Best Dark Drama of 2010 with 96% Tomatometer Has Been Criminally Ignored for 10 Years
The biggest TV gems don’t always shine the brightest.
One of the best TV shows of the past decade ended by, among other things, infuriating Walter White fans and knocking Breaking Bad 's fifth season off the top of critics' top-rated finales. But after four incredible years of flying under the radar, the show deserves such an accolade.
Rectify, released in 2013, is four seasons of the most realistic drama that captivates not with action, but with sincerity and clarity.
What is Rectify About?
The plot revolves around former prisoner Daniel, who spent 19 long years awaiting the death penalty for the alleged murder of his girlfriend.
However, new technologies make it possible to prove the main character’s innocence using DNA – he is released, and how he has to learn to live among people who hate him.
For four seasons, we watch a man trying to make up for lost time, enjoying every little moment, protecting himself from hostile locals, solving family problems and torturing himself with the question of whether he killed the girl or not.
The series is very reminiscent of the Netflix documentary project Making a Murderer, but with leisurely drama and excellent performances from the entire cast.
Rectify Is a Slow But Convincing Story of One Person’s Struggles
An overlooked Sundance TV project from Ray McKinnon, best known for his roles in the TV series Deadwood and Sons of Anarchy, this project is similar to the independent films that are shown at the Sundance Film Festival – it is very slow, but very intriguing and mostly contemplative.
At the same time, the detective component adds a dynamic to the narrative that will force you to tune in one episode after another.
If the first season is a bit slow, the second and subsequent seasons pick up the pace. The plot of the series begins to balance between events that could return the main character to the hell of death row and circumstances that offer hope.
Rectify is Available Online
With 96% from critics and 92% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes, Rectify remains one of the most heartbreaking and heartfelt dramas of 2010s, but also one of the most underrated. So what are you waiting for? All four seasons of Rectify are available on Apple TV and Prime Video.