In Actual Fact, Apple TV’s “Truth Be Told” Could Be Better

Truth Be Told stars Octavia Spencer as Poppy Parnell exjournalist for The New York Timesturnedfamous podcaster amp160She made her name at the Times through a series of articles that painted Warren Cave Aaron Paul a boy accused of brutally murdering a local husband and father as the monster said accusation would make him if it turned out to be true amp160Well true or not Cave gets convicted as an adult and sent to big boy prison for the better part of two decades until oops Poppy sees a video that may indicate Caveamp8217s innocence amp160Riddled with guilt for the part she played in the conviction of a man she now believes may have been an innocent boy Poppyamp8217s on the hunt for the truth which someone is definitely hidingSo what does it all add up toamp160 That depends what youamp8217re looking foramp160 The cast couldnamp8217t be better so that puts the plus in this Apple TV showamp160 Besides Academy Awardwinner Octavia Spencer whoamp8217s as solid a choice for Poppy as you could want and threetime Emmy winner Aaron Paul we also get Tracie Thoms Michael Beach Elizabeth Perkins Ron Cephas Jones Lizzy Caplan and Mekhi Motherflippinamp8217 Phiferamp160 That lineup coupled with the showamp8217s equally legit soundtrack makes the seriesamp8217 proposed level of worth pretty highThe series wastes no time getting right into the throes of the story and Spencer is always compelling on screen amp160But I still have reservations and to be honest they donamp8217t come specifically from this show so much as they do from the networkservice it finds itself onamp160 With The Morning Show there was a lot of hoopla around its arrival not only because it was Apple TVamp8217s flagship show but also because of its castamp160 That show bore all the same traits as this one a focus on journalism highprofile actors and what Iamp8217m sure was an absurd production budget and I think thatamp8217s the problem amp160When the dust settled on TMS the reviews were decidedly mixed at best partly because it didnamp8217t seem to go all the way at times and partly because and I mean this in the nicest way possible who caresThe leads on TMS are morning news anchors amp160Poppy does a podcast on this show amp160These are noble career choices sure but these folks are not exactly reporting live from a warzone in a foreign country amp160Truth Be Told even straight up asks whether Poppy is only now pursuing the truth behind the story that made her career because of her guilt amp160But it didnamp8217t matter during all the years that Cave has been in prison so why nowI think the most interesting aspect of Truth Be Told is what will most likely be the development of a pretty obvious plotline amp160Cave has been in prison so long that heamp8217s now a Nazitatted white supremacist adding to Poppyamp8217s guilt amp160His mother Melanie Perkins has cancer and has been given two months to live amp160This means that theoretically Poppyamp8217s got only two months to clear Warrenamp8217s name or to at least get to whatever the truth is before she breaks her promise to Melanie which again is suddenly supposed to matter amp160If Melanie died what would change amp160If anything Poppy would probably be emboldened by the death feeling as though she really had to see this thing throughamp160 The question thatamp8217ll be the most fun to answer is why Josie Buhrman Caplan murdered her pops Caveamp8217s supposed victim amp160I mean they havenamp8217t said that sheamp8217s the one that did it but it seems pretty obvious at least from the first couple of episodes amp160This woman couldnamp8217t look more suspicious if she triedTruth ahem be told the heaviest lifting on this show is done by its cast very much like the aforementioned The Morning Show amp160I like seeing actors I know as does everyone and these actors arenamp8217t only recognizable theyamp8217re supertalented amp160Every single subplot doesnamp8217t interest me per se like Poppyamp8217s prior relationship with her ex Marcus or her father possibly having Alzheimeramp8217s but I enjoy seeing Mekhi Phifer and Ron Cephas Jones respectively all the sameTruth Be Told is certainly worth the watch but I do find it indicative of what could become a trend at Apple TV amp160The quality and talent are all there but a wider lens contentwise will benefit them in the long runClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160

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In Actual Fact, Apple TV’s “Truth Be Told” Could Be Better

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Ainsley Andrade

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In Actual Fact, Apple TV’s “Truth Be Told” Could Be Better

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