Resurrection logoA little boy is found in China and returned to his parents; a little unusual, but when the case officer discovers that young Jacob died 32 years earlier, the weirdness really begins…

Jason Mott’s novel The Returned is the source for this eight-part serial which is not connected to either the French The Returned or its American remake (it’s apparently virtually contractually obligatory to make this point early in any review). In fact, it seems as if Mott’s novel (which we reviewed here) is simply a stepping-off point, and the TV series goes in quite a different direction.

That’s not apparent from this slow-paced opener, which takes its time establishing the characters of immigration officer Marty Bellamy, and Jacob’s parents, Henry and Lucille, before starting to throw the mystery open as to how Jacob died – particularly since he wasn’t the only one who perished in the incident. We also see a secretive figure around the same small town of Arcadia, Missouri, and you may well jump to conclusions about the connection between the pair.

Although there’s obviously a supernatural element to Resurrection – and, given both the title, and the presence of a pastor among the characters, probably a religious one as well – that feels like a secondary concern. This isn’t an investigation into how Jacob came back; if anything, the reason rather than the mechanism is more important.

Verdict: A slow burn take on this now-familiar premise promises drama rather than melodrama. 7/10

Paul Simpson

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