If you watched No Country For Old Men and wanted to see it made in to a TV series, You found it. Maybe with a little mix of procedural cop drama. Or Dexter. They stole it all from those. This show is terrible. The main character's weird eccentricities smell of NCIS, and they are just there to distract you and add filler. The plot is unbelievable, the settings are nothing like the real Mexico border towns, and you shouldn't waste your time on this bad show. I think if they took the time to actually look in to some of the actual problems about the drug war and the Mexican border they would have a shot at a good show. Instead they just chase a serial killer for the first season that annoys you.

In Australia this comes rated MA15+ and deservedly so. Sex scenes, blood and bad language. So put the kids to bed, sit back and enjoy the suspense and excellently developed storyline - if that's your kind of thing.The characters are complex and convincing, acting is top notch. I think FX was sooo lucky to get Diane Kruger for the Cross role. There is a lot of discussion about her portrayal of female Asperger's syndrome and I can contribute to the discussion. Aspergers is never cookie cut the same from person to person, but I for one vouch that her rendition is believable and well thought out. I do however take issues with the several very ignorant reviews on this site who "don't know what ever quirk she has..." reveal just how utterly ignorant they are. Nuff said.Sorry I really can't understand the ratings problem - very few dramas on broadcast TV are at this caliber. Gritty, suspenseful, consuming and intelligent. Had me watching every week and can't wait for more.Highly recommended for adult audiences.

It's definitely different. I'm tired of the same old shows being called new because they changed that one guys name. The CSI's, NCIS, 24 and all that. It starts to mix together because they're all the same show with a different cast and a slightly different background. It's always New York, or LA etc (The Bridge is filmed in LA)...The producers/writers/directors were creative, developing complex characters, numerous sub plots, etc...It's wildly unique story lines set it apart from the basic crime show. The setting moves back and forth across the border from El Paso to Juarez. Of the lead characters, one is a borderline psychotic, white detective that obsesses over the brother of the man that killed her sister. She is an emotionally paralyzed, unfiltered, "Robocop" incapable of sympathizing with anyone or any situation no matter what the circumstance. Conversely, staring opposite of her is the non stereotypical Mexican officer battling his demons while trying not to lose his better judgment. His character becomes more complex when his family is targeted by a killer with a vendetta. Ruiz' constant opportunities to abandon his morality in the midst of a corrupt system leave you wondering if a flip to the dark side is inevitable (it happens). The polarizing temperament the two characters and the wild differences possible between two bordering cities represent both the literal and figurative significance of The Bridge. As the show progresses, you'll realize some of the very differences make "the bridge" become intertwined. My favorite part of the show is the multiple sub plots that branch off the main plot. I get bored easily so I need confusion to keep watching any show for more than 20 minutes. Each sub plot has s common element with each other and a creative connection to the main deal. In a lot of episodes they'll throw in someone fighting themselves. Each character is developed and described to a t. It's like a sub sub plot. The outcome of the sub sub plot throws a wrench in one of the sub plots. The sub plots are all connected by the mutual main plot. You do have to pay attention to everything. In any given episode the smallest action may cause a seemingly irrelevant reaction that may end the show. It seems confusing but the writer makes connections that make sense. I just appreciate the attention to the smallest details, and the ability to write a scene that makes sense from every angle is mathematical. I like how the show plays with the exhausted good verses evil battle but really resides somewhere in the middle. We always pull for the good guys over the bad guys, and what-not. 95% of TV shows today paint us a vivid picture, allowing viewers to easily separate the black from the white, hero from villain, etc. The Bridge doesn't have a distinct right and wrong side. There is no black and white. The confusion is more like a sketchy mixture in the middle than clear opposites. Introducing the "in-between" area is a refreshing twist. Unlike the cliché-ridden programs we're used to, certain critical decisions aren't as easy as right or wrong. The fact is, the majority of humans (at least Americans) are inherently lazy; consequently, a precedent catering to the majority became normal and is used as a template for networks wanting quantity/quality ratings. Hence, the clean cut CSI good guys do what they need to do to find the bad guy. Sorry to get off topic, but people giving bad reviews because they're afraid they may have to form their own opinion.

There is a lot to like about The Bridge, which explores the problems for law enforcement on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border near Juarez. The facts of life in Juarez are chilling. In 2011, there was a murder every 4 or five hours, round the clock every day of the week. Almost all murders were unsolved. The violence of the drug cartels and the corruption of public officials would be hard to exaggerate. The Bridge understates the violence and suggests corruption while providing a good Mexican detective who does not take bribes and is a good partner for the American cop. The TV pilot begins with a heavy-handed murder. A woman is found dead on the border, but it turns out she is two halves of two different women. Half of a body is in Mexico, and another half is in the United States. The viewer can compare and contrast the law enforcement styles of the two countries. Mexican law enforcement is overtly corrupt. Diane Kruger plays an extremely dysfunctional American detective. She has a complete inability to behave or react in a human way. It is a stretch to believe that she would be able to handle the responsibility of being a detective. It has been said that she depicts a person with Asperger's Syndrome. She is surrounded by a wonderful cast, and her performance might be less difficult to assimilate if she were more of a background character. I have seen a few episodes, and I plan to watch them all.There are already many moving parts and lots to look forward to. It's good TV.