Truth Be Told (2019)

Spencer is compelling, but Poppy’s story works best when she’s consorting with her ex-flame, ex-detective Markus Knox (Mekhi Phifer), who provides her with some key breaks in the case. ... It’s enjoyable while you watch, but you don’t rush to return to it. It’s just fine—but it’s not essential TV that you need to pay for a streaming platform to enjoy.

There is, empirically, way too much going on. But Truth Be Told is romp, albeit kind of a gory one. The story is ridiculous, and gloriously so. ... It can be a bit much, but the show earns it.

It’s trying to be too many things at once: a murder whodunit, a social commentary piece, and an exploration of family bonds all in one. And while meshing genres and styles isn’t taboo, in this case, its lack of specificity renders the series disharmonious. Still, its biggest selling point is its cast, notably Spencer and Paul.

At a minimum, Truth Be Told is an entertaining watch that does hook the viewer. But it’s not likely to be the series that turns around the otherwise rocky deployment of Apple TV+ offerings. Truth be told, the podcast within the show might’ve been the better medium for this campy tale of thwarted redemption.

The cast is skilled. ... But “Truth Be Told” suffers from a wobbly tone, and seems to be several shows – family drama, prison drama, would-be “Serial” true-crime tale, etc. -- in one. ... “Truth Be Told” would have worked better by focusing on Poppy’s family, and losing the trendy, true-crime plot.

Sluggish. ... [Spencer is] miscast and overly serene. ... You know you're in trouble when the least fascinating character is the one driving the action. [9-22 Dec 2019, p.13]

By nearly halfway through the series we have had only a set of decidedly unoriginal revelations revealed in a deeply pedestrian manner. You can feel the on-screen talent longing to let rip, but the script and the structure and the sense just aren’t there.

Replete with weak coincidences and dopey plotlines, I did not care at all if Paul's character was guilty or not, nor did I care who even killed this professor. (You literally learn almost nothing about him, anyway.) Instead, what occasionally thrilled me were the compelling family dynamics at play here, with prosperous Poppy returning home to the Bay Area — and her family's biker bar — after living an entire other life out on the East Coast. ... It's just too bad these nuanced relationships are stuck inside a mediocre murder mystery bound to a meaningless title.

The cast does the best it can with thin characters; Elizabeth Perkins brings engaging pathos to Warren’s cancer-stricken mom Melanie. Sadly, Truth Be Told doesn’t seem to have much to say on their plight that superior predecessors including Netflix’s hilariously sophomoric true-crime mockumentary American Vandal haven’t already covered. ... It marks another misstep for Apple TV+ because it’s so bland and forgettable.

Truth Be Told is not great. Somehow, it manages to be pedestrian and tedious and not as entertaining as it should be, despite all the talent involved and factors that should work in its favor. ... It’s trying to do too many things at once. But what really does the show in is its lack of specificity.

The series lacks the tact or nuance to investigate the idea of inherent evil, and what’s left is a rather muddled whodunit in which the answer ceases to be very interesting.

A show whose tone shifts chaotically should, at least, be interesting. Or it should be able to truly be about the things it’s about. ... [Poppy's] flaws — self-obsession, a righteous belief in her infallibility, inability to truly see others as anything besides characters in her story — become the show’s. ... A show that gets a lot very wrong.