Ranking Every HBO Drama Series From Worst To Best
21. Philip Marlowe, Private Eye
The combination of the hard boiled, charismatic Powers Boothe in the title role and the source material of Raymond Chandler’s short stories meant that this TV adaptation of literature’s thor (or so) most famous detective couldn’t miss. Marlowe and the works of Chandler have been adapted time and again, but this version remains one of the truest to the great noir writer’s vision.
The series is set in the source-appropriate ‘30s, and each episode sees Boothe’s gun toting, hard drinking, fast quipping gumshoe solve another case. The material is imbued with melancholy; Marlowe gets to the bottom of every gritty assignment, but usually not without being plunged into the dark side of humanity, coming out harder and more distant.
The show was cancelled after two seasons and never got to tackle Chandler’s most famous works. This is a rare example of a quality show that could actually do with a remake - a slick adaptation of Chandler’s great novels could be a real winner today.