Serving Up a Review for Seasons 1 & 2 of Servant: The Craziest Show on TV
Servant is an Apple TV+ psychological horror drama that’ll conclude with its fourth season, which is currently being released, and will be totally out in mid-March. With episodes clocking in at around 30 minutes, and each season comprised of 10 fast-paced episodes, it’s an extremely bingeable show. I’ve just finished watching the first two seasons, and, well, I definitely have some thoughts.
It's hard to talk about the actual plot of Servant without getting into spoilers, so I won’t go too much into the actual story of the show here besides saying that it centers on a couple who have experienced an awful tragedy and then open their home to a mysterious, young nanny. The reason it’s hard to talk about Servant without spoilers is because it’s one of those types of shows where you’re constantly wondering what’s going on. While subsequent episodes answer some of the mystery, these answers really only lead to more questions.
If I could describe the show in one word, that word would be: Bonkers. Servant is most certainly bonkers, but it’s usually in a good, entertaining way – at least so far. Think of the more out there parts of Lost, then throw in the feel and some elements of a horror show like Evil, and set it primarily in the home of a troubled Philadelphia couple, and you’ve got Servant.
With a show like Lost, fans got upset by some of the more ridiculous elements that came in later seasons, but I think that’s largely because the first few years set up the expectation that Lost was a series more grounded in reality, and then it felt off when everything turned weird. With Servant, these crazy aspects of the show have been there since the beginning. Sure, the show has ramped up the weirdness/ridiculousness level as we’ve gone along, but I think if you like the vibe after episode 1, you’ll still be with the show post episode 20. That’s not to say that I’m not a little worried that the show will go completely off the rails as we enter the third season though, because I definitely am.
Pictured: Characters drink wine and watch an episode of Lost on a tablet.
Servant was created by Tony Basgallop, but the more well-known member of the production is its executive producer, M. Night Shyamalan. There seem to be two versions of Shyamalan, the one that produces excellent movies like The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Split, and another that creates some of the worst flaming hot garbage of the past twenty years, like Lady in the Water and The Last Airbender.
However, Servant doesn’t really fall into either group. After “bonkers,” the next two words that come to mind when trying to describe it are “entertaining” and “watchable.” Both are good things. Still, even though I always seem to be fine clicking the “next episode” prompt as the credits roll, I also never feel as though I’ve watched a great, super high-quality half hour of television.
As far as the acting on the show goes, I’d say the cast is solid, but overall not fantastic. Lauren Ambrose and Toby Kebbell as Dorothy and Sean Turner are both fine. Ambrose’s performance becomes pretty wacky in Season 2, and I understand that they’re going for that, but it veers a little too out there at times, and she does not seem at all to act how an actual human being would behave, even someone who’s lost it.
Nell Tiger Free plays Leanne, the nanny the Turners have hired to look after baby Jericho. She’s the weakest member of the core cast, often coming across more sleepy and bland than mysterious. In contrast, Rupert Grint (AKA Ron Weasley) is great as Dorothy’s brother, Julian. Grint just really goes for it with his performance and the moments he’s on screen are some of the more entertaining ones on the show.
If you’re thinking about giving Servant a try, one positive is that you’ll be able to tell pretty quickly if it’s the kind of show you’ll enjoy. I do think that Season 1 is superior to Season 2, but the drop-off isn’t too severe. Personally, I like it overall, even if I can acknowledge it’s not always the best in terms of quality – it’s a show where you just have to go with it and enjoy the ride. As long as things don’t become too nonsensical, I’ll stay on board for what’s to come.
Grade: 7/10