The Investigator; Silicon Valley; Deep State

“Somewhere in here is a powerful story of the impact of a missing woman on her family, and there are some very moving scenes in which they talk about their loss. But it’s all drowned out by Cowell-isms – beating the poor viewer round the face with an endless series of tacky cliffhangers, withholding information at ad breaks to keep you coming back, and underlining important moments with musical stabs that are as subtle as being slapped round the face with a soggy doormat.”
Benji Wilson, The Telegraph

“I rather like Mark Williams-Thomas, the criminologist at the front of the show. He is solid and unshowy and well intentioned, going about his case with diligence and no shortage of expertise. But he struggled to find even solid circumstantial evidence to back up his hunch, which, to my mind, verges on the irresponsible.”
Chris Bennion, The Times

“The opening episode was a little unsure of itself. To viewers wandering if it deserves their continued attention, hang on in there. In the next episode, the show gets its funny, and its pertinence, back, but also becomes more interesting, as it develops the character of Richard (Thomas Middleditch), Pied Piper’s reluctant CEO, as he slowly evolves into the hard-nosed businessmensch – albeit one with chronic anxiety – that he has always despised.”
Benji Wilson, The Telegraph

“I love this show deeply, for its one-liners, the immaculate playing of its ensemble cast and magnificent peripheral characters but also for its odd heroes. It’s not clear to me, therefore, how well this continuing corruption of Richard can play. The show manages brilliantly to keep the audience onside through a lot corporate and computing detail, but the remaining bandwidth needs to be used for emotional rather than intellectual investment.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Fox’s slick new espionage thriller got interesting only towards the end of last night’s opener. Up until this point it had been entirely derivative. Never mind. We’re all here for one reason and one reason only: Mark Strong. He’s a magnificent screen presence, looming about the place like a Rodin sculpture made flesh.”
Chris Bennion, The Times