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2 TV ENCORE By Jacqueline Spendlove TV Media I f "Game of Thrones" has taught us anything, it's that some stories just can't be told in two hours, so don't even try it. These days, TV is the medium you turn to if you want to do a book justice in its translation to screen. Two big-screen attempts at John le Carré's "The Night Manager" have failed to get off the ground, but the new six-part TV miniseries has been a huge hit across the pond. By all accounts, the British espionage drama, adapted from the 1993 novel, is more than deserving of the longer format needed to flesh out its story and characters. Now, North American audiences can get a taste of the juicy spy series. "The Night Manager" is set to debut Tuesday, April 19, on AMC. Airing on BBC One in the U.K., the series premiered in February to more than 10 million viewers, and has received heaps of praise in reviews. Le Carré's best-selling novel — his first post-Cold War work — has been updated with a present-day setting and boasts a fantastic cast, most of whom you'll probably recognize. Tom Hiddleston, best known for playing Loki in the Thor and Avengers movies, leads the cast of "The Night Manager" as for- mer British soldier Jonathan Pine. Following service in Iraq, Pine retreated into a solitary life as a nighttime hotel manager, but everything changes when he's approached by Angela Burr Avelle Mechanical 2 x 3" Pear Tree Gallery 3 x 2" Rans Funeral 2 x 3" On the Cover (Olivia Colman, "Broadchurch"), who runs a London enforcement agency. Pine soon finds himself drawn into a world of crime and espionage as he's tasked with infiltrating the inner circle of international arms dealer Richard Roper, played by Golden Globe winner Hugh Laurie. English actor Laurie has had a long and often comedic career in film and television, but American audiences may best recognize him as the curmudgeonly and acerbic Dr. Gregory House in "House." He dons his not-such- a-nice-guy hat again as Roper, who's described as "the worst man in the world," despite his charm, philanthropy and good breeding. His one weakness is his son, and in saving the boy's life, Pine earns Roper's trust and a place in the home Roper cur- rently shares with his willowy lover, Jed Marshall (Elizabeth Debicki, "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," 2015). There's a lot Pine has to con- tend with as he feigns his way into the criminal underworld, not the least of which is Maj. Lance Corkoran (Tom Hollander, "Rev."), Roper's right-hand man and "fixer." He's fiercely loyal to Roper and doesn't trust Pine in the slightest, and his determina- tion to expose the spy as a fraud proves a constant challenge for the protagonist. Moral ambiguity plays a big part in the story, as Pine must essentially become a criminal himself in order to get the job done. "Because Roper gives his monstrosity and the evil things he does a kind of logic, a glam- or, there are moments when Pine teeters on the brink of the dark side, when you wonder which way he will go," Laurie told Stuff. "The audience has to judge for themselves where Pine and Roper come close to cross- ing the line in opposite direc- tions — where Roper might plunge the dagger into his own chest and where Pine might become the very thing he set out to destroy." Laurie knows what he's talk- ing about. A longtime admirer of le Carré, he's been a huge fan of the book for more than 20 years, and has long desired to be involved in bringing the story to the screen. Of course, in this type of proj- ect, there's always the risk that diehard fans of the book will decry any deviations from the source material, but showrun- ners have handled these inevita- ble changes well. "We did depart from the novel in some ways," director Susanne Bier told Radio Times, "but we assured David Cornwell [le Carré's real name] that these changes would be viable and would still follow his important goal — to hold true to the sub- stance of the original story." For his part, the author has had a solid involvement with the project — besides a blink-and- you'll-miss-it cameo role. Additionally, his son, Simon Cornwell, is one of the show's executive producers. So if noth- ing else, the material is in good hands. Indeed, the show has been extremely well received, with The Huffington Post and others calling it "James Bond for the small screen." It might just mean even bigger things for Hiddleston's future as well, with the actor's name being bandied about as a potential to play the next 007 on the big screen. In the meantime, however, love for "The Night Manager" has been strong enough to war- rant murmurings of a potential second season. Nothing's con- firmed, but le Carré is reportedly involved in discussions to that effect with the BBC, as a second season would require him to write new material that would allow the series to extend beyond the scope of his original work. For now, though, it remains to be seen whether the series will enjoy the same success with North American audiences as it has across the pond. Tune in when "The Night Manager" makes its U.S. debut Tuesday, April 19, on AMC. 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