Bellevue (2017) User Reviews (28)

And so it begins

[JDx_82 · 7/10 · 23 February 2017]

I don't really understand why it has a 6.7 from 94 people, didn't anybody watch this show and just some haters gave it a low rating? It had only one episode yet, those reviews are also the reason for my review.

From the other reviews I expected the show to start really slow or with bad actors, but everything is good enough for a TV show and the story is not so different from the very good first season of True Detective.

I'm only bothered by some little things like why would you go in there alone in the dark, you know what I mean, but the story makes up for that, a lot happens and it's not slow at all. I would maybe give it a 7.5 but I'll round it up to 8, because I truly am curious about the next episode.

Trouble

[neil-26033 · 5/10 · 15 April 2017]

A troubled detective with a troubled past in a troubled town full of troubled people runs into trouble trying to solve two troublesome murders of troubled teens. A must see for fans of Anna Paquin, who has little trouble adapting her considerable talents to the minimal demands of this pedestrian and predictable noir flavored melodrama that never quite lives up to the promise of "thrilling and eerie." Nevertheless, the series somehow escapes the utterly tedious as the story meanders from one patch of trouble to the next toward a hammy "all's well that ends well" finale that has characters and cast literally rushing around to tie up loose ends. As Detective Ryder and her troubled family head into the sunset, one cannot help but share their relief that all this trouble might soon be behind them, and wonder what sort of trouble might be concocted in a sequel. Bellevue's Annie Ryder is interesting enough to follow into a fresh situation, especially if Paquin returns.

So-so so far

[amazen-34398 · 5/10 · 21 February 2017]

I awaited the first episode with high hopes after seeing Paquin knock it out of the park in True Blood, but was very disappointed to say the least. "Annie Ryder" plays just like "Sookie Stackhouse" on a bad day, minus the southern accent. Same facial expressions and body language, same use of words, vocal tones and speech pauses. It doesn't look like Paquin has a real handle on the character, or that she put a lot of effort into really finding that character in herself.

The writing and the other actors (except for Shawn Doyle) did not impress either. The characters feel wooden, the dialogue doesn't flow and it seems like the writers tried to cram way too much plot background and backstory into the first episode. None the characters appears to actually care about any of the other characters, except, again, for Doyle's character Peter Welland.

And for what it's worth, while I had read that the creators found the giant slag heaps at the filming location picturesque and beautiful, all I could think about when they came into view was that some mining company should be sued for creating such a hideous mess of the landscape.

All in all, not one of CBC's finer efforts so far. I'll watch a few more episodes to see how it goes, but my expectations have now hit bottom.

Weird, but for all the wrong reasons

[smoke0 · 29 January 2018]

A star athlete who wants to give it all up to be a girl, ooh, how weird. You can wear a dress and still be the star athlete, ya know? And the kids not accepting him (while embracing the weird cop's weird grade school daughter)? Kids today are more accepting than any other generation, so that was weird, and if they were religious freaks they certainly didn't behave that way, so that was weird. And most weird, what was up with all the incest, is that supposed to be due to living in a small town? Uncles and brothers, maybe dead dad too? Just totally weird, and ultimately not very interesting, which is weird in itself.

another TV crime mystery

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 19 March 2017]

Bellevue is a dying northern Ontario town struggling with drugs after its mine closed. There's a native reservation close by. Annie Ryder (Anna Paquin) is a hard-charging police detective in town. She's the single mother to Daisy. Daisy's father Eddie Rowe is her on-again off-again boyfriend. Her police father was killed investigating the murder of Sandy Driver over 20 years ago. Another kid has gone missing. It's Jesse Sweetland, the 16 year old transgender hockey star. Maggie is his widowed mother. Peter Welland is the police chief. Annie used to find notes in the woods which she assumed to be from her dead father. She gets a new message which leads to clues about Jesse.

It's another dead kid mystery. The thing about dead kid mysteries is that it should start with a dead kid right away. I did wonder about all the police effort in finding a missing kid when the town is over-run with drugs. Like one of the officer said, he's probably run off somewhere. I'm willing to give it a pass since he is the hockey star. The other problematic issue are the notes with the dead father. Sometimes, it feels too gimmicky although I do like the original sin message. There is a bit too much exposition in the pilot. The over-riding positive is Anna Paquin. She's a top notch actress injecting real power and charisma into this project.

Brilliantly creepy.

[jawp56 · 8/10 · 5 March 2017]

Bellevue takes place in a northern Ontario mining town ringed by mountains of slag. It's a disturbing environment. It's a dying town, and the characters are all caught up in desperation. Not a happy place, nor populated by happy people. When a local hockey hero goes missing, a hero who evokes mixed emotions in that he is transgender, it galvanizes the town in the way small towns often are. Anna Paquin (The Piano, True Blood), Canadian born but New Zealand raised, plays a local detective with a complex and intriguing past who takes on the case with great enthusiasm, and does so brilliantly. The supporting cast is also uniformly good. This show treads the blurry line between just eerie and supernatural. Think of it as Twin Peaks relocated to the north. Saying much more would be risking spoilers. It's not light entertainment, which might explain earlier poor reviews, yet it really is a work of art. Treat yourself if you are so inclined.

Very Interesting Pilot Episode

[skyebeka-53286 · 7/10 · 26 January 2018]

I find the premise and plot very interesting and I am eager to see how the show develops. The characters however aren't very interesting but I feel like the plot makes up for it. My only negative about the show, which is a huge negative, is Anna Paquin's acting. It's just bad. The way she delivers most of her lines is just off. Her inflections often miss the mark. She often says her lines without enough feeling. It's hard to watch. Not everyone will notice these things about her acting. But if you generally pick up on bad acting you most likely will notice that Anna's acting is not up to par with the rest of the cast.

Bellevue is one of the most disappointing TV series I had even seen.A wastage of strong potential.

[shobanchittuprolu · 5/10 · 3 December 2017]

Bellevue (2017): Right from its posters to its trailers,Bellevue promised a great thrilling series.After Cardinal,which is a great investigative thriller,I expected a lot from another detective thriller.So how is it? Plot: Bellevue is a mystery set in a small town with a lot of 'good people' who 'live right' and take it upon themselves to make sure the neighbors do too. Driving the series is Detective Annie Ryder (Anna Paquin), a cop whose intense and brazen personality has always been at odds with her hometown. When a transgender teen goes missing, Annie dives in to unravel the disappearance that suggests foul play, despite finding herself in a difficult position as she must cast suspicion on people she has known all her life. As the case pulls her further away from her family, she is also confronted by a mysterious person from her past with disturbing answers and a terrifying need to get inside her head.

My Review: The phrase "edgy and eerie" has been used repeatedly by CBC to describe the series, but that doesn't do it justice.

Bellevue has one of the most intriguing potential in recent times and has all the opportunities to make a masterpiece thrilling series but all of it was misused to bring us a boring messy series.The problem with the series is that it always seems like a lot is going on in the town and we try to keep track of all those but unfortunately most of the time we don't succeed.All the episodes features only three types of scenes.One is where Anna talks with her family,second is where she talks with Police colleagues and third is where she talks with town people.Most of the series is just talking and driving and even roaming in forest.

Direction and dialogues are biggest drawback of the series.We even feel like laughing whenever any important discussion is going on.Acting is mediocre.Cinematography is the only part which is impressive.

So,Bellevue is one of the most disappointing TV series I had even seen.A wastage of strong potential.

My Rating 5.25/10

Feels a lot like twin peaks!

[mandastewart · 8/10 · 21 February 2017]

Searched through the TV listings to find this pilot episode, of what appears to be an interesting watch. Bellevue is a town that is in trouble. With the mine closed, an influx of drug use and abuse never mind the shroud of a horrific unsolved child murder in its past, the locals are left searching for help and answers wherever they can. 3 main female characters have come to the fore in this pilot episode Annie... the cop. Maggie... Jessie's mother. Mayor 'mother' Mansfield. I've no idea why but to me these three seem really important to this growing drama. With the shows religious overtones and the weird circumstances behind the well loved star hockey player Jessie's disappearance, I can't help but be drawn back to "Twin Peaks" and the beloved and beautiful victim Laura Palmer. Let's give this show a chance to fill its boots before dismissing it after such an engrossing first episode. After all TV company's are all about the viewers, and a pilot has to grab your attention, set the scene and familiarise the viewer with the characters. Looking forward to episode two.

Great story line, bad delivery...

[laimakkaite · 7/10 · 15 March 2017]

I agree with pervious reviews, definitely reminds me of twin peaks. It's a bit weird and quirky,shame about the main character Annie. I haven't seen Anna Paquin in any other series or movies, but she is literally killing the ratings. Watched 4 episodes and I am about to give up because of her. there are no expressions neither in her face nor in her body. I could be a big fan of the show, but Annie really needs to wake up...

If you love Anna Paquin, don't watch this show because you will start hating her by the end of first episode...

Couldn't get through episode 2.

[jpozenel · 1/10 · 5 February 2018]

I really like Anna Paquin so I had high-hopes for this show. I barely got through the first episode and quit after about halfway through the second. The story line is very weak and the dialog is simply inane, so I blame the writing and possibly directing as the main cause(s) of my disappointment. I saw one reviewer comparing the show to the first season of True Detective, which I found to be laughable.

There's many shows that I can stream that are of better quality than this show, so I can't see wasting time watching Bellevue. I've heard that the second season has been cancelled and that isn't a surprise to me.

Good thought provoking Show

[robnero · 9/10 · 28 March 2017]

I don't know why so many seemed to be confused. It's a whodunit with a story underneath revealing more about the protagonist, who is a profiler/detective. As she is putting together the dark clues of the missing one, she also is uncovering things of her own past. The tone is reminiscent of True Detective.With trippy religious behaviors and psychotic tones and trails, it is a very good thrill and ride.

If you are one of those looking for the "True Blood" fix and a 'simple' story that doesn't require you to become invested in the characters or you won't even allow yourself to be told this story, this show will not be for you.

I am into it!

An interest and well executed crime mystery

[nancyldraper · 7/10 · 23 August 2018]

An impressive performance by Anna Paquin. (I was wondering why she has been doing so many Canadian productions lately - did a little research and discovered she is a Canadian! Who knew? Born in WInnepeg! Raised in New Zealand. Holds dual citizenship with Canada and New Zealand. Moved to California when she was 13, where she still lives. But, I digress. National pride getting the best of me - more, yet, to come - sorry about that!). I've been aware of Anna Paquin's performances over her career, but I've never seen her as completely believable as she is in this mature performance. The acting in this piece is solid by the whole of the cast (and garnered some awards). The writing is also good. The tag line for this series was "Everyone has something to hide" and each episode exposed a likely villain. My beef was that it is a "sit and watch" mystery rather than a "beat the police to solve the crime(s)" mystery, but it is an enjoyable "sit and watch". (Sorry - now I return to bragging - As I alluded to, this is a Canadian production, filmed in Canada, not pretending to be anywhere but Canada, produced by our National Broadcaster, CBC, and a good production worthy of our pride.) I give this series a 7.9 (really good) out of 10. {Police Procedural Mystery}

Not for me

[fiona_r_lamb · 3/10 · 4 April 2017]

Not my cup of tea. I watched it because it's Canadian and I just finished watching Cardinal which I loved. Anna Paquin was awful and miscast as was the dude who plays her ex (the Irish guy from Downton Abbey) and don't get me started on the Uncle/police boss. I have stayed with it to the end but only because I always finish what I start. Not convincing at all - none of the acting roles, plot lines or, well any of it really. Most disappointed.

I can see why this died

[philfeeley · 6/10 · 4 July 2019]

Sex in a parking lot? Going after an old case - with riddles - alone? Whoever wrote this had an overactive imagination seriously unhinged from reality.

It could have been so much better. The central crime was enough of an engaging story. We didn't need all that other nonsense. Or all the f-words in every conversation.

Twisted, twisted plot

[cathlin-07754 · 8/10 · 10 April 2017]

Just finished the first season (will there be more?) and I LOVED it. At times some of the characters were confusing and seemed of little consequence to the finale and the whole story, but if you had patience, enjoyed the mystery and creepy feeling of the setting, for me, the ending was great. Fantastic. And nothing I saw coming. An extra point for that. Unfortunately I will admit again that some characters who seemed insignificant were very significant in the end, the tale that needed telling and the old murder that was solved, so I understand that some viewers were frustrated. Overall I found the major players diverse enough in personality that it kept me glued for the whole season. Every time I see Anna Paquin I still think of "The Piano," despite how long ago that film came out. All grown up, I still see that little girl's face. I have to give this show 8/10 stars. It kept me stuck on CBC after Murdoch, and that's impressive.

speech lessons

[gost-68285 · 1/10 · 25 January 2018]

I would of so watched this show ...but unfornately anna needs to speak up and speak correctly...sounds like she is hiding a thick accent can't make out what she is saying ...also low volume. The series is made in alot of dark settings which is hard to watch and on top of that not being able to hear the actors is very frustrating and i'm not turning on captioning because that just blocks the view....get with it Encore and anna speak slowly and louder.!!!!!

Brilliant freaky story

[christinemangan · 10/10 · 11 April 2017]

I really enjoyed this story in spite of all the unexpected twists and turns. Complicated, weird and even gory at times, but with so many deeply-felt emotions and a real understanding of family relationships (somewhat extreme and perverted here). The setting is wonderfully eerie too with the mine and the woods, the darkness and the snow at the end. The acting is wonderful. I had only seen Anna Paquin in the film "the Piano", and she has retained the passionate intensity of that little girl. Allen Leech is very moving in all his clumsy warmth.I didn't know any of the Canadian actors, but I found their portrayal of these troubled characters very believable. The young girl who plays Daisy is so cute and vibrant she manages to lighten up the dark mood. So much better than many popular shows, it is complex and moving!

So confusing and frustrating!

[wanda-01340 · 3/10 · 14 April 2017]

SPOILER: Having painfully watched all 8 episodes of this series, I can honestly say that no series has made me so angry and frustrated as this one. Touted as a 'solving a transgender murder' is the series producer's cheap attempt to capitalize on current discussions on transgender issues when in fact, this series was the 'Anna Paquin' show with secondary emphasis on solving the 'transgender murder' and an earlier murder 20 years prior.

So many plot points were inconsistent and unbelievable but the worst was the introduction of 'Adam'. How could a whole town, including Anna Paquin, and the current Police Chief 'forget' about her brother? I can appreciate that the series essentially tried to draw together two bullying stories each with tragic endings from two different generations of characters - to show us that bullying has been part of our cultures - then and now. And that's the only reason I gave this a '3'.

I guess the CBC was so thrilled to have Anna Paquin join this production that they overlooked the bad writing in this series. When compared to another CBC production - 'Pure', which on the face of it sounded like it would be unrealistic (Mennonites selling crack) but which was extremely well done, Bellevue was just so overwrought, overdone and a mess. I can't believe they are talking about season 2!

First love it!

[ivsteal · 10/10 · 20 March 2017]

Second why is there not enough info being put out there about this show. Anna Paquin stars as a sharp ballsy detective with a dysfunctional personal life. In a small blue collar town with a lot going on. It kicks off with a missing transgender teen that plays on the hockey team. A 20 year old unsolved murder mystery. Flashback to her her past. Following the death of her detective father as a child. She starts receiving cryptic notes from a creepy stranger. That later resurface during her current investigation. Is everything somehow connected? Will the truth be unraveled or will she? Find out for yourself-

No Story; just strange stuff that remains unexplained

[stevielanding · 1/10 · 18 October 2017]

Yet another show where nothing makes sense. All I can say is hire a few writers or put it on the shelf.

If you like strange people doing stupid things with no explanation, then this show is for you.

If you like a story, well, turn the channel.

Surprised

[jmumford-04735 · 8/10 · 19 January 2021]

Was bored looking for something to watch and discovered this. Clever dark unassuming series that makes you think what's going on. Slow in build up but very unique in the way it just twists ....

Great watch

Confusing Mess

[pillowtrot · 3/10 · 21 February 2017]

Where do you start on a pilot this bad? I guess the most important place would be mention of the fact that there are so many people introduced in the first ten minutes, and the relationships between them all, though crucial to the understanding of the story, is unclear. The second place would be the poor writing: in order to develop the back story, a high schooler delivers an oral report on a policeman (who is her grandfather) who was killed investigating a murder, etc. etc. How does this pass for real story telling? Then there are the trite memes: the cop who plays by her own rules, the child molester who is handsome but creepy, the mayor who is motivated only by political expediency... it's all there. Finally, there are just way too many murders and other sordid crimes for such a sleepy little town. I gave up on this program before it was even halfway over. If you're smart, you won't even waste that much time.

Decent

[Cilica · 9/10 · 12 June 2020]

Like the plot, creepy, twisty - someone playing with us. Good acting. The only inconsistency with being a police detective is her lack of protocol. Anna touched so many items of evidence with her bare hands.

Better without Anna

[candyapplegrey · 3/10 · 14 November 2019]

This series is ruined by Anna Paquin's terrible acting. It's not worth watching without subtitles because she garbles all her lines in an effort to get through them as fast as possible like a kid in a school play so you never know what she's said. It's hard to follow the plot because nearly all her lines are unintelligible. We're forever looking at each other, asking 'What?' It's a pretty big problem with a series that has a lot of dialogue. She very rarely changes her expression (pissed off/confused) and walks in a really weird way, just as she did in A Walk on the Moon (1999) when she played a truculent teen, stomping around with her arms off at a weird angle. This can be viewed as cute or charming in a child as she was then but is simply annoying and unlikely in an adult. I'm not convinced that she can act at all and the sad thing is that the characters she interacts with are giving it their all to no avail - their efforts are sucked into her vacuum. So kudos to Shawn Doyle, Billy MacLellan, Allen Leech et al for trying to raise her game with no luck at all. And a special mention to the girl who plays her daughter (Madison Ferguson) who handles their scenes together brilliantly. Plus the so-called cryptic notes are straight out of a bad soap.