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In the new political Netflix thriller The madnessCNN expert Muncie Daniels (Colman Domingo) is accused of murdering a white nationalist leader and becomes a pawn in a dangerous game between the dead man’s followers, a violent colony of gun enthusiasts described as “essentially antifa on meth with Uzis,” and multiple billionaires and government agencies . No one ever says, “This conspiracy goes all the way to the top,” but it is heavily implied throughout.

Created by playwright Stephen Belber, The madness has a lot on his mind about race relations, activism, and the dangers of disinformation that allows companies to, as FBI agent Franco Quinones (John Ortiz) puts it, “play three cards with people’s minds.” Maybe he has too much on his mind, or maybe it’s not quite enough. The show works more in chunks than as a whole, mixing tense moments with low-energy ones.

At times the suspenseful plot is gripping, or at least wild, enough to hold attention. Belber and his collaborators, including director Clement Virgo put together some sequences that crackle with tension, or go to shocking places. But The madness

often struggles to convey just how much danger Muncie, his son Demetrius (Thaddeus J. Mixson) and his ex-wife Elena (Marsha Stephanie Blake) and their friends(**) find themselves in at any given moment. And after several later episodes escalate the stakes and scope of the story, the finale is strangely muted, as if everyone involved has simply run out of steam. Virgo was one of the original directors The wire to which this show features several cap tips, including Muncie looking on nostalgically the iconic Virgo-directed scene where McNulty and Bunk say “fuck” for just four minutes, and another scene where Muncie and his lawyer Kwesi (Deon Cole) discuss Stringer Bell. The result is that The wireis now

undeniably an oldie but a goodie And you’re not getting any younger either.(**) One of the friends mentioned is played by Stephen McKinley Henderson, who is having a busy week on Netflix, between this and his beautiful excitement

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Editor’s Choices Meanwhile, the various sociological issues at play – including the news media’s lack of ability or even interest in fighting the oppressive status quos – are the whole point of the thriller plot, but it feels like the story keeps having to pause itself , so Muncie and Franco can discuss politics for a few minutes. Still, there are plenty of interesting ideas. And Domingo makes a commanding presence in the conventional leading role you’re likely to see him in at some point. He’s not really playing, to borrow a phrase he uses at one point, “Stringer Bell with a law degree,” but he portrays a good traditional hero here, whether he’s fighting off opponents, running from the law, or simply looks down on people with enough money and power to remove him from the face of the earth without consequences. He and

The Americans alum Alison “Poor Martha” Wright, who plays a fixer for the bad guys, keeps it fun for a while. But in the end, there isn’t enough madness to go around. All eight episodes of