Hard Sun

Cross brings to this six-episode season all the intensity of “Luther” with some deeper questions about personal responsibility in the face of overwhelming disaster.

High-intensity fun. [5 Mar - 18 Mar 2018, p.13]

Hard Sun puts the entire world on a clock, but there’s no real urgency. It doesn’t contemplate the idea of mortality so much as it sends its characters scurrying through case after case, occasionally tying things back to the bigger picture.

A drama shot through with pessimism and concerned a with quest for survival can be exhilarating and worthwhile. But Hard Sun contains so many contrivances and overwrought moments that the commitment of its cast and the potential of its premise are largely squandered.

To say it’s too much to take in is to underplay the actual insanity of the show as a viewing experience, as batty, grim, and ferociously violent it is.

It’s a show that’s constantly trying to push buttons but mistakes “ugly” for “intense.” They’re not the same thing. Not even close. Deyn is actually good here, but Sturgess can’t sell the tough cop thing to save his life. He’s just miscast. Worst of all, Hard Sun is just so generic beneath its high concept.

Hard Sun is an ultra-violent, not very believable and mostly unlikeable hot mess that has bits and pieces that would, separately, make for more interesting series.