SXSW 2023 Rabbit Hole review: Lots to like about thriller, with an especially stellar Charles Dance

Kiefer Sutherland is back at it again in a new espionage thriller, completing his trifecta of spy action TV dramas after his successes with 24 and Designated Survivor. His latest is Rabbit Hole, in an eight-episode arch for Paramount +. This time around, the series creators, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, tap into their comedy past to offer up a lighter tone for this iteration of Kiefer Sutherland looking completely perplexed and intense once again by s**t seriously hitting the fan for his character.

The lighter tone is fun and was a definite highlight for me. The first four episodes were screened while I was at SXSW for this review.

Rabbit Hole pits Kiefer Sutherland’s John Weir (no, not Johnny Weir from figure skating fame) into a chaotic situation that turns everything we see and hears upside down as we get into the political thriller. Paramount + has smartly commissioned a series that brings a familiar face to this type of conspiracy action, but this is no Jack Bauer: Sutherland’s much warier, dementedly charming in a weird kind of way, and coping with childhood trauma that has left him more cynical than he would like to be. He’s developed his corporate data analysis skills into making himself a master of deception and a kind of unscrupulous Robin Hood who steals from the powerful in order to enrich himself but also take down greedy players who deserve it.

But connecting up with an old colleague, Valence (the excellent Jason Butler Harner) pulls the rug out from under Sutherland’s Weir, unveiling a shadowy network that has managed to frame Weir for murder, has him questioning his sanity as he sees one close associate jump from an office building ledge, and his entire team seemingly taken out with a bomb. Weir’s on the run and is it any wonder that he doesn’t trust anyone or anything? I don’t want to give too much more of the plot away without spoiling it, especially since this is a show that really thrives on the surprise twists and turns. The best way to watch it is to just revel in it, without questioning the sometimes almost unbelievable setup. With this in mind, Rabbit Hole is a fun viewing with a superb cast that anchors the storyline.

The first episode sets up the espionage surprises and is a slow burn at times, but the series really gets its sea legs as it goes on, beginning with that twist at the end of the pilot. Once John Weir steps back into his childhood home at the end of the first episode (where the most pivotal past trauma moment has happened for the character), I wasn’t sure what to expect after seeing a stressed-out Sutherland shockingly on the run (after exuding so much confidence up until that point), but the reveal in the final moments of the pilot helps set the tone that everything you think you know is not really the case, a tone that fuels the next three episodes. Up until that point, it seemed like John Weir had a knack for outsmarting everyone else until someone did the same to him, but when we get to those important last moments in the pilot, we can rest assured that maybe Weir isn’t as flummoxed as he may seem.

There are a few more key elements that lift the tone of the series. Once Charles Dance enters the scene, Rabbit Hole is all the better for his presence. Dance’s Dr. Ben Wilson not only injects the series with conspiracy information about the elements that influence and control world populations, Charles Dance enhances Rabbit Hole with his gravitas and humor in a way that fascinates as only he can. As he’s done with pretty much every project he’s attached to (I know him of course from Game of Thrones and The Crown, but also in a much earlier, excellent TV adaptation of Phantom of the Opera, while my kids love his voice work on The Witcher 3 game), he elevates the material and frankly, is the best part of Rabbit Hole. As is his modus operandi, he does excellent work here, and you can just feel the series grow in stature once he comes aboard.

In addition to Dance, the injection of a hookup-turned-sidekick for Weir, Hailey Winton (Meta Golding) is a welcome supplement to the ensemble. John Weir is understandably suspicious of Winton (since by now he’s pretty much second-guessing everyone in his life), but Winton’s got her own surprising storyline of twists and ends up helping him out after things get a bit chaotic for her (won’t spoil the surprise). Golding is delightful here, infusing Rabbit Hole with moments of brevity.

Also bringing some comic relief is another actor in the series, which I can’t really get into because of his surprise appearance. But let’s just say his reactions to his domestic situation at home while he’s in captivity are hilarious and something to look out for as the episodes drop. Also funny: the web of safe houses that Weir navigates with an interesting way of achieving his stored equipment with the help of a jackhammer.

I think that’s about as much detail about the series as I can comfortably divulge. Rabbit Hole can test the plausibility senses every once in a while, but to be honest, I really feel that way about any espionage thriller. But overall, it’s an entertaining, fun caper that will leave you guessing and certainly wanting to find out more.

The first two episodes of Rabbit Hole drop on Paramount + on March 26 with each successive one airing weekly on Sundays. Stay tuned here for more info and interviews surrounding the new series.