I somehow misclicked or mis-responded to Amazon's Alexa and signed up for a 7-day free trial of Paramount+. I don't have anything against Paramount+, but I'm finding all this streaming-creep to be too much, and on principle, I'm trying to stick to Amazon Prime and Disney+. Having signed up, though, even if inadvertently, I might as well maximize my free trial.
And look what I found..."Rabbit Hole," whose imdb description reads:
Nothing is what it seems when John Weir, master of corporate espionage, finds himself at the center of a shadowy conspiracy. After uncovering a dangerous plot by powerful forces with the ability to control populations and subvert democracy, Weir is framed for murder and put on the run, trying to figure out who and what is real in a reality turned upside down. As a man who deals in mistrust and deception, can John Weir trust a team of unlikely allies to outwit an enemy with deep ties to his past and who's bent on using our own data against us? John Weir must navigate a world of surveillance, misinformation and manipulation to uncover the man at the center of the plot and stop him before it's too late.
There are eight episodes in the series, so it should be binge-able in one week. I managed to watch two episodes while on the treadmill this afternoon.
It's nice to see Kiefer Sutherland in a thriller role again. For context, I watched the first two seasons of "Designated Survivor" and reasonably enjoyed it. Like that show, this one tries to give Sutherland a role different from Jack Bauer and is partially successful in doing so. Weir is cunning and able to orchestrate complex plots to manipulate people, but unlike Bauer, he's not a man of action.
The show is full of twists, although it hides information from the audience that Weir knows, and then reveals bits and pieces at the end of each episode. This approach generates suspense, but I think it's not fair to the audience.
Also, when Weir starts yelling "tell me what's going on!" at someone, I want him to go full Jack Bauer...but of course he doesn't. Seeing Weir get beaten up is surprising.
