‘Emperor of Ocean Park’ Review: MGM+’s Murder Mystery Finally Soars

It has never been clearer how politics, wealth and power intersect in this country. Together, this trifecta allows certain people to maintain control over others. Based on the best-selling novel by Stephen L. Carter and adapted for television by Sherman Payne, MGM+’s ‘Emperor of Ocean Park’ is a murder mystery about grief – and how influence can sustain and destroy those who wield it. Although the tone and pacing of the ten-episode series initially stumbles, the story soars when it finds its footing in episode 4, taking audiences on a unique journey of a family divided by political ideology, secrets and revenge.

“Emperor of Ocean Park” begins with the death of Judge Oliver Garland (an impressive Forest Whitaker), who has succumbed to an apparent heart attack. As a failed conservative candidate for the Supreme Court and most recently a far-right political pundit for Fox News, it is almost immediately clear that the judge has many enemies. Yet his sons, Talcott (Grantham Coleman) and Addison (Henry Simmons), are convinced that their father died of old age and a diseased heart. However, their sister Mariah (Tiffany Mack) isn’t so sure. Mariah is convinced that foul play played a role in the judge’s death and begins searching through his cases. Tal is initially skeptical of his sister’s conspiracy theories, but after receiving a phone call demanding answers about the judge’s schemes, he is forced to look further. Almost immediately, his life as a beloved husband, father and law professor begins to implode around him.

As the show moves back and forth between the present and the past, viewers will need several episodes to get their bearings in the world of “Emperor of Ocean Park.” Set in Chicago, the series slowly reveals what torpedoed Judge Garland’s Supreme Court hearing, the siblings’ dynamics, and the varied riddles and clues the judge left behind in the aftermath of his death. Sharper writing, tighter editing, and stronger supporting actors would have eliminated the redundant exposition that burdened the first three chapters while emphasizing the urgency of the situation.

Fortunately, things start to fall into place in the show’s fourth episode, as the unnecessary discourse and random storylines (which will no doubt frustrate audiences every week) start to evaporate. In this episode, Tal and Mariah discover an important clue that encourages them to become more persistent in their investigation.

“Emperor of Ocean Park” has familiar themes like sibling conflict and parental loss, but two major plot points elevate it. As a far-right conservative, Judge Garland is a pariah in the black community. Even his children – except the moderate Mariah – have very different political policies than he does. The series illustrates how these ideals create tension among the Garlands, and provides insight into the judge’s beliefs. He is a man born in the years after World War II and his personal doctrine advocates that black people win on their own, even if the only way to do that means working twice as hard. But, as his children try to help him understand, there is little humanity in self-exploitation in the search for perfection – especially for the historically disadvantaged.

Mariah’s professional and family trajectory is another arc rarely depicted on television. She is a Pulitzer Award-winning journalist who lost her job after the 2008 economic crisis. She seems outwardly fulfilled as a stay-at-home mother and wife of a wealthy magnate, Howard Denton (Bryan Greenberg). During her quest to reveal the truth about her father’s death, she struggles with the consequences of suppressing her own ambitions and living a comfortable life that should bring her contentment. Haunted by her life choices, she allows herself and her brothers to become entangled in the complex maze of lies, cover-ups and incidents that the judge began to masterfully weave years ago.

Sadness is the heartbeat of the ‘Emperor of Ocean Park’. It’s a core component of the human condition, it’s an emotion that everyone experiences, and what we do to get through those feelings often makes us unrecognizable. As audiences are introduced to the judge in the past, the series shows how his fear led him on a quest he could never take back. This same zeal drives the Garland siblings to uncover the mysterious “arrangements” their father kept secret.

While “Emperor of Ocean Park” starts off on a rocky road, with Whitaker in the lead role and Coleman, Mack and Simmons carrying the story into the present, the show unfolds like a game of chess. When the series begins, none of the characters or storylines are different. But as the show nears its end, the privileged yet chaotic world surrounding the Garland family reveals itself, showing viewers just how important every cryptic hint and clue was from the very beginning.

“Emperor of Ocean Park” premieres July 14 on MGM+, with new episodes released weekly on Sundays.