HBO’s New Homicide Thriller Collection Starring Jason Bateman Premieres to Sturdy Opinions

HBO’s new homicide thriller collection, DTF St. Louis, starring Ozark lead Jason Bateman, has earned some robust early opinions.

Created by Steven Conrad, DTF. St Louis additionally stars David Harbour and Linda Cardellini. The official synopsis is “a restricted collection a couple of love triangle between three adults experiencing middle-age malaise that results in considered one of them ending up lifeless.” The setting for this seven-episode restricted launch is St. Louis, primarily within the suburbs, and the tone is darkish, but humorous.

DTF St. Louis at present holds an 87% critics’ rating primarily based on 15 opinions to this point on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating a constructive early response from TV critics. Reviewers reward the brand new collection’ performances, tone, and slow-burning, quirky storytelling.

Amongst these, Brian Tallerico says on behalf of RogerEbert.com that DTF St. Louis is “too character-driven to be referred to as satire, nevertheless it winks on the ridiculousness of all of this, how violence can erupt in essentially the most mundane locations within the nation […].” Slant Journal says, like others, that the present takes an episode or two earlier than settling into its groove, and the writing’s empathy is what finally “sneaks up“ on the viewer.

Whereas most opinions have been constructive, not all critics agree on the present’s construction. Writing for TIME, critic Judy Berman argues that the homicide investigation is definitely the least compelling component of the present. The criticism highlights a recurring theme throughout opinions that the present’s attraction might rely on whether or not viewers predict a basic whodunit or a psychological drama.

Bateman performs meteorologist Clark Forrest, Harbour is Floyd Smernitch — the information station’s ASL translator — and Cardellini is Floyd’s spouse Carol. The trio of characters offers with strained relationships, as tensions start to escalate as a consequence of Clark’s involvement in Floyd’s homelife and his relationship with Carol. This unraveling of their private lives and the love triangle function the spine of the present.

Bateman is thought for his robust performances in Ozark and Arrested Improvement, two examples much like the darker, but humor-filled method in DTF St. Louis. Harbour, widely known from Stranger Issues, has drawn reward from critics, lots of whom discuss with him because the emotional middle of the collection, whereas Cardellini (Brokeback Mountain, Avengers: Age of Ultron) brings a layered efficiency as nicely.

The present is written and directed by Conrad, identified for initiatives together with Patriot, The Secret Lifetime of Walter Mitty, and The Pursuit of Happyness. Critics have famous that his work blends deadpan, usually darker humor with melancholy character research, which helps clarify why DTF St. Louis performs much less like a conventional whodunit and extra like a narrative about odd folks making more and more poor selections.

DTF St. Louis premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, March 1, 2026, with new episodes releasing weekly.