But they’re typically meticulously crafted by an author, presented to us in a way that, even if it doesn’t lead to a narratively satisfying conclusion, allows for dramatic momentum, thematic muckraking, and an attempt at catharsis. Related Content ‘American Murder’ Review: Netflix's Grim, Vital Documentary Exposes the Lies of Our Online Lives

Thus is the storytelling gimmick at the crux of Interrogation, a CBS All Access crime drama based on a true case. Interrogation instead lurches aimlessly, content to throw around a bunch of plot points that lack any sense of purposeful interconnectivity. Who can we trust? Interrogation is a true-crime series based on a case that spans more than 20 years, in which a young man was charged and convicted of brutally murdering his mother. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. But their format choices have a purpose. 'Ray Donovan' Showrunner Responds to Surprise Cancellation & Reveals Season 8 Plot, Why Sam Raimi’s Hiring for ‘Doctor Strange 2' Could Mark a Turning…. And after an intense — forgive me — interrogation, Russell puts him away for life. A frustratingly messy season of television, one that seems to be working against its gimmick, too often amplifying its weaknesses, and only rarely striking points of intrigue. Interrogation is now streaming exclusively on CBS All Access. In between were eight episodes of television that I could choose to watch in any order I pleased. Except, it doesn’t want to stick with anything. In the best version of this, the end of the pilot reveals a name that might next be essential in the case — choosing to find the episode title with the corresponding name to play next made me, indeed, feel like a detective. In double fact, most of them end with a sense of closure, even wrapping up things with an on-screen “where are they now?” series of facts. Ultimately, not unlike the case explored by the detectives, accused killers, and put-upon lawyers of Interrogation, the show doesn’t necessarily prove what it’s actively trying to prove (crime dramas are interesting if you can choose your own fate). 'Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells' Review: A Magical Match-3 Mobile Game That's Fun for Fans, ‘The Amber Ruffin Show’ Is a Silly and Sharp Balm for Anxious Times | Review, 'Fargo' Year 4 Trades Heroes for Gangsters as Chris Rock Takes the Lead | Review, 'Spontaneous' Review: Katherine Langford's Sci-Fi Comedy Is Bloody Good — But Mostly Bloody, 'The Comey Rule' Review: A Surprisingly Effective Trump Drama Boosted by Its Cast. The season finale doesn’t do much to add on to this vital piece of resolution, simply thrown into a viewer-chosen episode in the middle of the season — in fact, the season finale’s contributions don’t feel in any way like a satisfying climax to what the season built before. The latest show to drop on CBS All Access is Interrogation, a crime drama about a young man accused of brutally murdering his mother in 1983 and what happened in … From an episodic, moment-to-moment, tone-and-writing-and-filmmaking standpoint, it’s trying desperately to serve too many masters, instead resulting in a jumbly soup. Put it this way: If the point of the show is to make me feel like a detective, and I read one case file that jumps ahead to the present and tells me the fate of the guy I’m investigating, why would I keep reading? Rather, it forces the viewer to focus on the margins, the moments of intrigue where more familiar, time-tested television pleasures lock in despite their creators’ insistence on pointless experimentation — only in these margins can a form of justice come. Find out when your favorites shows are on. Who killed Mary Fisher? I had to watch the pilot of Interrogation at the beginning, and I had to watch the season finale at the end. If the best part of true crime is playing detective, then the new CBS All Access original series Interrogation puts viewers in control like never before. And I’m not some kind of “experimental storytelling Scrooge.” I loved Black Mirror‘s “Bandersnatch,” and I love the Netflix crime drama Criminal, which all takes place locked in an interrogation room across different countries. Some of these vibes do work momentarily — perhaps unsurprisingly, given the creators’ “down-the-middle crime drama” pedigree, they tend to be the most simple, grounded, and familiar vibes. You’ll just have to wade through and ignore a lot of dead ends and chaff to get through it. Starting Thursday, Feb. 6, all 10 episodes of Interrogation are available exclusively for CBS All Access subscribers, who are tasked with determining their own investigative path by watching the episodes in the order of their choosing.