When one thinks of auteur-driven Peak TV in the streaming age, the first shows that generally come to mind are “House Of Cards” (2013) with David Fincher at the helm (at least for the first few eps), “True Detective” (2014) by director Cary Fukunaga, and Steven Soderbergh’s “The Knick” (2014). Crucial to the mix, but sometimes missing in that conversation, is Jane Campion’s “Top Of The Lake” starring Elisabeth Moss, which debuted in 2013, right at the beginning of this new second golden age of TV.
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Moss has truly thrived on television over the last two decades, particularly on “Mad Men” and “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which is entering its fifth and final season. But the actress has a new series out this month on FX, “The Veil,” an espionage spy thriller from “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight (read our review).
Appearing on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast this week to promote the series when asked about all the shows she’s appeared on in the past—“Mad Men,” “West Wing,” “Shining Girls,” etc.— when asked what show Moss would revisit most if she had a choice, her clear and away answer was doing more “Top Of The Lake,” which she thinks is worthy of a third chapter to wrap it all up.
“’Top Of The Lake,’ for sure,” she said when asked what TV franchise she would return to if it were up to her. “Just working with Jane—I dunno if it’s my favorite character, but working with Jane is the holy grail.”
“I haven’t done it in too long, and I need to work with her again,” Moss insisted.
“Top of The Lake” centered on an obsessive Australian detective (Moss) investigating the disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant girl near a freezing lake in New Zealand, finding herself up against small-town secrets and a side of herself that was meticulously kept at bay. Holly Hunter also co-starred.
Season two, “Top Of The Lake: China Girl” (2017), was set in Sydney five years after the events of season one, as Moss’ Detective Griffin investigates the death of an unidentified Asian girl found at Bondi Beach. She is partnered with an eager new recruit (“Game Of Thrones” star Gwendoline Christie), and Nicole Kidman also co-starred as the adoptive mother of another girl in the series. David Wenham was another supporting actor who carried over to both seasons.
Campion co-directed some of season one with Aussie helmer Garth Davis (the six-time Oscar-nominated “Lion”) and spilt directing duties with him again on season two.
“Maybe once every couple of weeks, I think about doing another season of “Top of The Lake’ [and] it was something we talked about at one point,” she revealed about a third season, “Anyway, I owe someone an email,” she said seemingly cutting herself off from revealing too much.
“Because I just think that story has a natural story, a natural conclusion to it,” she continued. “It has a third round to it, and I think returning to that would be just so interesting.” Moss added that while she does love “Mad Men” and her character, “just as far as a show and a story that has more to tell, I just think ‘Top Of The Lake’ has more to say, for sure.”
One of New Zealand’s most acclaimed filmmakers, Jane Campion’s last picture was the 12-time Oscar-nominated “The Power of The Dog” (2021), distributed by Netflix. Campion won the Oscar for Best Director that the following year, but no real follow-up has materialized yet, which is not exactly a surprise as the filmmaker generally takes a few years between each project.