Eyewitness (2016)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Pretty Good

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This miniseries started well - and the muted colors worked very well for some beautiful scenes. Basically though there was not enough material (or it was simply not narrated in sufficient depth) to warrant 10 episodes. The series upon which it was based was 'only' 6 episodes and so should this have been (imho) - or even less!I also felt that too many significant events only happened because of the unbelievable stupidity of some of the cast. I find this to be a cheap and lazy method of introducing plot turns and excitement. Furthermore the bad guy was only caught by a last minute revelation that, if true, could/should not - for credibility - have been so completely hidden up to that point. I had higher hopes for this miniseries based on the reviews I read.

Eyewitness is such a gripping and intense show! You will fall in love with Philip and Lukas and their turbulent relationship as it develops throughout the show. Set against the background of a crime drama with the constant threat of danger and murder, it is a must-see and a great LGBT show! Please watch this beautiful show and urge USA Network to renew it for a second season! The characters are brilliantly developed and the relationship between Philip and his foster parents as well as his biological mum is carefully and emotionally explored to create an intense and amazing show that you will adore! With only 10 episodes in the season it is the perfect length to binge-watch over a weekend and you will soon be consumed with a desire to find out who the killer is and what will happen next for Lukas and Philip!

From the start, I hoped the plot of this TV series would develop organically from a beginning to an end. Wrong. Instead, the perpetrator is revealed close to the beginning and it descends morbidly from there into subplots that have little or nothing to do with the main plot except as props. One murder after another in a sleepy little (Canadian) town posing as a distant suburb of New York City occur almost at random. A somber and dim color tone makes the viewer drowsy, as does a slow pace in the dialogue.Worse still is a mix of very professional acting on the part of some characters contrasted with others who can barely read their lines. The presence of a Polaroid camera in one sequence is reflective of how it takes "thirty seconds" to make clear the intent of scenes that drag on far too long. Coincidences abound, obviously contrived to create suspense to fend off a viewer's frustration with an apparent inability of the scriptwriter to deal naturally with otherwise inexplicable events in the subplots. Criminal evidence as well as eyewitness testimony moves back and forth almost at random to fit whatever is needed to extend the perpetrator's freedom until the bitter end. In short, extremely unconvincing...especially the subplots.

This is the first time on televisions a same sex couple have such representation on a mainstream genre. Furthermore, this show has a solid story line with a strong female lead and multiple significant POC characters. Male characters are very in touch with their emotions. The story unfolds interestingly with details that are carefully crafted. There are different elements for viewers to enjoy, romance, drama, and suspense, each composes the story and nothing feels out of place. The acting is fantastic. The cinematography is breath taking. The two male leads have wonderful chemistry with each other on and off screen. A show this good deserves a place on mainstream television and multiple seasons to tell its story.