Dig: Season One

The USA Network urged audiences to #digdeeper into this odd Homeland-like espionage drama/Heroes-like supernatural thriller, a fitting challenge from Gideon Raff and Tim Kring who respectively created those two shows. The title and hashtag are intriguing hooks for the intertwined themes of archeological adventure and sinister mystery, but even over the first season's 10 episodes, too much excavation is required to sift through the dense plot and outlandish global religious intrigue. Jason Isaacs stars as Pete Connelly, a tortured FBI agent in Jerusalem (it is, of course, complicated), who is embroiled in the murder investigation of a young archeologist on the hunt for the mother of all sacred objects (raiders of the lost ark, indeed!). Also on hand are a crepuscular gang bent on bringing biblical prophecy to life; a sacrificial red heifer recently born in Norway; a young orthodox Jew from a cult in New Mexico; and a trove of sacred jewels that when gathered together will precipitate the end of days. There's a fair amount of religious references as well as some ugly stereotyping embedded in this wild conflation of mythology and belief. While there are spirited performances from Anne Heche as Connelly's boss and sometime lover, David Costabile as a menacing cult leader, and Ori Pfeffer as an Israeli detective, Dig confounded audiences and it was cancelled after a single 2015 season. Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette, alternate pilot episode, and deleted scenes. Not a necessary purchase. (T. Fry)