Mr. Mercedes Is a Smash Hit!
A demented serial killer. A retired police detective. A pet tortoise. Just a few of the key elements to follow in the riveting new AT&T series Mr. Mercedes. Based on the best-selling novel by the undisputed master of suspense, Stephen King,
Mr. Mercedes is a wild ride with a stellar cast, including Brendan Gleeson, Harry Treadaway, Mary-Louise Parker and Holland Taylor.
After a long, illustrious career on the police force, Detective Bill Hodges (Gleeson) is comfortable yet restless in his new civilian life. He’s got his easy chair, his beer and his pet tortoise, Fred, to keep him company. The lady next door even has eyes for him. But two years into retirement, he is in a shell and hiding from life. That’s when his past comes back to haunt him—and hunt him down. The unsolved case that’s tormented him for so long at last re-emerges—Mr. Mercedes.
Years before, the psychotic killer drove a stolen Mercedes right into a crowd of people and slipped through the detective’s fingers. But now, Mr. Mercedes is back as he begins a dark, twisted mission to taunt our ex-cop through a series of lurid letters and emails. Hodges is forced to undertake a private, and potentially felonious, crusade to bring his old nemesis to justice. It’s a game of cat and mouse as we watch the detective try to do everything he can to stop Mr. Mercedes before he strikes again.
The show boasts a production tour de force. David E. Kelley, the prolific creator of such smash successes as Big Little Lies, Ally
McBeal and Boston Legal, adapted the King novel for TV. And in the director’s chair is Jack Bender, known for hit shows like Lost and
Game of Thrones, who brings his original and cinematic vision. It also helps to have quite the impressive ensemble of master-class actors. In the foreground are the two main figures of Brendan Gleeson as Hodges and Harry Treadaway as Brady (Mr. Mercedes). The audience witnesses these two counterparts decline into madness while battling against each other, as though they were born on this planet just to live opposite each other. The actors play both sides of the coin, constantly goading one another, getting at each other’s core like chiral molecules. Brady’s youth is the counter-punch to Hodges’s sad decline into inactive retirement. It’s a power struggle of action versus inertia as “Mr. Mercedes” gives Hodges a renewed sense of purpose in life. All of it is a dangerous game and he must capture his adversary or else none of his storied career has meant anything.
Every character is rich with texture and delivers so much to bring to life the world of The show also has a whole cast consistently delivering immense power to their performances. At first, Hodges goes it alone in life but, as the series progresses, his support appears. The closest to him is Ida, played by the brilliant Holland Taylor. She’s his next-door neighbor, also in retirement, and prides herself on still being pretty well put together for her age. And she never misses a thing as she’s always watching out. She wants a romantic relationship with Hodges and he can’t resist her charms. It doesn’t matter how much he tries. Other than his pet, Fred, Ida is the only real warmth in his life.
There’s also Hodges’ old partner, Detective Pete Dixon, who still works for the police force. They meet every now and then, just to stay in touch and keep Hodges grounded in reality. Pete always worries about his friend and what retirement is doing to him. He knows him best—Hodges needs something to do every day. He’s not cut out for stasis.
On the flip side of the series, there’s Brady’s tormented life. He’s a brilliant tech geek who lives with his mother Debbie and spends most of his time alone in the basement. He locks the door, blasts his music and tinkers away while Mom pleads for his attention. Their relationship is the creepiest in that she doesn’t have an appreciation for the crucial boundaries that would exist in a healthy mother and son relationship. They’re more like significant others than blood relatives.
During the day, Brady works for Supreme Electronix, the local electronics store where he has to listen to his boss berate him, standing over his shoulder and criticizing everything he does. But at least Brady has a colleague he can trust, Lou, who always seems to have his back. Lou’s snark is the perfect comedic balance for the show.
Every character is rich with texture and delivers so much to bring to life the world of Mr. Mercedes. The show also has a whole cast consistently delivering immense power to their performances. At first, Hodges goes it alone in life but, as the series progresses, his support appears. The closest to him is Ida, played by the brilliant Holland Taylor. She’s his next-door neighbor, also in retirement, and prides herself on still being pretty well put together for her age. And she never misses a thing as she’s always watching out. She wants a romantic relationship with Hodges and he can’t resist her charms. It doesn’t matter how much he tries. Other than his pet, Fred, Ida is the only real warmth in his life.
There’s also Hodges’ old partner, Detective Pete Dixon, who still works for the police force. They meet every now and then, just to stay in touch and keep Hodges grounded in reality.
Pete always worries about his friend and what retirement is doing to him. He knows him best—Hodges needs something to do every day. He’s not cut out for stasis. Decline into madness while battling against each other, as though they were born on
On the flip side of the series, there’s Brady’s tormented life. He’s a brilliant tech geek who lives with his mother Debbie and spends most of his time alone in the basement. He locks the door, blasts his music and tinkers away while Mom pleads for his attention. Their relationship is the creepiest in that she doesn’t have an appreciation for the crucial boundaries that would exist in a healthy mother and son relationship. They’re more like significant others than blood relatives.
During the day, Brady works for Supreme Electronix, the local electronics store where he has to listen to his boss berate him, standing over his shoulder and criticizing everything he does. But at least Brady has a colleague he can trust, Lou, who always seems to have his back. Lou’s snark is the perfect comedic balance for the show. Crusade to bring his old nemesis to justice.
Every character is rich with texture and delivers so much to bring to life the world of Mr. Mercedes. The show also has a whole cast consistently delivering immense power to their performances. At first, Hodges goes it alone in life but, as the series progresses, his support appears. The closest to him is Ida, played by the brilliant Holland Taylor. She’s his next-door neighbor, also in retirement, and prides herself on still being pretty well put together for her age. And she never misses a thing, as she’s always watching out.
The other standout component of Mr. Mercedes is its atmosphere. It’s obvious how much effort was put forth to showcase this. The tale is a slow burn with crescendos and decrescendos, peaks and valleys. Like Hodges in his retirement, we’re lured into a false sense of safety, a hallmark of the great Stephen King, who always keeps the viewer in the dark and wondering what’s next. And just when we think the coast is clear, another turn.
Mr. Mercedes is one of the most popular and successful shows on the AUDIENCE® Network, the exclusive channel from AT&T for DIRECTV and DIRECTV NOW customers. Its lineup consists of a number of well-received comedies, dramas and sports shows, such as Loudermilk, You Me Her, The Dan Patrick Show and the muchanticipated Condor, which is soon to be released. Mr. Mercedes rounds out the programming with its suspense, turns and chills.
AUDIENCE is the perfect home for Mr. Mercedes and television is the right fit for it. Television has the distinct ability to go deeper and relay the full story with texture and complexity in an episodic way, making it the perfect medium to tell the tale of
Mr. Mercedes. With so many rich characters and relationships, King’s novel needs the time allowed by television to reveal their intertwined lives piece by piece. Each episode provides an opportunity to build tension. Nothing is irrelevant.
As a result, the show has received a slew of positive reviews. Critics have hailed the series as a “gripping ride” with “polished craftsmanship.” AV Club calls it “smartly paced, with stellar performances and assured direction.” And it’s got an evergrowing and devoted online fan base throughout all social media outlets. Looks like the crowd wants more. But much like Hodges sitting in his easy chair, we’ll just have to wait patiently once again for the return of Mr. Mercedes.