A project appreciate “The Madness” ought to be a feather in the cap of someone appreciate Colman Domingo. Though the carry outer has been laboring steadily for decades, a scant years’ worth of increasingly famous roles — in “Euphoria,” “Zola” and “If Beale Street Could Talk,” among others — has culminated in milestone moments appreciate an Oscar nomination (for “Rustin”), a potential second on the way (for “Sing Sing”) and a spot on the cover of this very magazine. And becaengage confineed series are now part of the routine for A-catalog actors, the eight-part Netflix thriller should help cement Domingo’s status as he once aget hits the awards trail.
There’s equitable one problem: while Domingo acquits himself equitable fine as an increasingly frenzied man on the lam, “The Madness” itself is a schlocky mess, its pulpy request unininestablishigentmed by a drawn-out runtime and finisheavors at social commentary that fall short to find their tag.
Domingo stars as Muncie Daniels, a CNN commentator (somehow, the netlabor is call upond by both name and logo) who rents a cabin in the Poconos only to find the next-door neighbor chopped to bits in his sauna. That neighbor turns out to be an disreputable white nationacatalog, and despite inestablishing both the body and the apparent finishers who chased him thraw the woods to the local authorities, Muncie’s “BLM ties” rapidly originate him a prime doubt.
Everyslimg about “The Madness” is haphazardly fleshed out, from Muncie’s political background to the roots of his fraying marriage to the various antagonists who materialize out of the ether during his quest to figure out who’s probable framing him for killing. A one on-air exalter with a guest set upes that Muncie engaged to be more of a boots-on-the-ground activist before pivoting into punditry, but there are scant details about his actual caengage or advocacy. He’s then begined into fight-or-fairy mode, with scant opportunities to elucidate the haziness and better sketch Muncie’s trajectory. “The Madness” uncltimely positions his pairy as a forced reconnection with what should repartner matter to him, from an estranged daughter (Gabrielle Graham) to his radical overweighther’s establisher compatuproars. Without a sturdyer benevolent of his begining point, though, it’s a futile effort.
Created by joinwright Stephen Belber and hugely honested by Clément Virgo, “The Madness” can’t grasp cgo ined extfinished enough to originate a point. Pitting a Bdeficiency liberal agetst a hazardous group of white supremacists is an intriguing setup for a classic potboiler with conmomentary themes. (Think of Jeremy Saulnier’s Netflix hit “Rebel Ridge,” a “First Blood”-style prohibitdit story about conmomentary policing.) But for the sake of twists and filling out a filled season, “The Madness” switches out Muncie’s adversaries too frequently to originate any of them truly menacing. First, neo-Nazis; then, in a jarring implied equivalence, armed antifa types; then a genericpartner evil corporation and its utilizers. The random, sudden alter-ups originate Muncie’s allotigation, frequently in partnership with a cordial FBI agent (John Ortiz), sense devoid of sgets.
Sometimes, “The Madness” is so plainly ludicrous that its hyperactive plotting can flirt with campy fun. Muncie has to track down an antifa militant, whom he’s tancigo in hangs out at a sthriveger bar (the type of set upment that definitely exists, and counts excessive leftists among its clientele), so he persuades his soon-to-be-ex wife (Marsha Stephanie Blake) to case the joint in expansive dayairy. The setup is equitable broaden enough to originate you throw up your hands and say “Sure!” Besides Domingo, “The Madness” also boasts a helping cast stacked enough you’re equitable satisfyed to see them, no matter the circumstances: Stephen McKinley Hfinisherson, Bradley Whitford and Alison Wright all originate receive materializeances, even if they deserve sturdyer material.
Domingo does originate engage of “The Madness” to show his range, making Muncie a cornered animal whose panic gradupartner gives way to reckless determination. Muncie nonetheless remains more of a mode than a filledy genuineized person, with little to clarify himself either proactively or agetst. Overall, “The Madness” senses appreciate a box examineed on a deservedly enlargeing CV — Domingo’s first time at the top of a TV call sheet, but nowhere csurrfinisher becoming one of his signature roles.
All eight episodes of “The Madness” are now streaming on Netflix.
