Summary

• Colin Farrell continues his streak of critical success with an impressive 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes for Sugar.
• The show blends modern storytelling with classic noir formula, earning praise for its unique take on the private detective story.
• With the first two episodes now streaming on Apple TV+, Sugar promises to unravel family secrets alongside the mysterious disappearance storyline.

Colin Farrell's recent critical success streak is continuing with the Apple TV+ show centers on Farrell's titular private detective as he's hired to investigate the disappearance of a movie producer's rebellious daughter, only to get wrapped up in a decades-old conspiracy while grappling with a big secret of his own. Alongside Farrell, the ensemble Sugar cast includes Kirby, Amy Ryan, Dennis Boutsikaris, Alex Hernandez, Ana Gunn, Lindsay Pulsipher, James Cromwell and Nate Corddry.

With the show finally airing on Apple TV+, review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes has calculated the critical score for Sugar. With 41 reviews collected as of the time of writing, the Farrell-led thriller holds an 85% "Certified Fresh" approval rating on the website, with the consensus praising its blend of modern storytelling with classic noir formula. With this latest Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it keeps Farrell's three-year streak alive of positive critical scores on the website.

Why Critics Are So Enamored With Sugar

Farrell has generally been a part of acclaimed projects since making his breakout with 2000's Tigerland, including winning a Golden Globe in 2009 for In Bruges and landing a nomination for 2017's The Lobster. More recently, the star found his scores becoming a little more mixed, enjoying such highs as 2018's Widows, which holds a "Certified Fresh" 91% on RT, to such lows as 2020's Artemis Fowl, which had an abysmal 8%. Beginning with 2021's After Yang, though, Farrell began the three-year streak that has continued with Sugar, whose score compared to other recent releases can be seen below:

Though the score could still fluctuate as more Sugar reviews are tabulated, the show's 85% "Certified Fresh" rating clearly shows that Farrell has another winner on his hands for a variety of reasons. The actor himself is at the heart of many of the positive reviews for the Apple TV+ thriller, with critics lauding his blend of charisma and sympathy with the well-recognized world-weary detective archetype of the neo-noir genre. The show's overall take on the genre has also been a large point of praise, with many calling it a "love letter" to such classics as The Maltese Falcon and Chinatown.

The actual mysteries driving Sugar's story forward are largely where critics have proven mixed on the show as a whole, with some feeling them too familiar for the genre, while others feel their resolutions are either not satisfying enough or left too open for a season 2. Should it get renewed by Apple TV+, it would mark the first time in Farrell's career in which he would lead a show for multiple seasons, while also potentially marking a rare continuation of his having multiple shows at once alongside The Penguin later this year.

The first two episodes of Sugar are now streaming on Apple TV+.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes