‘The Fix’ might be broken on ABC
Art imitates life imitating art (rather badly) in “The Fix” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
The series is created by prosecutor Marcia Clark, famous for her role in the O.J. Simpson trial and its attendant media hysteria. Her legal reputation and standing as a formidable human being were greatly burnished by actress Sarah Paulson’s portrayal of her in FX’s miniseries masterpiece “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson.”
For some of us, that might be enough.
“The Fix” returns to the O.J. case in a thinly veiled manner. Crack prosecutor Maya Travis (Robin Tunney, “The Mentalist”) is first seen nervously entering the courtroom where actor Sevvy Johnson (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, “Game of Thrones”) awaits his verdict in the stabbing death of his wife. His acquittal creates a media firestorm and sends Travis into a tailspin that can only be cured by a move to rural Washington, where she settles down with a cowboy.
The show’s depiction of her “good life” retreat is almost hysterically economical. She watches the birth of a foal and then picks a tomato before the phone rings informing her, that after eight years of freedom, Sevvy has struck again!
“The Fix” focuses on her return to the legal jungle building a case against Sevvy for killing his girlfriend, a woman his daughter’s age.
Tunney churns through “The Fix,” rarely cracking a smile. This isn’t just O.J. versus Marcia — I mean, Sevvy vs. Travis — it’s far more primal. Sevvy can mystically sense her presence behind the two-way mirror of the police interrogation room. He’s Hannibal Lecter to her Clarice!
Featuring a ludicrously charged atmosphere, “Fix” takes itself very seriously. And that adds to the fun. If “American Crime Story” was a gourmet meal, this is a tube of Pringles chips. It’s easy to consume, but you won’t be terribly proud of yourself afterward.
Look for Breckin Meyer as a rather spineless district attorney more consumed by the cocktail party circuit than the courtroom. Scott Cohen has fun playing Sevvy’s rather sleazy lawyer, who calls himself “The Wolf.” For all of his bluster, he’s a flawed guy with gambling debts galore. After one of his loan shark’s goons floors him with a gut punch, he threatens Wolf that next time, “It’ll be your face.” Can’t wait for that!
› “POV” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings) presents the innovative and acclaimed documentary “306 Hollywood.” After the death of a matriarch, family members sift through her home and many possessions to see how much of her “life” still remains in the everyday items she left behind.
A thoughtful film about a universal subject, “306” employs many narrative tricks that straddle the line between spiritual, even surreal, speculation and precious gimmickry.
› The 2019 documentary “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-14) examines the spectacular rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes, the world’s youngest self-made billionaire. This is the second documentary about the multibillion-dollar Theranos fraud to air in the past four nights. Alex Gibney directs.
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin .tvguy@gmail.com.