'DTF St. Louis' series premiere teases a love triangle turned murder mystery

David Harbour wants audiences to know that "DTF St. Louis" isn't just a show about a dating app, messy affairs or questionable choices - it's actually about something much more universal.

"Underneath it, there's a deeply human sort of need for connection and friendship," the "Stranger Things" star told Reuters at Tuesday's Los Angeles premiere, leaning into the show's surprisingly heartfelt core.

The HBO dark comedy, created by "Wonder" writer Steve Conrad, follows three middle-aged adults caught in a love triangle that spirals into one of their deaths.

The seven-episode limited series arrives on Sunday on HBO Max, starring Harbour as Floyd, an earnest ASL interpreter; Jason Bateman as Clark Forrest, a mild-mannered weatherman with stormy emotions of his own; Linda Cardellini as Carol, Floyd's wife whose secrets eclipse the forecast; and Joy Sunday as Jodie Plumb, a sharp-tongued special crimes officer trying to make sense of it all.

Cardellini says the show thrives on characters who aren't what they appear to be.

"I think it draws you in. I don't think anybody is what they seem on the surface," the "Freaks and Geeks" star said.

"There's so much more to everybody," she added.

The big mystery - how exactly one of these characters ends up dead - is designed to keep the audience guessing.

"You don't know how the character died. That's what's fascinating - how Steve Conrad has drawn these characters and put them in a timeline that is not very linear," Cardellini said. "It's an exploration of people looking for connection."

-Danielle Broadway/Reuters