The Sinner

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bill Pullman plays detective Harry Ambrose in The Sinner

It's not who, but why in the psychological thriller anthology series The Sinner, where each season begins with a murder and a known murderer. The series' primary star is Bill Pullman as Harry Ambrose, a police detective, with Jessica Hect as his artist girlfriend in the final three seasons.

Pullman is the secret sauce, bringing a haunted depth to the brooding detective trope. The first season (notably its best) stars Jessica Biel as Cora Tannetti, who inexplicably stabs a man to death on the beach.

The second season brings Elisha Henig as Julian Walker, a young boy who confesses to poisoning a couple. The third season stumbles with Matt Bomer as Jamie Burns, the lone survivor of a car "accident." The season swims too long in its metaphysical angst. The fourth season regains its footing with Alice Kremelberg playing Percy Muldoon, the daughter of a prominent family who kills herself.

The "why done it" allows for more depth and character development without the sometimes contrived "Ah Ha!" moments of the traditional "who done it." But it requires a commitment to giving the stories time to breathe, a requirement that feels onerous in today's TikTok world.

I really enjoyed this series. But I won't promise that you will. Because of this and the dip in season three, I give it three out of five stars.

Cast (Main)

Bill Pullman - Harry Ambrose

Jessica Hecht - Sonya Barzel

Cast (Season 1)

Jessica Biel - Cora Tannetti

Christopher Abbott - Mason Tannetti

Dohn Norwood - Dan Leroy

Abby Miller - Caitlin Sullivan

Cast (Season 2)

Elisha Henig - Julian Walker

Carrie Coon - Vera Walker

Hannah Gross - Marin Calhoun

Natalie Paul - Heather Novack

Ellen Adair - Bess McTeer

Tracy Letts - Jack Novack

Cast (Season 3)

Matt Bomer - Jamie Burns

Parisa Fitz-Henley - Leela Burns

Eddie Martinez - Vic Soto

Chris Messina - Nick Haas

Cast (Season 4)

Alice Kremelberg - Percy Muldoon

Michael Mosley - Colin Muldoon

Frances Fisher - Meg Muldoon

David Huynh - CJ Lam

Cindy Cheung - Stephanie Lam

Ronin Wong - Mike Lam

Neal Huff - Sean Muldoon