Lisa Johnson Mandell & Tandy Culpepper Review 2 TV Dramas Told In Unortodox Fashion: "Adolescence" & "Disclaimer"

In this episode of The Hollywood Beat, Lisa and Tandy offer their takes on two dramatic limited series that push the envelope in that they used unconventional story-telling techniques.

The first, Adolescence, runs only four episodes, and—wait for it—each episode is shot in one take. Let that sink in. There are no edits, and it will blow your mind. The story is from an original series of scripts : A 13-year-old boy is accused of committing a violent murder. The British cast may not be familiar to American audiences.Reportedly, there have been discussions for another season.

The second limited series, Disclaimer, is adapted from Renee Knight’s 2015 novel by the same name. Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron created, wrote, and directed it. This one has an all-star cast including Cate Banchett, Sacha Baron Cohen, Kevin Klein, and Leila George.What makes this series standout is its use of voiceover narration, the kind you might expect to find in a script. Also, flashbacks are used liberally which sometimes are confusing.