James Nesbitt
Frances O’Connor
Ken Stott
Jason Flemyng
Arsher Ali
Saïd Taghmaoui
Titus De Voogdt
Émilie Dequenne

Created by:
Harry Williams
Jack Williams

2014-
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Starz
TV-14

“The Missing” is Starz’s foray into the missing-child crime genre. It’s a co-production with the BBC. The pilot has a look and feel that’s typical for this kind of show: muted yet clear. Because of its subject matter, it’s reminiscent of “The Killing,” “Broadchurch,” and “Gracepoint” (a U.S. adaptation of “Broadchurch”). “The Killing” is set in Seattle; “Broadchurch” is set along the Dorset coast in England; “Gracepoint” is set along a fictional coast in California; and this show is set both in France (where the son disappeared while the family was on holiday) and in England (the family’s home).

However, in “The Missing,” the father is the driving force behind the search for his son. That’s what distinguishes it from the other recent TV shows in this genre. Depending on how they develop the plot from that perspective, this show could avoid seeming redundant, as a result. The ferocity of a parent’s love could make the difference. This is grief in action, which is always a good basis for a story. But it’s certainly not easy to watch.

At the beginning of “The Missing,” the father has returned to the scene of his son’s disappearance eight years after it occurred. His son is now 13, if he’s still alive, and the father thinks that he has found a new clue. Of course, no one believes him, except for a retired detective who ended his career investigating the case eight years ago. So, the show has two timelines: the time surrounding the disappearance eight years ago and the present. That structure is reminiscent of “True Detective” and “The Affair.”

By the end of the pilot, “The Missing” had me hooked. The urgency of the father’s search, as the engine of this show, works: They don’t show him wallowing in grief; they keep him active. Once they get past the events surrounding the disappearance, this show takes off. You can feel its pulse. However, in the second episode, they focus on too many plot lines to keep up the momentum. Because the father is the story. Period. The rest is good and perhaps necessary, but dull in comparison. I have a feeling that it will all be worth it by the end, though. …

And, I was right. The first season of “The Missing” is more than worth it. The final (eighth) episode is heartbreaking and quietly unforgiving. The writers don’t let us off the hook, because the father, Tony, isn’t let off the hook. Don’t expect to have catharsis once you finish the first season. This show is much more interested in honesty than in relief. I rarely use the word haunting, but it certainly fits here. This is going to gnaw at me for quite some time.

Verdict: Very Good

About: (Source: themissing)

When five year-old Oliver Hughes disappears while on holiday in France, it sets off a manhunt that will last for years to come. “The Missing,” a STARZ Limited Series, is a gripping dramatic thriller that takes you inside the mind of a father, Tony (played by James Nesbitt), desperate to locate his lost son. With help from a local police detective (played by Tcheky Karyo), Tony embarks on an obsessive quest to find his son and those responsible for his disappearance. A gripping puzzle with twists and turns at every stage, Tony’s exhaustive search fractures his relationship with his wife, Emily (played by Frances O’Connor), and threatens to destroy his life. Told through a delicate and complex narrative, “The Missing” unfolds over two time frames simultaneously.