American Gigolo

Maybe subsequent episodes will expand Julian's story beyond the who-framed-me-and-why basics; Bernthal can be electric when given the right material. For now, the best thing about Gigolo is O'Donnell's splendidly wry turn as Detective Sunday.

Perhaps as it clarifies its central mystery and all too slowly weaves together the many strands it’s initially setting up, American Gigolo may emerge as a provocative proposition. As it stands, from the three episodes we watched, it doesn’t quite live up to its infamous title.

Bernthal is asked to do little more than look glum and spend a prodigious amount of time walking around various scenic locations staring off into the middle distance. He’s rarely allowed to be truly sexy, and much of his natural charisma is flattened by the mercilessly grim nature of the story.

Fans of Hollander’s “Ray Donovan” will recognize Hollander’s style of storytelling.

The show's premise on its own is intriguing, and Bernthal obviously has the range required to give it the nuanced performance it deserves, but at its current juncture, American Gigolo offers little to no excitement about its ultimate destination.

I really can’t overstate how bizarre this version is. ... It creates a misogynistic fantasy of its own, not to mention borrowing from Q’s corrosive idea that sex trafficking is an underground network servicing an elite clientele. This American Gigolo is wild where the old one was steadfastly subdued, but I’m not sure the new Julian Kay is any closer to a man who ever really lived.

Despite the performances in the first episode, this remake of American Gigolo just doesn’t have enough going on to justify an 8-episode series, and it’ll likely get really boring and frustrating before it gets interesting.

It’s as subtle as a brick wrapped in cement dunked in concrete. Also it’s horribly slow, even the sections that don’t unfold in actual slow motion.