Low Winter Sun (American TV series)
A crime drama set in Detroit about a murder cover-up.
Set in Detroit, this AMC crime drama ran for a single ten-episode season from August to October 2013. Created by Chris Mundy, it stars Mark Strong and Lennie James. The show is an adaptation of a 2006 British miniseries, with Strong playing the same character. The plot follows detectives Frank Agnew and Joe Geddes after they kill a corrupt officer and try to hide their crime, delving into the city's organized crime. Reviews were generally mixed, and AMC cancelled the series in December 2013.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Crime drama
- Developer
- Chris Mundy
- Based on
- Low Winter Sun by; Simon Donald
- Opening theme
- "Hustlin' in the Motor City" by Bettye LaVette
- Composer
- Tyler Bates
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 1
Facts from the source article.
Production
AMC began developing the series in October 2011 and ordered a pilot in May 2012, with Chris Mundy serving as executive producer and showrunner. In August 2012, Ernest Dickerson was confirmed to direct the pilot; filming began in September 2012 in Detroit. AMC ordered Low Winter Sun to series in December 2012 with a ten-episode order, and production for the remaining nine episodes started in spring 2013, again in Detroit. According to Mundy, the state of Michigan approved $7.5 million in incentives for the series, which was reported to create 245 jobs and spend approximately $26 million in the state. Casting included James Ransone as Damon Callis in July 2012, with Mark Strong reprising his role as Frank Agnew. Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Athena Karkanis, and Lennie James were cast in August 2012, playing Charles Dawson, Dani Kahlil, and Joe Geddes respectively. Also in August 2012, Sprague Grayden and David Costabile were cast as Maya and Simon Boyd. Erika Alexander was cast in September 2012 to play recurring character Louise "LC" Cullen.
Reception
On Metacritic, the first season scored 60 out of 100 based on 27 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Rotten Tomatoes gave a 41% rating based on 32 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10 and a critical consensus that Mark Strong makes a compelling lead but the series is too serious for its own good, sagging under its bleak, brooding tone. Willa Paskin of Slate found the series derivative of shows like The Wire and part of a "copycat phase" in American television drama, arguing the characters did not resemble actual human beings. Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times described the tone and storyline as deadly serious but noted some early scenes were overwrought to the point of being almost laughable, also comparing it to The Wire. In a 2024 retrospective, Joe Reid of Primetimer was critical and argued the series marked a shift in prestige television trends toward grim subject matter and morally grey protagonists, as it ended up underperforming.
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