When it comes to storytelling, especially when adapting a character that has starred in more than 30 novels and three films, it doesn’t matter if the plot relies on tropes. It matters how one utilizes those tropes. When it comes to the Ben Watkins-created Cross, there are few actors better suited to breathing new life into the Psychology PhD having Detective Alex Cross than Aldis Hodge. Hodge, an actor who engenders goodwill no matter where he pops up, is an excellent fit for the character. He gets the mix of intellect, self-righteous fury, and tendency towards self-destructive isolation just right. Unfortunately, he’s doing it in service of a series that isn’t close to the same level.

The good news is he isn’t alone in playing above Cross’s level of quality. Isaiah Mustafa brings a gruff clarity to Alex’s lifelong best friend and current partner on the force, John Sampson. His Sampson seems to get that he’d be the hero in any other story, but as long as there’s Cross, he’ll always be second on life’s call sheet. The performance isn’t heavy with jealousy, though, but rather a frustration that his friend can’t stop making choices that hurt him and his family in the name of protecting them. Alona Tal, as the duo’s FBI contact Kayla Craig, is another standout. Her mix of “one of the boys” attitude and nonstop flirtation makes her a vibrant presence on-screen. That brings important moments of lightness to a show that too often confuses dourness as proof of serious storytelling.

As alluded to above, Cross isn’t an especially unique offering. Making the smart choice to tell an original story rather than adapt a specific novel does not lead to the show avoiding most of the genre’s trappings. There is a dangerous serial killer who’s in a cat-and-mouse game with Cross and his team. Like most pop culture serial killers—but very few real-life ones—he has a bizarre gimmick. In this case, he likes to pick victims that resemble executed convicted murderers and make them look almost exactly like killers through force-feeding, haircuts, cosmetic surgery, and more. When he achieves his vision, he murders them in the same manner their look-a-likes were executed. The police, inspiringly, call him Fanboy.

This is not enough for Cross. It also has a subplot that becomes plot concerning someone the detective likely arrested before stalking Alex and his family. Worse, this stalker keeps hinting that they may have either been the one to kill Cross’s late wife Maria (Chaunteé Schuler Irving) or know who did.

The show also tackles racism in law enforcement and what it means to be a Black cop in DC in 2024, then forgets about it, then kind of remembers, then goes all in on it in the finale. It’s admirable and intelligent to explore these questions. However, the way Cross does, in fit and starts, frustrates. Additionally, the show vacillates between providing too easy answers and dwelling in ambiguity, often while making some people act like no one ever would in real life. One wonders if the show would’ve been better off not weighing in on such questions at all.

A good antagonist—or several—can often help films or television series like this. This is one area where Cross does feel particularly deficient. Wealthy, connected Ed Ramsay (Ryan Eggold) has the oily charm, unsettling vibes, and platinum dye job one would want in a season-long baddie, but he never quite gets there. He may be a step ahead, but he never sells that he’s the smartest guy in the room or has the most fragile ego, which is a key for these types. He’s regularly outshone by Johnny Ray Gill’s energetic and frequently bonkers work as former cop-turned-Ramsay’s number-one henchman, Bobby Trey. Trey doesn’t get enough screen time to consistently supercharge the series, though. Additionally, when he’s not on-screen, he feels fairly inconsequential. Not to paraphrase The Simpsons here, but Cross would likely benefit from characters often wondering aloud where Trey is when he’s not around.

Late in the season reveals of other antagonists achieve varying degrees of success. One is obvious but still a nice choice, while another is impossible for audiences to figure out. The latter, try as hard as the scripts might, never achieves emotional resonance. Perhaps there would be more space for such a twist to gain some depth in a show less overflowing with plots, subplots, and errant ideas. But, alas, Cross is not such a show.

Again, it isn’t the tropes, but what you do with them. The series has several talented actors, especially Hodge. Unfortunately, its pacing, which alternates between languid and in a rush to wrap things up, and its less than stellar grasp of complex themes undermine the storytelling far more than they support or elevate it. Cross isn’t a terrible offering in the bizarre serial killer v. brilliant detective genre. Viewers can do much worse than spending time with Hodge for eight episodes. Still, it lacks enough of a kick to make it stick out in an overcrowded field. With so many options, why bother with Cross?

Cross is on the case on Prime Video starting November 14.

Cross Trailer: