Burden of Truth

The series is as good as it needs to be, and maybe a little better. Like other Canadian dramas that have made their way south across the 49th parallel, it is attractively modest in ambition and execution, without feeling cheap or flimsy. Many of the elements in the story are familiar, which is not the least attraction of this summer entertainment, the narrative version of a beach read.

Protective town officials, ostracism and an increasingly divided community serve as appendages in a multi-layered whodunit/coverup with enough pulling power to endure for the rest of this summer and early fall.

The subtleties in [Kristin Kreuk's] performance help fill in the gaps in scripts that at times range from flat to merely functional. Burden of Truth, which has already been renewed in Canada, is a show by and for adults looking for something a little challenging.

A compelling medical mystery makes up for tepid small town intrigue. [20/27 Jul 2018, p.97]

The mystery serves as rope, pulling us through the reunions and confessions. Mooney is pretty stiff in the pilot; Nicola Correia-Damude could be the oracle as Hanley’s would-be friend. The most refreshing aspect of Truth is its open embrace of Canada.

Casting Ms. Kreuk as an anti-hero would be a unique twist but Burden quickly undoes that, settling for the more pedestrian idea of Joanna crusading for the little guy while also, thankfully, voiding the notion that the show is pro anti-vaxxer.

A so-so character-driven legal drama with just enough on its mind to carry my interest across the four episodes sent to critics.