TV Review: Chloe Sevigny Stars in Daring ‘Hit and Miss’

CHICAGO – It’s difficult to describe “Hit and Miss,” debuting tonight on The Audience Network after the season premiere of “Damages,” exclusively on DirecTV, without it sounding horrendously cliched. Even the title is a pun on the double meaning of the final word. You see, Mia (Chloe Sevigny) is a hit woman, a hired killer. She also happens to be undergoing a male-to-female sexual transition — becoming a “Miss” if you will.

Television Rating: 4.0/5.0

And as if the concept of a transgendered Irish assassin doesn’t sound bizarre enough, the show is more about family ties than mob ones. With all of these unusual ingredients, it makes sense to expect a tonally inconsistent disaster. That’s not what you’ll get with this smart program, driven by another great performance from the stunning Sevigny, doing her best work since the incredible turn she gave on the third (and best) season of “Big Love.”

“Hit and Miss” opens with a murder. The killer returns to her home after the assassination to change clothes and shower, which is when we notice that this unique-looking woman still has a penis (Sevigny bares all and was forced to wear a prosthetic male appendage). Just when you think that “Hit and Miss” is going to follow a unique character into the underworld of murder for hire, the show turns a corner and becomes, believe it or not, kind of a family drama. Mia learns that she has a son. And that her child’s mother has passed away, willing that Mia take care of not just her biological son but his three other siblings, who are not happy to have a new guardian.

Hit and Miss
Photo credit: DirecTV

It certainly sounds ridiculous — A killer trying to be a mother who not only fails to disclose that she’s an assassin to her new brood but also hides from most people that she used to be a dude. While it sounds like a concept that other writers and actresses would have driven into the ground, Sevigny actually finds the subtlety within this complex character. She’s fantastic, never allowing the melodrama to overtake the character. Every time the show threatens to get boring or cliched, Sevigny does something that doesn’t just keep your interest but surprises you. She’s the reason to watch — an actress who always seems completely believable in the moment, even when she’s wearing a prosthetic penis.

“Hit and Miss” runs six episodes stateside and there have been rumors but no confirmation yet of a second season. Take this chance to check out not just the most unique new character of the season but one of TV’s best performances of Summer 2012.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com