WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The Madness.
Colman Domingo’s Netflix conspiracy thriller seriesThe Madnessfeatures many realistic hot-button topics and close-to-home characters. Created by playwright Stephen Belber ofThe Laramie ProjectandTapeacclaim,The Madnessfollows Muncie Daniels' rapidly unraveling life after discovering a dead body in a remote cabin neighboring his wooded rental home.Muncie believes he’s being set up for the murder of a man named Mark Simon, a prominent online figure and spearhead of a rogue white supremacy group called The Forge.
The Madnessarrives months afterDomingo’s Oscar-buzzy prison dramaSing Singamidst a swell of new A-lister-led thriller series like Michael Fassbender’sThe Agencyand Eddie Redmayne’sThe Day of the Jackal.Domingo is best known for his inspired work in films likeRustinand his Emmy-winning performance inEuphoria.Hislead role as Victor Strand in the dystopian sci-fi seriesFear the Walking Deadoffered an initial glimpse of his less-utilized skills as a physical actor, which are also put on display inThe Madness.
The Madness Is Not Based On A True Story, But It Represents Real Injustice
The Madness is a fictional series with messages for the real world
AlthoughThe Madnesspulls a lot of inspiration from reality, or at least reality-based people and ideologies found in the modern American social and political climates, the Netflix limited series is not based on a true story.While Muncie is a CNN contributor in the series, he is not based on any particular personand his story is completely fictional. The same goes for the various supporting characters who come to Muncie’s aide to help him prove his innocence and the various powerful and dangerous forces aiming to frame him.
Mark Simon, otherwise known as Brother14 inThe Madness, is not directly inspired by a particular person but his character is certainly informed by real-life extreme ideological groups. By rooting the series in an all-too-familiar reality,The Madnessoffers social commentary and cultural criticism through the exposition and dialogue of the series. In this way,Muncie’s story acts as a cautionary and nearly hypothetical scenario about power, control, and media politicsin the current American landscape. Ultimately, however,The Madnessis purely a work of fiction.
The Madness Is A Commentary On Social Politics & Health Of The World
The Madness offers a portrait of extreme American ideologies and power dynamics
The Madnesspresents common hot-button issues that divide Americans today, some mainstream and others quite out there, and characterizes some extreme pockets of topical radical thought in a dramatized format. There is a great deal of commentary to chew on inThe Madnessabout the heated and fragile state of the United States' current social and political landscape. In the end,The Madnessstrives to promote a safer and healthier world through Muncie’s fight for innocence and redemption as a family man. The series succeeds in avoiding taking sides on these issues and offers a portrait of the extreme differences in power and class dynamics in today’s world.
The Madness
Cast
Muncie Daniels is a political consultant-turned-TV pundit who may have lost his way in life. While on a work sabbatical in the Poconos to write the great American novel, Muncie finds himself the only witness to the murder of a well-known white supremacist, and now he’s being framed for the crime. Muncie is forced to go on the run in a desperate fight to clear his name and unravel a global conspiracy before time runs out. Along the way he’ll reconnect with his family, find unlikely allies, and fight against disinformation in a post-truth age.
