City on Fire, the new AppleTV+ series from Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (both best known for The O.C. and Gossip Girl) and based on the novel of the same name from Garth Risk Hallberg, has a lot of DNA in common with those soapy primetime dramas. And, if you’re someone who enjoys a series with a sprawling but shockingly interconnected cast of characters (shocking in that it seems crazy that such a seemingly disparate group of folks could all be inner-linked in such a manner), well, you might find something worth your time in this whodunit mystery. Unfortunately, I found this attempt to craft a compelling interconnected narrative shaky at best and unwatchable at worst.
The story, at least on the surface, is pretty simple. Samantha Yeung (Chase Sui Wonders, who is having a heck of a run at the moment), a free-spirited, manic pixie dream girl NYU student, is shot in Central Park on July 4, 2003. Just who shot her – and why – anchors a story that sees a high school student with a massive crush on Samantha (Wyatt Oleff, doing what he can with a really one-dimensional role), a rich heiress struggling with her family imploding (Jemima Kirke, easily the best thing about the series, although her American accent needs some work), and a young Black man struggling with his boyfriend’s addiction (Xavier Clyde, also doing strong work) connecting over their shared connections to Samantha and how her attack impacts their current situations. There is also a group of anarchists looking to set off some explosions throughout the city (who, naturally, are also connected to Samantha), as well as a team of detectives trying to solve the shooting. Lots happening, lots of interconnecting stories and characters, and a shocking lack of character development to go around.
The problem with stories like this one, that see a host of characters grace the screen as we slowly watch the story pull its threads closer and closer together, is that there are always characters and storylines that work better than others (see AppleTV+’s other show about a bunch of people who are connected, Dear Edward). When the characters you care about are on screen (that would be Kirke’s Regan and her various family struggles in this case), there’s enough interest to keep your attention and make you want to see just where things might be going. But when it’s a character or arc that isn’t worth your time (like the anarchists or even Oleff’s poor Charlie), then the story drags and you just want to fast forward to get to the next interesting character. Only, the problem is that if you do, you might miss that crucial clue to help you solve the mystery of the series.
But the central issue with the series is that there are just too many people who aren’t worth the time and energy the series takes to try and set them up as compelling. Sure, it’s easy to understand, on a basic level, why the character is necessary to the overall series arc. You can see how they slot into the action, who they matter to, and where they might pop up as the story unfolds. But the character is either so loathsome from the jump, too underdeveloped, or simply poorly drawn – both in the writing and in performance – that you can’t help but simply not care when they appear on screen. And, for the few characters who do pop, you want more of them – and more depth into their corner of the larger tapestry – that you start to resent it when the other, less interesting characters hit the screen. Which makes for a bit of a mess in an ensemble drama.
If you’re looking for a soapy series to pass the time, there are plenty of stronger options out there worth your time (heck, you could even give The O.C. or the original Gossip Girl another look to scratch that itch). However, City on Fire is definitely not worth your time. There’s too much good TV out there to waste time on the disappointing options.
City on Fire premieres on AppleTV+ on May 12. All eight episodes were provided for review.
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