BBC America’s ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ Rides Wild Over Douglas Adams With Aggressive Quirkiness

Aryeh Harris-Shapiro

Douglas Adams is notoriously difficult to adapt. The “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Series” has been translated into every format imaginable, but no one has quite found a way to bring Adams’ erudite sense of humor to life. Max Landis’s “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency,” premiering Oct. 22 on BBC America, tackles another, lesser-known Adams series.

Landis, to his credit, doesn’t even try to ape the legendary writer, jettisoning much of the established Dirk Gently mythology outside of the basic setup – a self-proclaimed “holistic detective” who solves crimes through the interconnectedness of all things – and a few choice references. The success and failure of the show rests on Landis. “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” is occasionally brilliant, but the series often refuses to slow down and focus.

The series stars Elijah Wood as Todd, a Seattle bellhop who stumbles onto a murder scene and is dragged face-first into the investigation by Dirk Gently, the titular detective. The cast also includes British actor Samuel Barnett, who plays Dirk as more of a sprite than a person, eternally chipper and constantly ignorant of the danger he puts himself in. The performance is broad, occasionally grating, but it works thanks to Barnett’s comedic chops and the straight-man reactions from Wood.

Alongside the leads and Landis’s stable of energetic, diverse young faces, he’s also cast a few veteran character actors such as Richard Schiff and Miguel Sandoval to lend needed gravitas to a few supporting roles. There are many other strong performances, and even the smallest characters leave an impression that helps carry the viewer through a show without a whole lot else to hold onto.

The series feels a lot like “Me Him Her,” Landis’s directorial debut, in that it relies on a lot of postmodern, style-shift fireworks to support a slight central narrative. Part of that comes down to the premise – the mystery, by design, has to appear disconnected and nonsensical. But Landis doesn’t do himself any favors by splitting the viewer’s attention over six or seven different subplots that turn the watch into more of a ride than a story you can actually emotionally invest in.

There’s some truly great comedy here, including a hilarious bridge standoff in the second episode, and Landis’s treatment of Todd’s sister’s mental illness is as unexpectedly resonant as his examinations of anxiety and abusive relationships have been in the past. “Dirk Gently” is aggressively quirky and absolutely won’t be for everyone, even readers in love with the original novels. Landis fans or other viewers who can handle high-octane, bonkers programming such as “Sleepy Hollow” will keep watching. Others will tune out because due to exhaustion.

“Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” premieres Oct. 22 on BBC America. Subscribers can watch the episodes at BBCAmerica.com.