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'The Bridge' is great television.
It's a complex thriller with true human emotion and interesting cross cultural perspectives, but that's not why it's great television.
The show is unique because it deals so successfully with Asperger's syndrome.
Detective Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger) is a lot of things. She's the quintessential attractive American on the show--slim with wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. Men are clearly attracted to her, as is evidenced by the man who hits on her during the second episode's bar scene. She's very intelligent...a lead homicide detective who is passionate about her work.
She's also socially inept, but unlike shows such as 'The Big Bang Theory', where the character Sheldon Cooper's (purported) autism leaves him constantly clueless about social conventions, and seemingly caring little about the reaction he's provoking, Sonya's reactions seem more accurate.
According to psychology research studies, individuals with high functioning autism spectrum disorders often have high levels of depression because they are aware of the awkwardness their behavior causes, but don't know how to interact with people in a more "socially acceptable" way. Sonya falls into this category, she repeatedly apologizes for her behavior after the fact, despite the fact that it is clear that she doesn't understanding why what she did wasn't socially acceptable.
