Jessica Biel's Facebook Watch series Limetown is high-quality trash

The Guardian

"There is nothing I enjoy more – especially in metaphorically and literally dark times – than a high-concept, low-effort watch," says Lucy Mangan of the podcast-based series starring Biel. "Something that catches the attention and does not demand too much. Something that brings back fond memories of similar shows you can’t fully call to mind. That makes you go: 'Ooh, this is a bit like that thing we liked! With that actor! And her that we like too! Set in a hotel. Or the woods? Or a hotel in the woods? Remember?” as you wriggle more deeply and comfortably into the sofa. Ladies and gentleman, I give you Limetown, from newcomer streaming service/latest Zuckerberg tentacle to slide its way into our lives, Facebook Watch." Mangan adds: "Limetown is tosh of the highest quality. It has touches of Wayward Pines, second-tier X-Files episodes and that thing I can’t remember the name of but they all woke up in a hotel with no idea how they got there and unable to leave. You know? It had him and her from that thing in it. I am in for the duration, and happily so, but your mileage may vary, and I can’t say I would blame you if it did."

ALSO:

• Limetown is a slow, dark crime story that focuses only on the crime itself, to the detriment of getting to know its characters better
• Limetown plays to Facebook Watch's trashiest side: It's mostly a bit dull and insufficiently expansive
• Even if you've listened to the podcast, it's easy to lose yourself in the mystery of Limetown
• How Limetown went from hit podcast to Facebook Watch series
• Jessica Biel assumed Limetown was real when she first listened to the podcast