Vanished Review: Kaley Cuoco's Latest Mystery Thriller Offers A Shallow, Bingeable Thrill Ride

Kaley Cuoco and Sam Claflin's new four-part mystery thriller, Vanished, is an unsatisfying, fast-paced thrill ride. The pre-credit opening gives viewers an honest glimpse of what's to come, as Cuoco's archaeologist Alice Monroe clumsily parkours out of a building to evade a violent pursuer. The flashforward sets the show's relentless pace, as Vanished unravels a global conspiracy within its less than four-hour runtime.

In fact, having seen the limited series in its entirety (in one sitting, I might add), I'm somewhat surprised that Vanished will be released over the course of four weeks in certain territories on MGM+, rather than in one go. This is exactly the kind of adrenaline-fueled thriller that would benefit from the binge-watch model, easily consumed during a cold weekend afternoon.

Will it thrive in a weekly format? I'm not convinced. The conspiracy itself is passably interesting, but the characters are largely underwhelming, and the twists aren't particularly surprising.

There's Little Room For Character Growth In Four Episodes Of Vanished

Following the action-packed opening, Vanished pivots to the beginning, as Alice and her boyfriend, Tom Parker (Claflin), meet for a romantic getaway in Paris. The chemistry between Kaley Cuoco and Claflin isn't anything to write home about, which is a shame, as most of the show's emotional tension comes from Alice's love for Tom and her desperation to find him when he vanishes from a train headed for Marseille.

A lackluster, fade-to-black intimate scene, a flashback showing their first "meet-cute," and some soft-focus romantic montages don't add any real weight to their long-distance relationship. Alice is understandably confused when he goes missing — who wouldn't be? — but aside from Alice telling an unhelpful police inspector that they've been together for four years, it was hard to find a reason to become invested in their relationship.

The more she discovered about Tom, the less I understood her willingness to put herself in danger for him.

If anything, the most impactful character relationship in Vanished is between Alice and investigative journalist Hélène (Karin Viard). Hélène has her own, initially shifty reasons for getting involved in Alice's search for Tom. Even so, Alice learns to work with her, and though Hélène is an eccentric character, the two women strike up a partnership and almost-friendship based on their respective searches for the truth.

Both Cuoco and Viard play their parts well, and I rather enjoyed their amateur investigative exploits — one scene during which Hélène provides a dramatic diversion was an amusing break from the show's persistent pacing. Cuoco really sells the way Alice is out of her depth, too. She might be determined and stubborn, but she's no cunning spy or genius detective, and her fear is often palpable.

Vanished Is Overly Reliant On Its Fast-Paced Storytelling

The people Alice locks horns with are no great evil masterminds, either. All the villains are nondescript; everyone involved in Tom's disappearance feels like a stock character. What's a crime thriller without a compelling, or at the very least, terrifying, villain? There are none here that fit the bill, not even the unnamed hitman who seems to follow Alice everywhere she goes. He's not very good at his job.

The scariest scene of the show involves Alice being surrounded by anonymous thugs in a rundown apartment complex. Weirdly, despite everything she goes through, it never feels like Alice is in any genuine danger. Mostly, you can guess who will come to save her right before it happens. Only one scene, in which Alice finally gets to exact some physical revenge with an unusual weapon, felt cathartic.

The four-episode format undoubtedly limited what could be done with the story's characters and their backstories, as all the focus was on forcing the narrative forward at a breakneck pace. I can see why, too, as that's really the only thing that makes this show work. Everything moves so fast that you're forced to keep watching, even if you don't particularly care about the outcome.

Even the setting — the show was shot and largely takes place in Marseille — feels woefully underutilized. It's just sort of... there, but really, Tom could have disappeared on the way to any somewhat large European city, and it wouldn't have affected the story. Alice's French is non-existent, and that makes it difficult for her to communicate, but it would have been interesting to see the city's unique culture have an impact on the conspiracy as well.

All in all, Vanished feels like a combination of every miniseries or made-for-TV thriller you'll have seen before. Where it succeeds is in keeping your attention despite its many pitfalls. Once you're in, it's hard to look away, and that might just be enough to justify its existence.

Vanished premieres on MGM+ on February 1 in the US, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Latin America, with new episodes airing weekly until February 22. The season will drop in full on Prime Video on February 27 in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.