Blake Crouch's Most Underrated Adaptation Is A Tv Series That Was Canceled Too Soon

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With "Project Hail Mary" dominating the box office, Andy Weir has become Hollywood's go-to sci-fi wordsmith. But Blake Crouch surely isn't too far behind. For one thing, Weir can't stop recommending the man's sci-fi books to fans of his own work, and Crouch has already delivered the best sci-fi series in years via his mind-bending multiverse drama "Dark Matter." The latter was based on his 2016 science fiction thriller novel, but what many fans of both the book and its Apple TV adaptation might not realize is that Crouch's oeuvre isn't confined to sci-fi. In fact, his thriller work "Good Behavior" — also released in 2016 — was turned into a TV series that ran for two seasons and earned solid reviews before it was pulled off the air.

"Good Behavior" was actually a series of three novellas that formed an overall narrative. The resulting story is a thriller with no sci-fi elements, which brings it in line with many of Crouch's earlier novels, such as the Andrew Z. Thomas/Luther Kite series of four mystery thriller books that represent his first published work. Crouch began using sci-fi elements in his "Wayward Pines" trilogy, which was adapted into a Fox TV series produced by M. Night Shyamalan. "Good Behavior," however, saw Crouch return to the standard thriller, which evidently caught the attention of TNT.

The network picked up "Good Behavior" back in 2015 with "Wayward Pines" showrunner Chad Hodge once again on show running duties. Crouch later took a more pro-active role in adapting his novels when he served as the writer and showrunner for "Dark Matter." "Good Behavior" was firmly in Hodge's hands, though. Like "Wayward Pines," it earned positive reviews, yet it, too, only lasted a couple of seasons before TNT pulled the plug. Both shows deserved more.

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"Good Behavior" stars Michelle Dockery, who's best known for portraying Lady Mary Crawley on "Downton Abbey" (though her must-watch Western miniseries "Godless" is also worth checking out). Suffice it to say, her TNT show couldn't have been further from post-Edwardian England.

"Good Behavior" stars Dockery as Leticia "Letty" Raines, a professional thief and con artist, who after being released from prison on good behavior, immediately reverts to her old ways despite wanting to reconnect with her 10-year-old son, Jacob (Nyles Steele). During one of her post-prison burglary attempts at a hotel, she's forced to hide in a closet when she hears people approaching. As a result, she overhears the hitman Javier Pereira (Juan Diego Botto) discussing his latest contract and sets out to prevent the murder and rescue his mark.

Instead, her efforts lead to Javier forcing her to essentially work as his accomplice, thereby starting one of the most unhealthy and problematic TV relationships of the past few decades. At least, it should've been, but Javier and Letty turn out to be weirdly good for one another. While the hitman's life is a model of fastidious discipline, Letty is pure chaos. Somehow, it makes for a strangely functional relationship.

"Good Behavior" follows the unlikely pair as they pull off a series of jobs, which the show makes a big thing of via needle drops and slow-mo shots of Letty using her con artist skills in the service of Javier's morbid career. When not on the job, Letty tries to reconnect with her family, including her mother Estelle Raines (Lusia Strus), who has custody of Jacob and has taken out a restraining order against her daughter.

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While "Good Behavior" didn't become as big a hit as it could have had it debuted on Netflix at the height of binge-watch culture, it did do well enough on TNT to warrant two seasons. Sadly, the network canceled the series in 2018, but by that point, it had earned some decent reviews. 

Blake Crouch's "Dark Matter" debuted to excellent reviews and remains one of the best sci-fi shows on Apple TV+. But "Good Behavior" wasn't all that different. Season 1earned a very solid 78% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its dark, suspenseful tone and the chemistry between Michelle Dockery and Juan Diego Botto. In particular, Willa Paskin of Slate was surprised to find that "Good Behavior" was really a "charming romance" and wrote that, despite its "bleak" setup, the show itself had "something almost screwball about it: Letty and Javier are just two crazy kids who are weirdly perfect for each other." Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times' Robert Lloyd found the show to be "first-class Southern noir" that was both "smartly played" and "agonizingly suspenseful."

Sadly, the show ended without a proper conclusion. As Deadline reported in 2018, TNT and TBS president Kevin Reilly held talks over how to wrap the show up with a satisfying ending, but they were ultimately unsuccessful. On November 6, 2018, Chad Hodge announced the cancellation on Instagram, writing, "I've always said I could write about Letty and Javier for 500 episodes. Their relationship and place in the world live on the edge of something unique and beautiful."

As Deadline noted, despite its lack of ratings success, "Good Behavior" had a devoted cult following. It's just another example of why Hollywood needs to get its act together and adapt more Crouch novels.