--- title: "DTF St. Louis: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/dtf-st-louis/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/dtf-st-louis" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # DTF St. Louis (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 7 reviews: 5 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to DTF St. Louis, with praise clustering around Steven Conrad’s writing and direction, the lead performances and a darkly comic treatment of middle-aged dissatisfaction. David Harbour receives particular attention, while the blend of murder mystery, sexual intrigue and male friendship is widely seen as less predictable than its premise suggests. The warmer reviews find grounded concerns about loneliness and connection beneath the suburban oddness. Reservations centre on pace, tonal consistency and the strength of the mystery itself. Collider admires the central trio and sharp comedy but finds the investigation more conventional and less engaging than the flashbacks. The Hollywood Reporter is cautious about the shift from coarse humour to sentiment, with its judgement explicitly provisional. The Telegraph offers the coolest assessment, finding thoughtful material weighed down by slow pacing and quirkiness. The spread runs from enthusiastic approval to mixed responses, rather than outright rejection. ## The AV Club — Tim Lowery Rating A-. 26 February 2026. The critic praises Steven Conrad's writing for turning a familiar premise into something unique and wonderful, highlighting the blend of whodunit, satire, romance, and bromance with absurd humor and heartfelt moments, especially David Harbour's performance. They single out the assured direction and memorable quirky elements like the title sequence and dialogue. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/dtf-st-louis-review-tv-hbo) ## IndieWire — Ben Travers Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 26 February 2026. The review calls the series a stellar suburban murder-mystery that is more than meets the eye, praising its genre-flipping approach and how it gets at unexpected truths behind a dead body, forbidden affair, and unusual friendship. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/dtf-st-louis-review-hbo-jason-bateman-series-1235181446/) ## Variety — Alison Herman Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 March 2026. The HBO limited series is a perversely hilarious spin on an erotic thriller, combining sex, murder and betrayal against an exquisitely banal Midwestern backdrop to uncanny, off-kilter and ultimately hilarious effect. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2026/tv/reviews/dtf-st-louis-review-hbo-1236674805/) ## Radio Times — Abby Robinson Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 5 March 2026. The darkly comic murder-mystery feels fresh and uninhibited by familiar formulas, surprising viewers with its weirdness while maintaining a soft underbelly of grounded human concerns about connection, midlife malaise and reinvention. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/app/why-you-should-watch-dtf-st-louis-apple-tvs-super-weird-crime-show-with-a-soft-underbelly/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 27 February 2026. The critic finds the series intriguingly inconclusive so far, with two conflicting tones of coarse and semi-funny shifting to sentimental and semi-moving. Positive-ish about the seen episodes but skeptical about the prognosis for the rest. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/dtf-st-louis-review-jason-bateman-david-harbour-hbo-1236516647/) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 2 March 2026. The review describes the series as a ponderous study of male friendship and middle-aged malaise, centered on two men exploring affairs through a dating app amid a murder mystery. It notes thoughtful elements but highlights the slow pace and quirky elements. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/dtf-st-louis-sky-atlantic-review/) ## The Guardian 2 March 2026. The critic finds the series an addictive dark comedy about middle-aged malaise, swinging via a local dating app, and murder. They single out the strong performances by the leads and the confident writing and direction by Steven Conrad for praise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/mar/02/dtf-st-louis-review-david-harbour-jason-bateman-linda-cardellini-addictive-tale-of-middle-age-swinging-and-murder) ## Collider — Aidan Kelley Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 26 February 2026. The critic praises the sharp dark comedy, witty writing, and strong performances from Jason Bateman, David Harbour, and Linda Cardellini as the core trio in the suburban love triangle. The murder-mystery elements feel weaker and more by-the-numbers, slowing momentum compared to the flashbacks. [Read the review](https://collider.com/dtf-st-louis-review-hbo-david-harbour-jason-bateman/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/dtf-st-louis.md