The formula is always the same, someone is horrifically murdered and in the midst of solving it the troubled past of the protagonist is slowly exposed, revealing alongside it secrets and betrayals in which everyone manages to become a culprit. We trust no one until the little, tiny, minuscule moment with a huge impact that reveals who the killer was all along. Every time I’m ready and waiting for this moment and yet every time it manages to catch me by surprise. The only person that could get me to watch another one of these shows is … Andrew Garfield.
Under the Banner of Heaven falls into the genre of show I’ve described. It follows Garfield's character, Detective Pyre, in his investigation into a murder in a family of followers of the LDS (Latter Day Saints) fundamentalism church. This proves difficult for the detective in more ways than one, as it brings into question his own faith as he too is a member of this church. Little is known about the show so far, with only a teaser trailer being released however we do know it is based on a novel of the same name by Jon Krakauer and will be available to stream on Hulu in the spring but no official release date has been announced yet.
We also know it's going to be written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and also starring award nominated actress Daisy Edgar-Jones. With other shows of the genre being notorious for collecting awards, the ones I’ve previously mentioned holding many Emmy's, Golden Globe's and Bafta's between them, I have no doubt this will do the same. Whilst I’m hopeful this show will bring something new to the genre, even if it doesn't I’m sure the stellar cast performances and trustworthy formula will still create an intriguing must watch for 2022.
