The Sundance channel original series Rectify has been labeled by some critics as "the best show on TV you're not watching." I could go along with that.
The series made the "Best of 2014" Top 10 lists for Time, Los Angeles Times, Variety, Huffington Post and others. It's serious television for fans of adult drama. It respects its audience and demands you pay attention.
Highest praise: Many compare the series to The Wire.
Season 3 debuts at 9 p.m. today. It's rated TV-14. If you missed the Independence Day marathon of the 16 episodes of the first two seasons, you can at least watch last season's finale on Sundance.com until July 16.
If you subscribe to Netflix, Season 1 (six episodes) and Season 2 (10 episodes) are posted and available for streaming.
If the series is off your radar, you aren't alone. Last season, an average of only 308,000 viewers showed up each week per episode, and that total includes a week's worth of encores. That's a shame for such a critically acclaimed, Peabody Award-winning series.
Rectify was created by the formerly Little Rock-based actor/screenwriter/director/producer Ray McKinnon, who was married to the Fayetteville native (and Jacksonville-raised) actress and producer Lisa Blount (An Officer and a Gentleman, Chrystal) from 1998 until her death in 2010. The couple won an Academy Award in 2001 for their live action short film, The Accountant.
Rectify is executive produced by McKinnon, as well as Mark Johnson and Melissa Bernstein, producers behind AMC's Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
Rectify taps into the timeless theme of the question of guilt or innocence, but it is also a coming-of-age story set in a compelling Southern Gothic context. It's the tale of a guy who has been given a second chance at life, yet has no skills to put that living into practice.
The series follows the life of Daniel Holden (Aden Young), who went to prison as a teenager, having been convicted of the rape and murder of his girlfriend.
After spending 19 years on death row, new DNA evidence vacates Daniel's original trial and he returns to his hometown of Paulie, Ga.
In Season 3, Daniel is still struggling with adapting to even the most simple routines. He also deeply affects everyone with whom he comes in contact. That includes his family, those working to protect him, those in authority working against him, and those in his hometown who never knew him before.
Season 3 picks up immediately where Season 2 left off -- on the afternoon of Daniel's plea deal. Daniel just wants it all to be over. Will the deal be accepted? Will Daniel be forced to leave town? And when the body of a missing person is discovered, law enforcement once again turns to him for answers.
Meanwhile, for those familiar with the characters, Daniel's devoted younger sister Amantha (Abigail Spencer) attempts to live her own life and is given an opportunity at a local store.
In addition, Daniel's stepbrother Ted Talbot Jr. (Clayne Crawford) and Tawney (Adelaide Clemens) struggle to see if their marriage has a future by examining their own pasts for answers. Daniel's loving and long-suffering mother, Janet Talbot (J. Smith-Cameron) , and his stepfather, Ted Sr. (Bruce McKinnon) , will find that their marriage is put to the test as well.
Jake Austin Walker stars as Daniel's half brother Jared and Luke Kirby plays Jon Stern, Daniel's lawyer who works for an organization dedicated to exonerating the wrongfully convicted.
• Treehouse Masters. One of my favorite "unscripted" shows returns Friday to Animal Planet. Treehouse Masters, featuring ebullient tree whisperer Pete Nelson, "goes out on a limb" for Season 4 at 9 p.m. There's also a stand-alone new episode at 7 just before the Season 2 premiere of Redwood Kings at 8.
If you've never seen the show, know that Nelson and crew don't simply throw up one of those basic childhood platforms on four posts and call it a day. Nelson "designs private escapes for those with a passion to reconnect with nature and awaken their inner child."
Those with the passion to reconnect also seem to be well-heeled. Nelson's elaborate creations frequently top out in the $100,000-plus range and feature running water, bathrooms, electricity, multiple bedrooms, decks and skylights. Each one is a wonder to behold.
There is also the occasional one-room loft to help keep it real, but maybe because I always wanted to live in the multi-level treehouse in Swiss Family Robinson, I enjoy Nelson's whimsical creations that have zip lines and vine swings, Indiana Jones-inspired bridges and secret entrances.
We can dream. Check the portfolio of Nelson's past creations at his website, nelsontreehousesupply.com.
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Weekend on 07/09/2015