I don’t really think I mean this negatively when I say that the HBO miniseries DTF St. Louis is Lifetime-esque, but higher quality.
In fairness, Lifetime has some pretty decent stories out there, but with this miniseries being furnished by HBO, you know you’re at least going to get some hgiher quality talent. And that is true! But the story is all about love and backstabbing, though in the end it’s much more soft-hearted than I initially thought it would be. We first meet Missourian weatherman, Clark Forrest and his new sign language interpreter, Floyd Smernitch, as they avoid a near death situation during a live storm boradcast. From that moment on they become fast friends. It’s clear though, that they live vastly different lives in their quiet, normal suburban town.
We also learn right away that Floyd is dead. This series is us and the cops trying to figure out how that happened, but to get the bottom of it, understanding the inner workings of our main characters’ lives is key, albeit extremely complicated. Floyd lives with his wife, Carol, and her son, Richard. Richard is a bit different and very moody, but despite this, Floyd never stops trying to connect with him. And I give him a ton of credit, because Richard is the reason Floyd is suffering from peyronie’s disease, and likely the reason why his sexual relationship with Carol is practically non-exsistant. Meanwhile, Clark lives a pretty shiny life with his wife and two young daughters, though it’s clear some spice is missing from his own romantic life.
One day, Clark slowly approaches Floyd about a St. Louis based dating app, as the name suggests, and he asks if the two of them should join it. They’ve discussed their lack of action before, and how it kind of impacts their personal outlook, so it’s not as strange as it may seem. Only, Clark definitely has an ulterior motive. Ever since meeting Carol at a cornhole party at Floyd’s house, the two have had a serious flirt going on, so Clark sees this as an opportunity to act on his impulses. He and Carol start hooking up pretty regularly. Meanwhile, Floyd doesn’t have much luck on the app, really hurting his self esteem even more. When he does finally get a bite, he’s surprised to find it’s a man. There are no sparks, but this particular encounter just shows even more how nice of a guy Floyd was.
As the series goes, we’re pointed to the most obvious suspects in Floyd’s death – most notably his wife and his best friend. We sort of move through these suspects one at a time, and as the police learn more, we do, too. And even though some people appear to be cleared, I really thought in the end it could be anyone. They all had good reasons, and it took some serious sleuthing to get to the final timeline to Floyd’s demise. The red herrings were well done, and new information kept the story wild, but engaging. Plus the acting was top tier. This isn’t the best show I’ve seen, but it was a fun and interesting ride! Turst me, I’ve left plenty unsaid to make this a fun series to check out.