By Melanie Mayberry, programming editor
Full Circle, director Steven Soderbergh’s six-episode Max original series, debuts tomorrow (July 13). Starring Claire Danes, Timothy Olyphant and Zazie Beetz, Full Circle is a tale of a botched kidnapping of a young child which leads to the spilling of multiple character secrets. No one tells a story better and more tautly than Soderbergh and the subject matter has overtones to past works such as Sex, Lies and Videotape. Full Circle will debut with two episodes on Max tomorrow with two more on July 20 and the final duo on July 27.
But is the show worth your time?
Rotten Tomatoes, which tracks critical reviews, currently gives Full Circle a score of 80 out of 100, based on 15 reviews. Here’s a sampling of the reviews, and a show trailer. Enjoy.
“Taken as a creative twist on a tried-and-true format, it balances the experimental and the satisfying in a way TV should strive for more often, especially in an era when filmmakers are being asked to create content.” — IndieWire.
“Full Circle is a rare contemporary drama that actually has something to say about our present moment – and in doing so only intensifies the impact of its thrills.” – Flicks.
“You need to be willing to stay in the moment as you watch, willing to keep driving without a map, in order to enjoy. Your faith will be rewarded at last, for the most part.” – Boston Globe.
“Full Circle is a tense and twisty crime thriller that features an impressive line-up both in its cast and its crew. Yet it never quite reaches the heady heights of Soderbergh’s best work or that of anyone else involved, either.” – Ready, Steady, Cut.
“While not necessarily everything feels as complete as you’d expect from a series titled Full Circle, one thing becomes crystal clear by the end: Steven Soderbergh and Ed Solomon absolutely belong in the world of crime dramas.” – Collider.
“Director Steven Soderbergh and writer Ed Solomon use noir as a vehicle for ethical drama, taut thrills, and capitalistic censure in “Full Circle,” a Hitchcockian companion piece to their 2021 film “No Sudden Move.” – The Daily Beast.
“For a story that deals in various misdeeds and forms of wrongdoing, the biggest crime here is that things just aren’t that memorable.” – Consequence.
“A kidnapping in New York reveals a wide web of gangsters, bad deeds, global interests, and the falling apart of a family. All dark, tense, and unsettling; if you are inclined to nightmares, best to avoid.” – What She Said.
To read more reviews of Full Circle at Rotten Tomatoes, click here.
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