The Lost Symbol (Thursdays on Peacock)
The first small-screen adaptation of a Dan Brown novel already has quite a bit working against it: the specter of Tom Hanks, who starred as the famed Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon in the Ron Howard helmed film versions of The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and Inferno; being on the fledgling Peacock streaming service, which many viewers (including some who have access to the app!) don't even know has original content; and that it is based on the least-liked story in the five-book series. There's also its long development history (originally conceived as the third film in the Hanks series in 2012, then canceled a year later, then in 2019 shifted to a series at NBC, then moved to Peacock this year) and an oversaturation of the streaming market with buzzy thriller mysteries to consume. Without something to truly set it apart, despite some nice elements that make the series very watchable, The Lost Symbol will likely become another quickly-forgotten bit of ephemera.
The first five-ish minutes of the premiere episode of The Lost Symbol are some of its most intriguing. Langdon (Succession's Ashley Zukerman) is teaching a class on symbols, and he mentions how so often they convey unintended meaning when put into the wrong hands as images of swastikas and the Gadsden flag fill the screen. As we tend to think of symbology in, thanks to Brown's own doing in his books, historical terms related to religion or secret societies, putting the context of what Langdon does into such stark, modern terms makes the series feel immediate.
Of course, everything after that puts us back into the familiar world of ancient cults, international intrigue, religious fanaticism, and catacombs beneath the Capitol building, but it's still a fascinating way to begin the series.
Anyway, if you've read any Dan Brown book or seen any of the movies based on them, you know what you're getting from The Lost Symbol. That's both its greatest strength and biggest drawback. There's a recognition and comfort with following Langdon into the creepy, dark world of global conspiracies, but there's also nothing too surprising or ambitious about the show. For me, that works well. I like Brown's books; I like the film series; I know what I'm getting into with his work, and that's what I want.
It helps that the premiere of The Lost Symbol looks great. Director Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) makes the budget appear much larger than it must have actually been, and he takes a moderately creative approach to filming the action scenes. There's a warmth, much like in Howard's direction of the films, to the tones and colors. It's well-paced, polished, and attractive. And those who, like me and I would assume the majority of others tuning in, know what they're getting into with the series will likely find it all engaging and fun right from the jump. Whether being another relatively slow-burn mystery with a vaguely-drawn villain (Brown has never been good at creating those) and a lead character whose talent is being the smartest person in the room will engage new viewers or the uninitiated remains to be seen.
But it still stands that The Lost Symbol is a competently made show. Just pulling that out of the ashes of the terrible novel it's based on is a feat to me. Zukerman is a capable lead, even better than Hanks at times, whose star power occasionally overwhelmed Langdon's simplicity. Rick Gonzalez (Arrow, Reaper) provides some comic relief and everyman-status as a Capitol security guard along for the ride. And, if nothing else grabs you about the show, watch it for Eddie friggin' Izzard as Langdon's kidnapped friend/mentor, Peter Solomon.
At a time when TV feels either too cumbersome to commit to or too mindless for those who need a modicum of interest to cling to, The Lost Symbol often hits that sweet spot of just enough intrigue to keep you paying attention but not so much that you feel like you'll have to tap out if you miss two minutes of an episode.
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