Donald Glover returns to TV with simmering 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' remake on Amazon Prime

Donald Glover has possessed the golden touch since coming onto the entertainment scene.

From the sitcom “Community” and his musical turn as Childish Gambino to an inspired performance as Lando Calrissian in “Solo: A Star Wars Story” and creating his own memorable series “Atlanta,” he is an everyman who has had success on his own terms.

His fans get to see whether that continues with the Amazon Prime Video series “Mr & Mrs. Smith,” a reimagining of a concept that’s had several iterations over the years, from a Scott Bakula-Maria Bello TV series in 1996 to the 2005 film starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. It shares more DNA with the former than the latter.

The premise remains the same on a basic level, however. A married couple work as spies/assassins while fulfilling some undisclosed goal.

More: Donald Glover says fans will be 'shocked' by 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' TV series

Glover stars as John and Maya Erskine (“Obi-Wan Kenobi”) portrays his fellow assassin and “wife” Jane. They’re strangers thrust together for some unstated goal by a mysterious entity.

After sampling the first few episodes, it’s clear that Glover is content to allow this series to simmer and work toward something. What that something is, though, isn’t quite clear from the onset.

As a filmmaker, he possesses a healthy respect for the intelligence of his audience. What made “Atlanta” so appealing in its presentation was the subtlety he imbued it with. That same aesthetic is at play here, as the best way to describe the first couple of episodes is “awkward” − sort of what is to be expected when a couple comes together to pretend they are married.

After getting past those first couple episodes (I sampled three), there is some inspired lunacy on display from oddball characters, including Paul Dano (“The Batman,” “Dumb Money”) as a nosey neighbor and John Turturro portraying one of their targets.

Whether that continues remains to be seen, but Glover deserves more confidence than most filmmakers working today.

Tonally, this “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” represents a departure from anything seen in that 2005 film, which was more action-oriented. Of course, it offers a fundamental difference in that those assassins were hired to kill one another, unbeknownst to the other.

Is that a twist that’s coming? I’ll wait to find out with the rest of those who decide to watch. In the meantime, watching Glover and Erskine navigate the awkwardness in their relationship – professionally and personally – offers charms.

If that aspect, along with the oddball characters, remain compelling, I’ll watch to the end. All the episodes drop Friday.

George M. Thomas dabbles in movies and television for the Beacon Journal.

Review

Show: “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”

Cast: Donald Glover, Maya Erskine

Directed by: Various

Rated: TV-MA

Grade: B

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Donald Glover's 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' series remake hits Amazon Friday