In my opinion, most of the new shows being promoted by Alt TV (see what I did there?) suck hard enough to remove chrome. Mind you, there are some that are based in a great idea, but the script is lame (Note to writers: Yes, edgy is cool. But a good script is more than just a transvestite having sudden religious visions while conning people and passing as a sheriff in a hick town) and the whole thing is slow as paint watching other paint drying; I think that the writers are used to prepare a script for 42 minutes (regular TV) and they really don’t know what to do with the extra time, so they start slapping crap hoping it sticks. And most of the actors seem too have taken classes in the school ran by Eric Roberts and Billy Zane.
The Man in The High Castle suffers from the slowness, but the script is intriguing as hell and the acting is not bad at all. It is alternate history (1962) after the Nazis and the Japanese won WWII and the US was invaded and split in three parts: One under Japanese control, one under German and a neutral zone. The hook of the series is that people are secretly transporting disturbing newsreels which show a different result of the war, one where the allies won! Nobody knows where the films come from (If you are done with Season 2, shut up and no spoilers!) and the Resistance is trying to get the film to a guy known as The Man in The High Castle. The problem is that the Kempei Tai and the Gestapo/SS also know of the films and want to intercept them.
Season one is the challenge to watch, but you will be hooked by the last 2-3 episodes. Season 2 is turning out to be a fine one with great subplots started in Season one coming to fruition and making shit more complicated.
Give it a try.
PS: Alexa Davalos rocks it as Juliana Crain. Beauty and acting chops.
Yeah, I’m an episode or two in and thoroughly enjoying it. But I’m enjoying a lot of the Netflix/Amazon created content, like Grand Tour, or Jean Claude van Johnson (only the pilot available, but it’s hilarious).
My wife is enjoying the Fuller House reboot, and I’m inclined to say that they (both Netflix and Amazon) definitely have more hits than misses on new content.
“Grand Tour, or Jean Claude van Johnson”
Oh hell yes on both. I love that JCVD is doing a parody of his own movie life.
As for Netflix, I check and binge every year when they give me the free one week trial. 😛
Longmire is a good series on Netflix
Agreed 1,000%, but Longmire started in regular cable.
I’m hooked! Gotta say I despise both the characters Joe and Juliana, though.
With no show to intrigue me this upcoming anime season, gonna give Man in the High Castle a try.
I read the book, was so-so on it, but I think my main complaint was that it felt incomplete. A tv series could work well to draw the story out and sounds like it’s doing so. I was skeptical, but I really do want to watch this.
I almost bought the book, but I felt it had little to do with the series and I did not want to bias myself either pro or con.