‘Parish’ Season 1 Review – Crime Drama Succeeds With Strong Leads And Striking Visuals

Parish opens on a car chase, and that can go many ways. It’s a scene that has been done to death in cinema, and it is now (arguably) more often used to fill space in action-only blockbusters than to play a proper role in the bigger picture of a story. Even when they make sense, they rarely look interesting anymore, either. It’s the type of scene that you would be inclined to groan at as soon as the main character kicks the vehicle into high gear, yet here, from the moment the wheels spin, it’s different.

The scene is slathered in a sleek modern gloss, shot on rails and cutting with the cars as they fly across the frame. It takes a fully done-in concept and renews it in form, not essence. That is the crux of Parish. You’ve seen much of this before: a hidden life, a broken marriage, guns, high stakes loose tropical shirts drifting over white tees and chains… all that, and one big deal that may be worth risking it all for, at least for our conflicted main character. Parish succeeds in renewing the form, sporting expert technicalities and a potent artistic vision.

We follow Gracián, a taxi driver played comfortably by Giancarlo Esposito, as his life gets flipped every which way when he picks up a gangster and gets wrapped up in an international fit of crime. Even within the first episode, Parish goes far beyond the premise, wasting no time in tearing Gracián’s life down in order to start the story’s engine, hence the beginning scene. Giancarlo is accompanied by Skeet Ulrich (of Scream fame), who is just as good as him in a role that could not be more different.

Ulrich plays Colin, an old friend of Gracián who finds himself in the fray alongside him. He’s messy, bruised, and clearly losing his mind. There’s something amusing about the character (one of his first scenes sees him chugging a beer whilst hanging out of a car window), but the tragedy is trained at the forefront, as with everyone else. These are lives stained with past sin, which is the reason they find themselves in the compromising position that spurs the narrative in the first place. It’ll be hard not to draw Breaking Bad comparisons in this right; you’re watching a vast web of lies and pain untangle in a way so dire that it’s impossible to look away from. This series isn’t quite on the same level of calculated mania as Breaking Bad, but it forms a new identity and more than earns a place in the genre

As the tale tolls on, the messiness within it begins to seep through the cracks, which is probably the biggest issue suffered with this one. Parish, in wasting no time getting things going, chooses to breeze through introductions and expository scenes of importance, robbing the potential weight that some promising concepts carry. What’s necessary is present, but taking this thing from six episodes to eight could’ve made a world of difference.

Though that’s no reason to avoid Parish, by any means. For those in the market for a new crime drama, there likely isn’t a better option on the slate right now, especially considering that this releases in just under a week. If it doesn’t grab you on pure interest alone, that release window should pull at least a glance, as the series takes advantage of a rather desolate window for television between March and April. This is a good, shot-to-the-heart series that traces compelling criminals on a mission only they can relate to. Bolstered by compelling performances and advanced artistry, it succeeds where it must, and sticks the landing in its opening season.

Parish will premiere on AMC and AMC+ on Sunday, March 31, 2024. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDDmM5RhFE4]