Maniac is a masterful slice of television genius.

It’s a standalone series with no intentions of there ever being a follow-up so it’s like a 8 hour movie. And it’s incredible.

It’s cast is great with brilliant performances from Emma “I love her so much but not quite as much as Myleene Klass” Stone and her unlikely pairing with Jonah Hill whose career continues to surprise.

The premise is that you have a bunch of people with mental health and trauma issues who undergo a so-called revolutionary human study of the mind where they enter a dream state and are forced to relive, understand and confront their demons. The outside world is a crazy mix of a futuristic 1980’s where Japanese culture is all the rage but the dream worlds range from the 70’s, to a Tolkien-esq Lord of the Rings era to a past where aliens invade. The main protagonist is the computer running these simulations and the experiences become intertwined and connected.

But it’s the performances that sell this world to you. Without a doubt Emma Stone is a top-tier actor and she demonstrates this again again here. She’s mesmerising. But even Jonah Hill gets a decent run as this introvert suffering from the trauma of the outside world and his own psychological problems. I fully believed his character was this downtrodden young man whose ever bit of joy had been ground and crushed out of him in the mortar of his life. I could feel that there was a bubbling rage under the surface that he was scared could explode out of him at any time.

So when they entered the dream state the test subjects become new people and the main stars do a terrific job of becoming new characters but showing hints of their true selves under the skin. It’s all great stuff. Remember that scene in La La Land where Emma Stone is playing an actress who goes for a job interview for a role? How she was an actor playing an actor acting? It’s like that.

Plus the other characters are great. The scientists administering the tests are fantastic. The female Japanese lady who is endlessly smoking is brilliant. The relationship between one scientist and his mother is hilarious. This black guy who plays an orderly is barely in it but he’s fantastic.

I sharn’t spoil the end here but for some reason I couldn’t help smile and simultaneously tear up. It was such an excellently executed experimental expressionistic experience. I’d recommend it.

Kevin out of ten.