REVIEW: ‘George & Tammy’ offers a surface look at country legends

Stretching over six episodes, the Showtime series packs a lot of music in each one (the opener is practically a greatest hits album), but it doesn’t explain where the two tapped their iconic sounds.

Indeed, Jessica Chastain doesn’t capture Wynette’s twang at all. When she sings “D-I-V-O-R-C-E,” it sounds like a cover artist, not the woman who was able to make tears audible.

Similarly, Michael Shannon spends so much time drunk on bathroom floors it’s hard to understand why other country stars found him influential.

When “George & Tammy” opens, that’s where he is – unable to get to the Grand Ole Opry stage until handlers are able to devise a plan. While Wynette was obviously a fan, she blatantly courts Jones with her husband in tow. There’s a lot to unpack (is she really that unyielding?) and a lot that could be explained in a less oblique way.

Directed by John Hillcoat, “George & Tammy” is more complex than most country music biographies. It includes all those sordid moments (is Jones ever really likeable?) and shows just how determined Wynette was to make it in the business. It’s messy but it’s also a great story for the right people. Shannon is good, but Chastain seems like she’s doing her march through biographical screen roles. She went out of her comfort zone for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” She didn’t for “The Good Nurse” or, now, this one. What’s missing is that “success no matter what” approach Wynette had to everything.

More interesting is Steve Zahn as husband George Richey. You can see he knows his place in her world and isn’t afraid to embrace it. He pushes for other “opportunities” (a spot on “Hollywood Squares,” for example) but can’t get out of the shadow of No-Show Jones. Drive, drive, drive is his mission.

The real Wynette would be thrilled with the series’ hair and makeup. Shannon has that finely manicured look; Chastain gets to show the evolution of a hairdresser’s influences. If there’s happiness to mine, though, it’s not evident.

What this is is an account of the undying bond between two performers. When Wynette is at death’s door, Jones comes to say goodbye, sings and, miraculously, brings her back.

Thankfully, daughter Georgette (Abby Glover) isn’t buying what he’s selling. Glover proves there are those who wanted the truth to come out, no matter what. The warts emerge (her drug addiction, his drinking); Richey appears to have been a master manipulator.

While Georgette’s book, “The Three of Us: Growing Up with Tammy and George,” is viewed as a source for this, there’s so much more that isn’t covered. There’s also a desire to squeeze every possible song in the six hours.

Key figures get shoved aside. And “George & Tammy” becomes a chronicle of the two at some of the worst moments of their lives.

It’s a more artistic look than most screen biographies but, somehow, there should be more. Perhaps separate films could have provided a bit more context. One six-hour series barely scratches the surface.

“George & Tammy” begins Dec. 4 on Showtime.