Lady in the Lake 

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• Photo Courtesy Of Apple TV Plus
• DIFFERENT DEATHS In 1966 Baltimore, budding investigative journalist Maddie Schwartz (Natalie Portman, left) works to solve two murder mysteries, one of an 11-year-old white girl that's well covered in the news and the other of Black bartender Cleo Johnson (Moses Ingram, in the store window) that's received little coverage, in Lady in the Lake, streaming on Apple TV Plus

What's it rated? TV-MA

When? 2024

Where's it showing? Apple TV Plus

In this noir thriller, Natalie Portman stars as Jewish housewife Maddie Schwartz, whose world is upended when an 11-year-old white girl goes missing from her community and is found dead. While the tragedy is indeed heartbreaking, Maddie's reaction has deeper roots, and the rest of the series spends its time parsing both her story along with Cleo Johnson's (Moses Ingram) story—a Black woman and community activist who was also killed but who—unlike the little white girl—receives scant media coverage.

Maddie's obsessed with both mysteries, leaves her husband, and reinvents herself as an investigative journalist. She's also risking her personal reputation through breaking societal norms by carrying on a secret affair with Black policeman Ferdie Platt (Y'lan Noel). It's 1960s Baltimore, and racial tension is a living, breathing part of the city and the country.

Her investigation into Cleo's death makes Maddie unpopular with those trying to keep questioning eyes away, and she becomes a target. Sometimes the series feels overly complicated, but its stylized look and superb acting from Portman as well as the rest of the cast makes it an enthralling watch. Fans of mysteries should give this series a shot. (seven 53- to 54-min. episodes)  Δ