Apple TV’s new thriller has made a strong early impression with viewers, but reactions suggest the six-part series may require patience from audiences expecting a fast-moving mystery.
The drama, which premiered on 9 September, follows Ian Ridley, a former police detective whose life was shattered when his young daughter Maggie disappeared 11 years ago. Now working as an emergency dispatcher, Ian receives a distress call from a teenage girl he believes could be his missing daughter. That possibility is enough to pull him back into a search he never truly abandoned.
Early viewer reactions have been largely positive, although the show’s pacing has emerged as one of the main points of debate.
One viewer described Last Seen simply as a “solid TV show”, while another gave it 6/10 and warned that it is a “very slow burning show”.
Another person wrote, “Last Seen is Apple TV’s first show both made and entirely shot in Australia (Victoria), and I’m really liking the feel of it. There’s something about the setting that gives the mystery a grounded, moody feel, and the Australian backdrop looks gorgeous (sic)”.
A fourth user commented, “This new show is interesting so far. Like their missing daughter 11yrs ago is actually alive & not dead?! WTF #LastSeen (sic),” while another one said, “A solid premiere. It’s laying breadcrumbs rather than dumping exposition. The writers actually trust the story & characters to generate tension. No gimmicks. Patrick Brammall is amazing as a tormented father who refuses to give up. He does the heavy lifting! (sic).”
The first two episodes, they noted, demand patience from viewers who want to understand what happened to Ian’s daughter and why the mystery is resurfacing now.
That measured approach is intentional. Rather than immediately explaining the disappearance or flooding the audience with revelations, the series gradually places pieces of the mystery into position.
Created by Kris Mrksa and adapted from Ryan David Jahn’s novel The Dispatcher, Last Seen stars Patrick Brammall as Ian alongside Brendan Cowell, Maxine Peake and Daniel Henshall. The series is directed by Christian Schwochow and consists of six episodes, with the first two released together before weekly episodes continue through 7 October.
The approach has also been noticed by critics. The Guardian praised the series as a gripping thriller, highlighting Brammall’s performance and the way the story combines its mystery with emotional weight.
RogerEbert.com similarly noted that the series places greater emphasis on its characters and their trauma than on a constant stream of shocking twists.
