14/20
Production was halted in March 2020 due to government restrictions
Tale
A retired CIA agent is haunted by both the agency he worked for and his own nightmares when an unknown man suddenly visits him after nearly three decades. During this time, Jeff Bridges was diagnosed and treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. After he recovered, the series went back into production. Bridges referred to the return as a comeback after a “long weekend” on a podcast in July 2022.
Presented at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards (2024)
In 6 months, Jeff Bridges will be 73 years old. He is, in fact, an old man. Your character makes those grunting noises from the effort of waking up in the morning, and you also hear a very sporadic stream of urine in the middle of the night. Bridges got his start in Peter Bogdanovich’s seminal “The Last Picture Show” and has gone on to build an enviable career out of several carefully crafted roles, each truly unique and most of them more memorable than the last.
In 4 months, John Lithgow will be 77 years old
He finally received his long-awaited Best Actor Oscar for “Crazy Heart” a few years ago, and then last year we almost lost him to CoVID-19. But he’s back as a beat-up old ex-spy and he’s perfect for and in this latest, complex role. Also by the strictest definitions, an old man. Is he the obvious villain of this story or could he actually be the hero?
You can’t miss it
You can never be sure with a Lithgow character, and this one is no exception. Supporting roles by longtime pros like Amy Brenneman and Joel Grey are also well-written and, of course, superbly well-acted. But make no mistake: this miniseries belongs entirely to the one and only Jeff Bridges. And by extension, to all of us who are still fans more than half a century later. 9/10.
