Clarice (2021) | TV Series Pilot Review

Clarice Starling is a character that likely every household is familiar with. From her film introduction in Silence of the Lambs, she has been portrayed as the ultimate heroine. Silence of the Lambs, and Jodi Foster’s depiction in particular, charted the course for many psychological profiler-desirees, so any follow-up work is certainly up against a challenge. CBS’s new series Clarice follows the FBI agent one year after the events of Silence as she is brought onto a new case.

As she’s pulled into this new case, much to the demise of her colleagues and now boss, Starling is put at the forefront of the media like a token, but rarely given credit for her thoughts and what she’s capable of. While this plot point gives way to something for Clarice to overcome, there’s much left to be desired from the show.

Let’s first get this out of the way: no, Hannibal Lecter is not in any way affiliated with this series, regardless of how detrimental that might be. Due to some messy rights issue, CBS cannot even utter his name in Clarice. This is an obvious hurdle for co-creators and writers Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lunet. To their credit, they source out many other characters and elements from the film to inject into the series – including Buffalo Bill – so it doesn’t come across as a ploy to garner viewers by using the connection. 

Unfortunately, the relationship between Lecter and Starling is what is most desired, to those who would be interested in a continuation. As her mentor in many dark ways, the two developed a morbid bond that enraptured fans and made Silence of the Lambs what it is today. 

Thankfully, Rebecca Breeds’s work as Starling deeply resonates with who we know Clarice to be. She’s investigative, she’s logical, and the ramifications of finding a victim – and being one herself – have plagued her with PTSD. Her mind is still sharp, and Breeds’s accent has just the right twang, but it’s evident in her physicality and verbal responses that she has worked to avoid subjecting herself as a victim. 

Breeds’s portrayal walks the fine line between giving us something new and connecting the dots back to Jodie Foster’s iteration. While she has that Southern accent, she also unearths Starling’s post-Lambs mind. She is fractured and often teetering on whether to submit to the ever-present fear or stand up to save another life. If there is one thing that will keep audiences roped in, it’s Breeds. 

To the disappointment of those of us who have been anticipating the arrival, Clarice offers a run-of-the-mill script with a single high-key player. While Silence of the Lambs made us jump out of our skin and introduced an intoxicatingly ghastly duo-dynamic, fans will be left with a less than desirable taste in their mouths after Clarice. 

Follow our further discussion on Clarice via this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast: