What would you do if the person you fell in love with and married turned out to be someone you never really knew? This is the question that Bravo’s new series, Imposters, tries to solve. This is the network’s second attempt at scripted programming in addition to reality shows, and so far it has been a success. The premise might sound simple, but Imposters is unlike any show on television right now.
Con artists. They have been depicted as perplexing and romanticized by Hollywood directors in classic examples like Bonnie and Clyde, and now the trend has reemerged with popular shows like Shonda Rhimes’ The Catch. But, while The Catch and Imposters both center around a person in love being conned, the writing in Imposters cleverly misleads the audience to make them doubt if they should be rooting for the “good guys.”
The basic plot of Imposters is that a man, Ezra Bloom played by Rob Heaps, wakes up after being married for 29 days to find that his wife has disappeared with nothing left but a video telling him that she emptied all his bank accounts, and blackmail information will be released if he ever tries to find her. The casting of Ezra’s wife, who he thinks is named Ava, is one of the biggest highlights of the show because actress Inbar Lavi certainly entices and charms everyone she interacts with, including the audience, without them even knowing. Ezra partners up with another man who “Ava” has stolen money from named Richard, played by Parker Young, and together they embark on a comical and surprising journey with no concrete plan except to find “Ava.”
The show’s next strongpoint: Uma Thurman. Yes, the Oscar-nominated, diverse actress makes a few appearances in the Bravo drama as the intimidating Lenny Cohen. But the show delights up until Thurman’s arrival, and her presence brings a shift in tone that continues throughout the rest of the episodes.
Imposters employs comedy, romance, drama, and so many other genres, but the best part of the show is the suspense. Every episode takes an unexpected turn without coming across as ridiculous or desperate. These are the elements that will really make the audience wonder who the true con artists actually are because each character generates sympathy and suspicion.
You can currently binge-watch the first seven episodes of the series on Bravo’s website and watch the final two chapters on Tuesdays. You won’t be disappointed.