I don't think this is a terrible series at all - but they really missed a massive chance to create something amazing here.
It starts off pretty well, but quickly becomes apparent that the writers seemed more focused on creating something for American horror audiences than delivering on the promise of an atmospheric and mysterious crime thriller in the vein of True Detective.
Speaking of which, a lot of the aesthetic and many scenes in The Gloaming look like they've been heavily inspired by True Detective. The cop bracing the sinister leader of a powerful institution; the bleak car conversations; the presence of old-time folklore hindering an investigation.
Instead of running with that sense of ambiguity and weirdness, the creators seem to have chosen to steer toward a fairly generic pseudo-arthouse horror piece that dismisses the enormous historical and cultural potential in the Tasmanian landscape.
There's a great story in here somewhere, but unfortunately it's been harried off-screen by unimaginative writing, a lot of two-dimensional characters and a reliance on boring supernatural horror tropes that massively dilute the effect that shows like True Detective and The Sinner held.
It starts off pretty well, but quickly becomes apparent that the writers seemed more focused on creating something for American horror audiences than delivering on the promise of an atmospheric and mysterious crime thriller in the vein of True Detective.
Speaking of which, a lot of the aesthetic and many scenes in The Gloaming look like they've been heavily inspired by True Detective. The cop bracing the sinister leader of a powerful institution; the bleak car conversations; the presence of old-time folklore hindering an investigation.
Instead of running with that sense of ambiguity and weirdness, the creators seem to have chosen to steer toward a fairly generic pseudo-arthouse horror piece that dismisses the enormous historical and cultural potential in the Tasmanian landscape.
There's a great story in here somewhere, but unfortunately it's been harried off-screen by unimaginative writing, a lot of two-dimensional characters and a reliance on boring supernatural horror tropes that massively dilute the effect that shows like True Detective and The Sinner held.