Back to Life

Nobody does anything stupid, extreme, inconsistent or out of character. The beauty of the script and the performances – which build relationships so delicately and naturally, which modulate so deftly in and out of grief and laughter, and which turn ordinary moments into hilarity and heartbreak without you noticing how they got you there – will take your breath away.

Haggard’s performance (she’s also a co-writer) is a marvel, whether she’s exuding vulnerability or dishing the sass. Used and abused but never quite de-fused, she propels Back to Life to the top tier of this season’s newcomers, with ample help from a crackerjack ensemble.

A wonderfully nuanced story that's both extremely funny and tragically sad, but never leans too hard in either direction to get a reaction. It just exists and, after six episodes, it ends — and when it does you get the full appreciation of how exceptional it is. ... Back to Life is a real, unexpected gem of a series and one of the better surprises of 2019.

Back to Life is a quiet and emotionally genuine series that hinges on the fantastic interactions among its characters. ... Beautifully directed by Christopher Sweeney and sonically augmented with a thoughtful, soulful score from Solomon Grey, there’s a melancholy to the late fall days when the story takes place, alongside an embedded nostalgia for a time when all of us were younger and seemingly carefree, before things got complicated and life-changing decisions were made.

Haggard finds much to embrace and a great way of making you think of all people.

“Back to Life” is exactly the kind of little gem — so wisely and commandingly written, so effectively acted, so well-paced — that could easily get lost among the glitzier stuff. That would be a shame.

It is growing on me largely because it is well written and multi-layered, managing to be sweet, tragic and a little bit sick. Oh, and quietly funny, which is not easily done in these circs.

A keen ear is necessary to catch all her slick comments, so many of which are razor-like in their humor. The funny factor spikes in every scene with her parole officer Janice (Jo Martin), who rivals Haggard with her natural comedic delivery and priceless lines.

“Back to Life,” at least on paper, shouldn’t work at all. But it does. And though matters seem to wrap up tidily with episode 6, a viewer will be hoping there’s more to come.

Its choices are always economical. Each scene makes a point, then moves on to the next. Miri learned from her prison sentence that time is precious, and Back to Life treats time the same way. The series is very smart in the way it highlights how long Miri has been away, making note of it without dwelling on it too much.

Despite the distracting presence of a “self-employed” investigator trying to make his own “Serial” about Miri’s case, so much of “Back to Life” isn’t about a splashy murder, but people getting up every day, hoping to be their best, and dealing with the disappointing consequences when they fall short.

“Back to Life” is a sweet, possibly addictive but not entirely substantial treat.