Flirting with the type of action-heavy chaos that served his character for 9 seasons on the surprisingly resilient 24, Kiefer Sutherland embraces coincidental lunacy and a healthy supply of narrative twists for Rabbit Hole to deliver on its promise on the type of genre fun born from political thrills and double-crossing intent.
Given just how many twists and turns take place across the first episodes of Rabbit Hole (media were afforded the first four for review), detailing what exactly the John Requa/Glenn Ficarra-created show is about is something of a difficult task; and not just because Sutherland’s John Weir may not even be who he says he is when it comes to describing even something as simple as his occupation.
What we do know about Weir is that he has assembled a crack government team to frame a series of high-profile marks. There’s no personal or political investment for him in any of his assigned jobs, and he navigates his assignments with a confidence, but it’s also clear he exists in an atmosphere of high paranoia; being that good at his job means he has something of a target on his back. As the plot thickens regarding just how he’s able to manipulate anyone that orbits him, the series quickly lands its hook in Weir himself being framed for a murder he didn’t commit.
Even though Weir is someone that shouldn’t be trusted from the outside, the series sets him up as our perennial hero, and even though each flashback, revelation, and side character detail has the potential to derail an already delicately-treading outing, Rabbit Hole is smart enough to know a well-placed action sequence or wild narrative swing will keep us salivating for the next episode. And whether it’s intentional or not, but the series’ sense of humour helps any genre trope and plot frill feel readily digestible. It’s a guilty pleasure wrapped up in the guise of a hard-hitting thriller – and this balance is honestly what will keep its audience falling down, well, forgive the pun, the rabbit hole.
Self aware enough that it avoids any eye-rolling from potential viewers, Rabbit Hole should easily satisfy those that ate up 24 in continued fashion. At the same time it requires enough attention that any momentary slip could see you on the outs of its ever-changing, ever-twisted narrative, resulting in an effortlessly binge-worthy series that will hopefully only continue to embrace its blitheness as it continues on its corrupted path.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Rabbit Hole will premiere its first two episodes on Paramount+ on Sunday, March 26th, 2023 in the United States and Monday, March 27th, 2023 in Australia. It will continue to release each subsequent episode weekly.
