Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Hulu’s psychological-thriller Chance is back, and the show’s enigmatic protagonist is finally embracing his dark side.
Premiering in October of 2016, Chance revolves around forensic neuropsychiatrist Eldon Chance (Hugh Laurie), a man whose frustrations over the myriad injustices of life reach a boiling part as he becomes embroiled in the seedy underbelly of the San Francisco crime scene.
Season 1 saw Dr. Chance as a reluctant participant in his surroundings as he was slowly enticed to bend and then break the law due to a combination of love, lust, and an indomitable “ends justify the means” ideology. The events of the first season left Dr. House Chance a changed man, and Season 2, which premieres today on Hulu, finds our titular hero vanquishing the moral ambiguity that permeated the first season and finally embracing his inner anti-hero.
Yes, the whole right vs. wrong and omnipresent question of morality is still discussed, but Doc Chance and his Nietzsche-quoting, antique-furniture loving instrument of destruction known simply as D (Ethan Suplee), have decided to take the law into their own hands. Having killed his arch-nemesis during the Season 1 finale, Chance now takes it upon himself to help his patients, all victims of violent crimes, by using vigilante justice to punish their abusers.
“I’m trying to help my patients by removing whatever source of ongoing trauma is preventing them from experiencing the benefits of therapy,” Chance says, justifying his actions. The season premiere hints that Chance and D won’t just be righting the wrongs of the good doctor’s patients as a detective who knows Chance’s secret blackmails him into taking down an elusive serial killer (Paul Schneider).
Season 1 relied a bit too much on cerebral intrigue, but Season 2 looks to be doubling down on the action and focusing on the anti-hero buddy cop escapades of Chance and D. This is a welcomed development because Suplee’s performance as the menacing outlaw who lives by his own code is the most captivating part of the series.
Chance isn’t a bad show, far from it. The series has earned an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.7/10 score on IMDB. Despite its procedural charms and strong theatrical performances from Laurie and Suplee, it’s just not a particularly memorable television series. Eldon Chance finally embracing his new life as a vigilante defender of justice is a step in the right direction, but there are too many better options available (Ozark, Better Call Saul, Narcos) to pierce that impenetrable bubble known as mainstream success.
The first three episodes of Season 2 are now available to stream on Hulu.
