Mare of Easttown

Mare Sheehan knows the people she is investigating, and many of them know more about her life than she would like. Mare of Easttown turns that lack of distance into the strength of a small-town crime drama.

Kate Winslet makes Mare capable, tired and difficult without asking the viewer to choose only one of those descriptions. Her family life does not provide a restful break from the case. It adds obligations and old disappointments that follow her back into work.

The town feels connected through ordinary relationships rather than a roll call of suspicious strangers. That gives a conversation at a house or a local gathering weight before it produces an obvious clue. The investigation remains involving because its consequences belong to people the series has taken time to establish.

It is a strong choice for a concentrated detective drama with an excellent central performance. Dark Winds also makes local knowledge essential to police work; The Night Of places its attention more closely on the experience of being accused.