Seven Seconds (TV Mini-Series 2018)

We say, I say, again and again that we are in a Golden Age of Television. We say it and I say it because it is very true. Television shows, spurred on by streaming apps and audience expectation being raised higher and higher, have become as good and often better than anything that film can offer. The problem for shows and audiences alike however is that so many superb shows can get lost in the shuffle and even, as we saw so recently with Damnation and Dirk Gently, get cancelled long before they should be. Hopefully Seven Seconds does not fall into the latter category. Created, and largely written by Veena Sud, best known for her work on The Killing, (She's also from Toronto. I need to mention this because I too live in Toronto and because it is so nice to see a Canadian Woman, particularly one from so close to home, finding such success.) Seven Seconds is better than just good. It's great. Sud does a masterful job of writing and the shows itself is so layered with thought and imagery that I just had to go back and watch it again right away, something I have only done once, maybe twice before. On the surface Seven Seconds is a very intense and dark story about a young white cop who hits a black boy and then, along with three other cops who he barely knows on a narcotic squad that he has just joined, seeks to cover it up. On the surface Seven Seconds is a contemplation of race relations and the police. But it is so much more than just that. Seven Seconds is a deep and profound psychological and social study. It is a show that questions how well we really know each other, and how easily that we can assume that we know each other. It is a study of repentance and sorrow. It is a quest to see the humanity that underlies the surface in each and everyone of us. Yes, it's another cop show. And, taken on that level, it is a damned good cop show. Yes, it is a story about crime and punishment, or lack of thereof. Taken on just that level, it is a superb presentation of the impact of crime and on each every person that crime touches. Yes, it is dark and moody drama. Taken on just that level, Seven Seconds' superb writing and exquisite acting stands up with the best drama. Each and every actor is so perfect. Each and every bit of dialogue is so dead on. Each and every scene evokes and rips at your emotions so terribly and so beautifully. Seven Seconds is simply and utterly perfect at what it does in that very rare way that shows like Rectify or NYPD Blue have been able to be. Watch Seven Seconds. And then watch Seven Seconds again to see how well symbols are used to create depth, how layered and complex this show is underneath what seems like a pretty straight forward exterior. Because that is exactly what Seven Seconds really turns out to be about. What we see on the surface does not tell us what lies hidden beneath. But even on the surface Seven Seconds is a superb show. Don't let it get lost. Don't wait until it's been cancelled to find out how good this show is. Enjoy all your other favourite shows too. But, for your own sake, make sure you don't lose sight of Seven Seconds.