There have been so many Puzzle Box (as in “Where the hell are we?” and “What the heck is going on?”) shows since “Lost” (2004-10) that it’s almost impossible to count. The relatively new (in the history of storytelling) genre is here to stay, along with superheroes and short-form murder-mysteries.
The genre’s problems are here to stay, too, as evidenced by “Teacup” (Thursdays, Peacock). It’s slickly produced with strong performances, but this adaptation of Robert R. McCammon’s 1988 novel “Stinger” will be awfully familiar to anyone with a glancing knowledge of 21st century TV.
Granted, McCammon constructed a Puzzle Box before they were cool. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Ian McCulloch’s series (with the action moved to present day) will feel fresh. Halfway through the eight half-hour episodes of Season 1, it doesn’t, as I regularly think of “Under the Dome” and “The Walking Dead,” with the most cliched alien-invasion tropes as a garnish.
“Teacup” Season 1 (2024)
Thursdays, Peacock
Creator: Ian McCulloch, based on the novel by Robert R. McCammon
Stars: Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman, Chaske Spencer
The action is rather aggressively centered on the Chenoweth’s ranch and neighboring ranches, as a gasmask-wearing man spray-paints a circle. Inside is the safe zone. If you go outside, your bones and muscles will burst from your insides, leaving a corpse that would make the special effects crew of “The Thing” (1982) raise their eyebrows in appreciation.
Our attachment to Yvonne Strahovksi’s Maggie and Scott Speedman’s James is natural enough, because we’ve seen them do this type of tense/intense acting before in the likes of “He’s Out There” and “The Strangers.” McCulloch, though, is invested in a cliched angle: The Chenoweths are estranged because James slept with neighbor Valeria Shanley (Diany Rodriguez), who is also trapped in this circle.
Circular illogic
So is Valeria’s husband, Nicholas (Luciano Leroux), so all of his interactions with James are tinged with pseudo-creepy double meanings. He suggests, for example, that if someone were to tumble across the blue line and die out here in the woods, who is to say how that might’ve happened? Isn’t murder a bit of an overreaction to adultery?
One of the neat things about survival-situation dramas is that people must put their differences aside to focus on this much more important issue. The fact that these people don’t throws the tone off. On the other hand, we get a budding, positive relationship between teenagers Meryl Chenoweth (Emilie Bierre) and Ruben Shanley (Chaske Spencer), and that’s kinda cute.
The character who really matters to the narrative among this twisted Brady Bunch, though, is young Arlo Chenoweth (Caleb Dolden). The lad is sometimes himself and sometimes the noble alien (named Harbinger) who takes over Arlo’s brain and warns people of impending danger.
“Teacup’s” theme is “Trust no one,” and a direct comparison to one of the greatest sci-fi TV shows of all time is an immediately losing proposition. One “official” crosses into the circle in episode three and begins asking questions about Arlo that rise Maggie’s protective-mom hackles. The gas-mask guy, meanwhile, might be good after all.
“The X-Files” (usually) had story reasons for hiding information and character loyalties from the viewer, but “Teacup” isn’t as smooth. Both the evil line-crosser and the good line-crosser – not to mention Harbinger – probably know what’s going on, but they aren’t telling. It’s more contrived than organic.
Written in magic marker
The themes are written on marker board by the masked man: “Don’t cross the line” and “Don’t trust anybody.” We’re invited to analyze people’s behaviors in order to solve the puzzle. But as one character says, the thing about a skilled liar is you can’t tell that they’re lying.
“Lost” also pulled this contrivance at its lowest ebb, several seasons in, but it had built up a mythology and a degree of leeway. “Teacup” is pulling it a few episodes in. Something weird is going on involving an alien invasion and authorities’ reaction to it, and we’re invited to ask “Who do we trust?” But I can’t help but also ask: “Do I care?”
About the mystery, honestly, not really. There’s some OK character stuff, though. Maggie, after standing up bravely to the man pursuing her young son, goes into the barn and has a panic attack. That’s a very 2024 mental-health portrayal (not in a bad way) that we don’t see too often.
But one another annoyance about Puzzle Boxes that still hasn’t been resolved is the commercial-creative disconnect. This is pitched as “Teacup’s” first season, not a complete miniseries. So episode eight will likely end with a cliffhanger, and if not enough people tuned in, that will be the end of it.
If Peacock won’t commit to a complete story, it’s hard for viewers to commit. As “Teacup” is intent on illustrating — amid an alien visit and a magic blue line that rips people to shreds — healthy relationships require contributions from both sides.