Troppo season 1 gives viewers a completely captivating mystery from beginning to end. Filled with twists and turns, this series is an easy obsession.
Second chances and redemption are two themes that are covered a lot in television series and films, but they haven’t ever been covered like they are in Troppo season 1. When speaking with the writer for the book series that this show is based on, Crimson Lake, she told Mama’s Geeky that she wanted to take the thought of the worst thing someone could be accused of, and turn that into a story. Troppo is so much more than that though as it follows two people who are just trying to move forward after their past.
Amanda Pharrell (played by Nicole Chamoun) is a Private Investigator with a complicated and dark past. When she is given her first real case, she recruits an ex-cop named Ted Conkaffey (played by Thomas Jane) who doesn’t have a great past himself either. He has been accused of something terrible — something that he says he did not do. Amanda and Ted don’t have the best relationship. They don’t exactly trust one another, but they know that together they have the best shot of locating the missing father they were tasked with finding.
Chamoun does a fantastic job channeling Amanda Pharrell. She has a hardened exterior, but it is very clear that she is a mess inside. She has beaten herself up for years because of what she has done, with no understanding of how it got to that point. Viewers can’t help but instantly feel bad for her. She distances herself from others, so it is nice to witness the relationship and bond that she has with Ted grow throughout the season.
Amanda is relatable, even though she is dealing with a very unique situation. This is because many people have done things that they are not proud of, but that doesn’t mean they should be instantly judged for it. Everyone deserves a second chance. Everyone deserves to be treated like a human being. This is something that she shared with Ted Conkaffey, and both Chamoun and Jane do a wonderful job of bringing this to Troppo.
Speaking of Jane, he is perfectly cast as Ted Conkaffey. He is an extremely talented actor, which fans have seen when watching everything he does, but it feels like he was born to play ted. Right from the start, this is another character you can’t help but feel for. He has been accused of something he says he did not do, and because of that he has lost his job, his family, everything.
Ted is being judged, just like Amanda, by everyone that comes across him. He’s being treated horribly by the residents of the town that he lives in. Jane plays this character very well, and it is impossible for viewers hearts to not break for him.
Troppo season 1 gives viewers eight hour long episodes filled with mystery, twists, turns, and chaos. There are several big reveals, but not everything is wrapped up in a neat little bow. In fact, at the end of the final episode Ted fans will be begging for more — and for redemption.
At the time of this review, it has yet to be announced if there will be more seasons of Troppo coming. However, if you can’t wait for a potential continuation to the story, and you need to know how things are going to play out for Amanda and Ted in the future, there are several more books in the Crimson Lake series by Candice Fox to satisfy your urges for now.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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About Troppo
Troppo is the story of Ted Conkaffey, played by Thomas Jane (The Expanse, The Vanished), an ex-cop falsely accused of committing a disturbing crime, who has escaped to hide away in the tropics of Far North Queensland. As he tries to avoid discovery, he’s drawn into investigating a wild murder and a missing person, alongside a complicated woman named Amanda Pharrell (played by Nicole Chamoun), with dark secrets of her own.
Adapted for television by creator Yolanda Ramke, Troppo is based on the book Crimson Lake, the first novel of a gripping contemporary crime series set in Queensland, Australia, and written by #1 New York Times bestselling author Candice Fox.
Stream Troppo Season 1 on Freevee, the new name for IMDb TV, on May 20.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.