The Consultant: Season 1 – Review [Prime Video]

THE CONSULTANT on Prime Video is a new series in the dark comedy and psychological thriller genres. Think Severance meets Servant and you’ll have a pretty good idea of the style and vibe. Christoph Waltz is brutal in the title role. Read our The Consultant season 1 review here!

THE CONSULTANT is a new Prime Video series that has been labeled a “twisted comedic-thriller”. With both brutal dark comedy and serious psychological thriller elements, it truly is a glorious hybrid. When it comes to the mind games, we’re talking psychological warfare of the torture variety.

There are eight episodes in season 1 and they all have one-word titles. The episodes are each around the half-hour mark and it is extremely binge-worthy. I am desperately hoping for a season 2 of The Consultant and the ending of this first season leaves plenty of room for that. So, fingers crossed that this will be a huge hit. You’re in for one hell of a ride!

Continue reading our The Consultant season 1  review below. Find the new comedic-thriller on Prime Video from February 24, 2023.

Think Severance meets Servant

From the very first episode, I felt like I was watching the brilliantly twisted love child of Severance and Servant. Every time you think it can’t get any crazier, there’s a new twist. Also, it’s a surprisingly intriguing detail that most (but not all) the characters have rather unlikable traits.

That’s how the devil gets you and makes you do things, you wouldn’t normally; By finding that little part of you that feels entitled to more. Or simply feels like they could do better if given the chance.

The Consultant is a twisted workplace satire that is often labeled as simply a “comedy”. However, I think having a taste for the macabre is necessary to enjoy this. And I most definitely enjoyed this as much. It’s like a crazy psychological horror-comedy thriller hybrid that just keeps coming at you.

A horror-fueled workplace satire

The Consultant very appropriate revolves around a new consultant, Regus Patoff (Christoph Waltz). He is hired to help improve the rather dire financial situation at the App-based gaming company CompWare. Mr. Patoff arrives immediately after the CEO has suffered a brutal death, which is what the series opens with in episode 1.

This new consultant comes with a contract signed by the very recently deceased Mr. Sang and he simply places himself in the CEO office. Immediately, the employees experience new demands and challenges. Most things might seem strange at first, but the outcome tends to be good for business.

Just not always good for the lives of the employees.

Christoph Waltz is scary good… and just plain scary!

The title role is played by Christoph Waltz (who also serves as executive producer) and he is absolutely brilliant. He’s charming when he wants to be. And absolutely terrifying when it suits his purpose. Without ever doing much himself, he has people doing his bidding. If you’ve watched the horror movie Speak No Evil (2022), you’ll recognize his methods.

The two-time Academy Award-winner (supporting actor for Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained respectively) is perfect as The Consultant. Sure, this is a classic Christoph Waltz role. But, on the other hand, I just cannot see anyone else bringing the same power to the table.

Alongside Christoph Waltz as Regus Patoff, we follow the work friends Elaine (Brittany O’Grady from season 1 of The White Lotus) and Craig (Nat Wolff of The Stand).

And, trust me, whenever you hear Mr. Patoff saying “Craig” or “Elaine” (which he does a lot), you just know he’s about to ask them to do something crazy. Or simply question their methods, which can be healthy. It just feels terrifying whenever he says their name!

Nat Wolff and Brittany O’Grady bring humanity to this story. Both the good and bad sides where love, hate, passion, and greed play important roles. As I said earlier, everyone tends to have unlikeable traits. And some are clearly more used to doing the right thing as opposed to just doing whatever they want (or are told).

Watch season 1 of The Consultant on Prime Video now!

The creator of The Consultant is Tony Basgallop who also created the brilliant Apple TV+ series Servant which tends to be called an M. Night Shyamalan series since he’s the producer and sometimes director. With The Consultant on top of Servant, I think we can all look forward to hearing the phrase “A Tony Basgallop series” from now on!

For the record, this series is based on the book by horror novelist Bentley Little. I have not read that novel (though I certainly want to now!), so I can’t speak to how much of a direct adaption it is. Servant, however, is entirely an original Tony Basgallop creation.

The directors on the eight 30-minute episodes in season 1 are Daniel Attias (Penny Dreadful: City of Angels), Charlotte Brändström (The Unlikely Murderer), and Alexis Ostrander (Servant season 1) who all direct two episodes each. Rounding out the season we have two directors doing one episode each with Matt Shakman (the WandaVision mini-series) and Karyn Kusama (Yellowjackets).

Very appropriately, the ever-amazing director Karyn Kusama directs the season 1 finale. While I loved the final episode, I can’t say I preferred it to the rest of the show. However, this is merely a testament to the fact that every episode of this series was amazing in its own right. This is a workplace satire of horrific proportions. Have fun with it!

The Consultant season 1 premieres on Prime Video on February 24, 2023.

Details

Creator: Tony Basgallop
Directors: Matt Shakman, Dan Attias, Alexis Ostrander, Charlotte Brändström, Karyn Kusama
Cast: Christoph Waltz, Nat Wolff, Brittany O’Grady, Aimee Carrero