Starz poignant drama ‘The Missing’ is worth finding

“THE MISSING”

8 p.m. Saturday, Starz

An idyllic vacation in France turns into a never-ending nightmare for a couple whose son suddenly disappears in the new Starz drama “The Missing,” from British brothers Harry and Jack Williams.

James Nesbitt (“The Hobbit”) and Frances O’Connor (“Mr. Selfridge”) are wholly convincing as grief-stricken parents with markedly different approaches to coping with their loss.

The storytelling — made all the more cohesive by relying on only one director, Tom Shankland (“Ripper Street”) — toggles between two time periods: 2006, when young Oliver vanished, and present day.

In his obsessive search for his son, Nesbitt’s character enlists the help of a local police detective, played with a weary charm by Tcheky Karyo (“Goldeneye”). While there’s a mystery to be solved at the heart of this eight-episode limited series, this isn’t a Liam Neeson “Taken”-type thriller. It’s more of a slow burn, a psychological study in grief, guilt and what can happen to a marriage tested by tragedy.

Rating: [s3r star=3.5/4]

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