Trigger warning: mention of suicide and mental illness, spoiler free!!

Based on the true story of Billy Milligan, inspired from the book The Minds of Billy Milligan, The Crowded Room showcases Danny Sullivan (Tom Holland) as he is arrested for a crime. As college professor and psychiatrist Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried) gets attached to this case, she must determine who the real criminal is.

Throughout the 10-episode series that premiered in June of 2023, we get the backstory of Danny: a shy, artistic, sensitive kid; and his friends: trickster/addict Jonny and confident basketball player Mike. Also, we see his reserved mom, Candy, abusive stepfather Marlin, independent housemates Ariana & Yitzhak, and intelligent Jack. Set in 1979 New York, the lives of these people intertwine as they all hold a major secret.

The most praised episodes were 9 & 10, where Danny is on trial and struggles with being defenseless. Stan, Danny’s lawyer, is a “rallying force” that helps the jury find acceptance in his condition.

Also, the reviewer admired that the show “is a unique show that avoids sensationalizing difficult topics like suicide”, especially in the overwhelming scene when Danny’s mother rejects the ideas presented in the trail. This leads to Danny’s fleeting moments where he attempts suicide, where his belief of freedom is nonexistent.

Coming from another thriller, Cherry, Tom Holland steps into this complex role as an executive producer as well as playing the lead. Learning every aspect about what is going on behind the scenes helped the actor create a vision for the character and fueled his creative process.

He addressed in an interview that the emotions experienced from playing a character as complex and demoralized as Danny broke him. With these newly adopted thoughts, Holland took a year off from acting after being in a dark place.

Although the show scored a lowball of 33% on rotten tomatoes, the audience disagreed. With a rating of 94% audience score, fans stated that Holland’s acting was unique and led viewers to emphasize with his character.

He expressed that he wants people to take important lessons from the show, and hopes he can encourage people to ask for help.