Books usually provide plenty of material for a TV show, but that doesn’t mean that page-to-screen adaptations are always flawless, as this 19-episode Amazon series proves. Unfortunately, these days, it’s commonplace for a series to get canceled before its time, making it even more interesting that this Prime Video crime drama based on Phillip Meyer’s acclaimed novel was brought back for an additional season after it was put on the chopping block.
Based on the novel of the same name, American Rust had all the ingredients to become a hit. Unfortunately, certain issues with the adaptation were difficult for audiences and critics to ignore. Initially, American Rust aired on Showtime before the network canceled it after its disappointing reception and divisive reviews. Surprisingly, that wasn’t the end for the Jeff Daniels-led show, as Prime Video picked it up for a second season called American Rust: Broken Justice, released two years after its original cancellation.
Prime Video likely revived the series hoping its global platform would draw in more audiences, but American Rust seemingly faced the same low viewership issues with season 2. In the end, Amazon did not renew the series for a third outing, despite its second season being received a touch more positively than its predecessor. It’s easy to see why American Rust’s reviews were underwhelming, though, especially when compared to its source material.
American Rust Is A Great Book, But The TV Adaptation Is Lacking
Page-to-screen adaptations need to honor what drew audiences to the original work while translating the story for a visual format. That’s easier said than done. Of course, it’s customary for a series to change and reinterpret its source material. Sometimes those alterations work, and other times, adaptations fall flat and distort the book’s core message. American Rust tried to stay true to Meyer’s novel. While it kept most of the book’s plot and characters, it did deviate in significant ways.
The biggest issue with the TV version of American Rust is its slow pace. Many scenes drag on and overstay their welcome, messing with the story’s development. This is likely because the show was being set up as a multi-season series, rather than a one-off story (the book is a standalone). Additionally, most of Meyer’s novel outlines its characters’ inner thoughts, which can be difficult to translate on screen without a voice-over. Unfortunately, this change makes it hard to care about the characters because the show hides their motivations and thought processes.
While the television adaptation of Meyer’s book successfully captures the novel’s bleak atmosphere, particularly through its depiction of Buell and the economic hardship its residents face, it also feels too bleak at times. Everyone is constantly miserable. The murder investigation, a core part of the show, led by Jeff Daniels’ Police Chief Del (a more prominent character than in the novel), doesn’t help matters, either. The emotional beats and plot didn’t work well enough in this format.
American Rust Would Work Better As A Movie
American Rust season 1’s abysmal 28% Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score might make it seem like Meyer’s third-person, stream-of-consciousness work is unadaptable, but that is hardly the case. Perhaps TV wasn’t the right format to bring Meyer’s novel to life. The author’s book centers on a relatively contained tragedy in a struggling Pennsylvania steel town. A movie structure would force the script to concentrate on the key relationships, moral compromises, and consequences surrounding the central crime.
An American Rust movie could also preserve the novel’s bleak, atmospheric quality without stretching the story across multiple seasons. The main grievance with the series is that it is unnecessarily long. The first season’s nine episodes, which directly adapt the book, were too much for a story that could have easily been told in less time. The TV show had potential as a character-driven drama, as the second season demonstrated by leaning into more original storylines. A film could have done the same without adding subplots that do nothing to improve the story’s central conflict.
A feature film wouldn’t necessarily solve every adaptation challenge. It would, however, avoid the problem of building a television story that is never concluded. It would have a clear beginning, middle, and end, just like the original story. A carefully structured American Rust movie could strip away the show’s unnecessary expansion and focus on what makes Meyer’s novel so compelling.
- Release Date
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2021 – 2024-00-00
- Showrunner
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Dan Futterman
- Directors
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John Dahl, Darnell Martin, Craig Zisk
