, it's to be expected), but the force of the drama and the weight of the themes hardly required something sparse and light-hearted. The allusions to Crash are difficult to ignore - though hopefully not in the experience of watching, as Crash was like pulling teeth - as John Ridley takes on racial issues in a more modern setting. If you break the show down into its component elements: creative pedigree, a fine cast, the promise of real substance and elevated drama - it becomes impossible not to class it as extremely important. Hopefully it will be as good as its billing. The Selling Point: 12 Years A Slave was very, very good and the chance to see more of Ridley's work is a big draw alone. The Concerns: Winning an Oscar isn't exactly the best precedent for restraint...
