TV Review: Netflix Makes 'Seven Seconds' Feel Like an Eternity

von Clayton Davis · 09.03.2018

There are many who point to benefits behind Netflix's binge model of television. For many shows, the ability to jump directly into the next episode is a huge advantage. Unfortunately for Netflix, "Seven Seconds," is not one of those shows. The new series from the streaming service follows cops and civilians in modern-day Jersey City. While on the way to check on his wife in the hospital, Peter Jablonski (Beau Knapp) takes his eyes off the road and hits a young black teen riding his bike. Jablonski calls his fellow cops, who help him perpetrate a hit-and-run from the scene. Eventually, they try to pin the case on another man, only to have the prosecutor (Clare-Hope Ashitey) discover the truth. Unfortunately, the series is bland and uninteresting, leading to a slog that consumes everything in its path.

While the show has many faults, there are positives to bring to light. This show is carried by its performances, and the cast is strong from top to bottom. Both Knapp and Ashitey are actually very good in their roles. Each has a handful of scenes that show real promise for their future careers. They are also both particularly good at internalizing information. They wear their emotions on their sleeves on occasion, but each of these actors should have bright futures.

There's also another killer performance by Regina King in this film. King is one of the very best actresses in all of television, and she electrifies each scene she's in. Unfortunately for the show, she's in far too few. Her husband, played by Russell Hornsby, also has a lot going into his performance. Hornsby has moments where he takes over a scene, and he shows he can go toe-to-toe with someone as great as King.

While these are bright spots, this show is unnecessarily relentless in its storytelling. There are scenes that simply take twice as long as they should throughout the season. The pace drops to the dullest of pace, which makes it nearly impossible to stay focused. It does not help that series is filled with cliches that would make "Crash" question if you could be more on the nose. Characters immediately tells the audience about the optics of a white cop killing a black teenager as if we don't live in a post-Trayvon Martin world. Ashity's character has a drinking problem, and by the third time its brought up by in the first episode, you'll want a drink yourself. Somewhere in the process, the writers clearly felt they had to spell everything out, which not only adds time but makes the audience feel like their hand is being held the entire time. The series is simply unimaginative, which feels shocking given the talent involved.

What's worse, is that the pace is so slow early on, it is truly difficult to get invested. Even with the performances elevating the script, it's easy to see audiences changing to another show. Each episode feels like it could be about 15 minutes shorter. Somehow the show only gets longer as the episode count gets higher, starting at 54 minutes in the "pilot" and increasing to 84 minutes by its finale. If you can get through the first couple, you might make it all the way through. However, it is very tough to say that the considerable investment of time is worth it.

Overall, "Seven Seconds" feels like it started with a good idea, but frankly, it needed some notes. The performances are strong, but you should start looking forward the cast's next project instead of pushing this one. This might be the warning sign when it comes to Netflix shows that sometimes feel like they need to fill the entire hour of an episode. However, if the writers could have cut about 15 minutes per episode, and trust me, they definitely could have, this show could have become a hit. Instead, it feels like this will be the rare Netflix one and done.