April 2023 turned out to be a rollercoaster ride for SonyLIV. The streaming platform bestowed only one original series last month (Garmi), which is a concerning matter considering the growing popularity of other streaming services in India. Thuramukham was the only flick that was released on the platform last month.
Monarch (TV Series/Licensed) – Miss
Panhandle (TV Series/Licensed) – Hit
A Spy Among Friends (TV Series/Licensed) – Hit
Alert: Missing Persons Unit (TV Series/Licensed) – Miss
Three Pines (TV Series/Licensed) – Hit
Garmi (TV Series/Direct-to-OTT) – Miss
Thuramukham (Movie/Licensed) – Miss
Monarch (April 8, 2023)
Monarch revolves around the duo of Albie (Trace Adkins) and Dottie (Susan Sarandon), who are popular in country music. Their daughter, Nicky, tries to protect her family’s dominance in the country music empire while ensuring her own success in this genre. The show received negative reviews upon its original release on Fox back in September last year. Despite Sarandron’s winning performance, the show suffers from a cliched storyline and soap opera treatment.
Panhandle (April 9, 2023)
Panhandle tells the story of Bell Prescott (Luke Kirby), an eccentric and garrulous man, who receives the help of a female cop, Cammie Lorde (Tiana Okoye), to solve his wife’s murder to find out if she truly loved her. Together they confront personal demons, mindbending twists, and some Florida gators on their journey to find closure. The series received praise for its performances and for taking a unique turn on the monk/psych formula. Both Luke and Tiana do an outstanding job. This show is a truly entertaining ride.
A Spy Among Friends (April 9, 2023)
Based on Ben Macintyre’s novel, the series takes us back to 1963 England, where Nicholas Elliott (Damian Lewis) serves as an intelligence officer for SIS. His life turns upside down after learning that his best friend, Kim Philby (Guy Pearce), has been secretly operating as a double agent for the KGB since 1932. This British espionage thriller show received acclaim for its leading actors’ take on the novel’s leading duo. The rest of the cast does a fine job too. Alexander Cary’s script remains faithful to the source material. Although, this series could have turned out a masterpiece if it had more thrills and charisma. Still, a good watch!
Alert: Missing Persons Unit (April 10, 2023)
This police procedural drama concerns Philadelphia PD’s cops, Jason Grant (Scott Caan) and his ex-wife, Nikki Batista (Dania Ramirez). The duo solves investigation cases for the police department while also trying to discover the truth about their missing son. The show has been declared one of the most boring shows ever to come out of Hulu’s arsenal. It drags and tortures viewers with its lacklustre plot and performances.
Three Pines (April 11, 2023)
Alfred Molina portrays a cop, Armand Gamache, in this mystery series. Armand possesses the ability to see things that normal eyes cannot see. Soon, he investigates a series of murders that shocks Three Pines, a beautiful village in Quebec, Canada. As he delves deeper into his investigation, he discovers some disturbing truths and battles his inner demons. The show commences slowly but gains momentum as it progresses. The more it explores its ominous and gloomier segments, the more it soars beyond an ordinary mystery tale. A fine performance from Melina!
Garmi (April 21, 2023)
This Tigmanshu Dhulia creation focuses on Arvind Shukla (Vyom Yadav), a young man who dreams of becoming a civil servant in the future. However, his life changes after his unexpected entanglement with the world of crime, powerplay, and politics. One of Garmi’s biggest weaknesses is its stale premise. The show’s plot is predictable and offers nothing new to viewers. Plus, it suffers from poor acting, as most actors are new to TV. Their lack of acting experience certainly affects the show’s quality. The performances of Vyom Yadav and Jatin Goswami (who plays Mrityunjay Singh) save this SonyLIV original from being a complete dud.
Thuramukham (April 28, 2023)
This Rajeev Ravi’s directional is set in Kochi during the 1940s and 1950s. The film’s plot shows the workers’ struggle and their protests against the notorious ‘Chappa’ system, which involved the random allocation of casual labour and a rudimentary “work guarantee” scheme at the Mattancherry Harbor in the city.
Thuramukham fails to take proper advantage of its intriguing premise. The biggest disappointment here is its messy and poor script, which makes the movie mundane and laggy. Although, the performances of Nivin Pauly, Arjun Ashokan, Indrajith Sukumaran, and Joju George stand out in this mediocre Malayalam historical drama. The film fails to maintain its momentum after getting an amazing start. Additionally, the background score could be more impressive.
SonyLIV offered only one Original outing in April this year, while the others were licensed.
SonyLIV April 2023 success score: 42.85% .
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