A series presumably about one man’s crusade concerning the evil’s of social media and cancel culture, Douglas is cancelled proves to be a bit more than what most viewers expected. Steven Moffat, more than most, knows how quickly opinion turns on twitter, being subject to the wrath of fans from both Sherlock and Doctor Who (the Venn diagram is a circle). Season 4 of Sherlock was poorly received by almost all viewers, even though those are the episodes I hold close to my heart. Doctor Who is a contentious series where every new episode is torn to shreds and then subsequently hailed as the greatest of all time, a good few years later. Personally, I love his work in both shows and in his lesser known shows like Dracula or Inside Man. Needless to say, his works have been dissected and misunderstood on social media countless times. It would appear he wrote Douglas is cancelled as a retaliation to all the hate he has received in his career, but there’s more this mini-series than what meets the eye.
The budget must have been sky-high to account for this star-studded cast. Alex Kingston and Karen Gillian reunite after Doctor Who and are once again caught on opposite sides of the same man. Hugh Bonneville plays the titular character, an effervescent news presenter who just can’t stop talking. Ben Miles, who portrayed Peter Townsend in the initial seasons of The Crown plays the producer of the news show. The chemistry between the cast members, specifically their ability to riff off dialogues against each other, carries the show for a large part. Karen Gillian is the true north of this show and she grabs our attention from the get-go.
The fundamental premise of the show is so effortlessly captured in its name. Douglas gets drunk at a party and makes a sexist joke. Someone overhears him and tweets about it, without actually revealing said joke. Steven Moffat is not even being subtle about the ability of people to jump to conclusions without all the facts. Eventually, the tweet gains enough traction till it can’t be ignored and Douglas will have to answer for his crimes, which he can’t even remember. The other characters, his wife, his co-presenter, his producer and his agent try their best to mitigate the events, but one of them knows more than they are letting on, leading us to the central conflict of the show.
The show is fast-paced with each episode revolving around one particular event. It is a bit dialogue-heavy, as if it were a play and looking up old interviews, Steven Moffat did indeed write this show, as a play. The mini-series never quite loses that feeling of watching a TV adaptation of play. For comparison, A Few Good Men was also based on a play, yet one never feels weary when watching it. Steven Moffat is known for his witty dialogues; the ability to turn simple words on their head. Adding depth to simple phrases, which aren’t revealed until a character says something or does something to signify its importance; that’s where his true strength lies. Yet I never quite got that with Douglas is cancelled. His trademark wit and razer-sharp dialogue, were missing. There is a lot of dialogue, with one character shouting at the other, every three minutes, yet none of them are memorable. The closest we came to the Moffat-touch was when Alex Kingston said, “Tell her it rains sometimes”. But barring a few of these moments, I just don’t feel Moffat’s influence.
On balance, Inside Man (2022) had lines imbued with so much hidden meaning. Dracula (2020) hinged on the wordplay between Agatha Van Helsing and Count Dracula. Doctor Who had no dearth of witty one-liners and Sherlock‘s conversation with John Watson in S04E02 is the perfect summary of their relationship and the show itself. Compared to all of that, Douglas is cancelled seems like it was written by an Aaron Sorkin-wannabe. His movies and shows are known for their witty and fast-paced dialogue. The Trial of the Chicago Seven had some of the best courtroom dialogue I’ve seen. Jessica Chastain’s internal monologue/narration in Molly’s Game drove the movie forward. Both movies were dialogue-heavy but never felt exhausting or repetitive. Douglas is cancelled could have been something else if Aaron Sorkin or someone on his level was involved. Aaron Sorkin himself wrote The Newsroom which revolved around a news show too and had similar sentiments about social media and the inability of the younger generation to wait for facts.
The premise of the show is executed well, with the shocks and twists landing perfectly. The cast’s performances carry the show forward, especially Karen Gillian’s performance who deserves a special mention for her ability to switch from manipulative to innocent, within the blink of an eye. The subject matter is treated with the respect and the restraint it deserves, which is never more obvious than in the third episode. The finale with Karen’s character confronting Douglas builds on all the previous hints and ties everything together perfectly. However, the show is let down by the dialogue writing, which is messy, repetitive and doesn’t quite pack the Steven Moffat-punch. It is a solid mini-series, just not something I’d expect from someone with his repertoire.
Triple M 