The seductive Apple TV series Sugar has returned for its second season, featuring a standout performance by Colin Farrell as John Sugar, a private investigator with a profound secret. While the show utilizes the classic aesthetics of a noir detective story—including a vintage Corvette Stingray and immaculately tailored suits—it subverts the genre by revealing that its protagonist is actually an alien sent to Earth to observe humanity. Unlike extraterrestrial tropes that focus on invaders, Sugar is a character who seeks to engage with the world, learning to be human while navigating the complexities of Los Angeles.
The series’ first season was nearly impossible to review because its shocking reveal—that private detective John Sugar is actually from another planet—didn’t come until episode 6, so late you couldn’t intelligently discuss the series without spoiling it. Viewers learned that he was part of a team sent to monitor Earth that was eventually betrayed, forcing them to flee. Sugar, however, chose to stay behind. In the new season, isolated from his home planet, he continues his detective work, shifting his focus from the lives of Hollywood elites to the struggles of the city’s more vulnerable residents. His latest case involves an aspiring boxer named Danny Moon, played by Jin Ha, who is a Korean immigrant searching for his missing brother while being pursued by dangerous individuals.
As he investigates, Sugar encounters a network of street gangs and a corrupt police officer named Vega, portrayed by Tony Dalton. To assist in his efforts, Sugar recruits a streetwise assistant played by Sasha Calle and relies on favors from a scruffy police contact played by Shea Whigham. The narrative also introduces Charlotte, a mysterious character played by Laura Donnelly, who develops an interest in the detective. Throughout his mission, Sugar remains bound by strict interplanetary protocols, including prohibitions against eating meat, having sex, or killing, though the pressures of his environment test these boundaries.
The show’s visual identity is heavily influenced by the late director David Lynch’s appreciation for atmosphere, combined with Sugar’s own cinematic sensibilities. Having learned about human existence through classic films like Casablanca, Sugar often views his life through the lens of Hollywood myths, a trait highlighted by the show’s frequent cuts to black-and-white movie clips. This technique reinforces the idea that aliens can often embody more humanity than the people they observe. Sugar’s empathetic nature is displayed through his interactions with the dispossessed, such as his quiet acts of service for those grieving or his frustration with the heartless treatment of the unhoused.
Ultimately, the series remains distinct for its lack of cynicism. Residing in the Hotel del Corazon, or the “Hotel of the Heart,” Sugar is depicted as a lonely, displaced soul who consistently strives to do the right thing. Farrell’s portrayal balances the cool persona of a detective with an earnest, awkward, and off-kilter honesty, providing a fresh and charming perspective on the noir genre.
Aliens from outer space come in basically two kinds. The first are murderous invaders that need to be destroyed — think Alien or Predator. In more complex stories like The Man Who Fell to Earth or Arrival, the E.T.s don't come to wreak havoc, but to engage with our world, often discovering what it means to be human.
Sugar quickly finds himself faced with Latino street gangs and a dirty cop named Vega, played with menacingly placid amusement by Tony Dalton, who you may know as the psycho Lalo Salamanca in Better Call Saul. Clearly needing help, Sugar hires a streetwise assistant, played by Sasha Calle, and calls in favors from his scruffy police pal, slyly played by Shea Whigham. Naturally, there's also a mysterious woman, Charlotte — the wonderful Irish actress Laura Donnelly — who just as naturally has eyes for Sugar. Heck, he's Colin Farrell.
