Critic Reviews

I came to Nightsleeper with low expectations – the bare synopsis sounded unimaginatively generic. But this promises to be an intricately constructed, high-speed ride – let’s just hope it doesn’t get stuck at a red signal sometime around episode four.

Nightsleeper is built for binge-watching, its cliffhanger moments the TV equivalent of rubber-necking: you know you should look away but you really can’t. Suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride.

But even the exciting twist at the end as the runaway train set off, driverless, the remaining people on board effectively kidnapped, doesn’t change the fact that this is very schlocky.

Nightsleeper has the potential to be a tense six-episode thrill ride or it could be a predictable bore. The first episode makes us think it might be the latter, but there are enough good elements in the first episode to keep us watching.

As the minutes and hours unfold, matters become increasingly ridiculous and even within the elastic definition we apply to these capers, absurd (armed police teams who don’t check the loos and take a little boy’s word for it that there’s no one else in his hiding place with him, for instance). In addition, the words the poor actors are required to say become increasingly abysmal.

The plot is also compromised by the sheer volume of jokes, which go beyond comic relief to almost rendering this show an outright comedy-drama. How are we supposed to take the threat of the nightmare train seriously when even the people on board can't stop throwing out zingers? This could be forgiven if they were any good, but often it's just annoying.