This show was a completely joy and I did not expect that it would reach the highs that it did. There is something to be said for these one-off series that allow the writer to drop the viewer right into the middle of the story without having to do character development. In fact, the opposite happens - the viewer gets to discover the character. Each show seemed to be better than the next with the culmination being an absolutely masterful (and emotional ending). I hope this makes it to American tv at some point for those that do not have alternative methods of finding this show.
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Fairly mediocre and much less than it could have been. I bailed after the 6th episode.
I am still shocked that this got the glowing reviews that it did
I decided to give this show a look because I was curious about the wide difference between what the critics think and what the audience seems to think. The first 20 minutes or so were ok. I like all of the actors in the show and Aniston appeared to be doing some really good work. That said, I said to my wife "the only thing keeping this show was a music bed behind the dramatic scenes".
And then came the music bed and it went full-on network drama. This is not a compliment.
The main problem with this show is that the story just isn't compelling. It might be one thing if something like this happened mid-series once we got to know the characters. The last third of the show was completely unwatchable. As good as Aniston was at the beginning it was uncomfortable watching her cry in scene after scene.
I don't get what attracted the actors to this show. There have been soooooo many good series on cable these days - couldn't they find a better one? This is especially true of Steve Carell as he has been in some wonderful dramas.
EDIT The show did get better in later episodes as new storylines and conflict developed. That said, it's pretty safe to say that in just about every scene where someone cries or loses their s*** it's a bad scene.
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The best way that I can describe this show is that it is a more mature and advanced version of The Wire. While that show certainly had higher highs this show was consistently good from beginning to end and actually got better from one season to the next. And unlike The Wire it knew when its ending was and was able to finish the final season appropriately. The backdrop and the stories are fantastic. The finale..... one of the top 5 in the history of television. I loved it and will miss it terribly.
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This show excels at showing how difficult it is to make a relationship last. It does this in a very brutal and honest way - at times it is fantastically cringe-worthy. I really appreciate how the children are pretty much non-existent in the show and the focus is on the main characters. I just finished the final episode and there is a great arc to the story. While I love the characters I am glad that they went out on a high note. Sometimes less is more.
This show was a gigantic waste of talent. The big problem is that it didn't seem to know what it wanted to be. It was a drama without drama and a mystery without real mystery. It seemed to think that just because you have good actors and dramatic music playing there would be something magically dramatic and it just doesn't work that way. At no point was I invested in any of the characters and at no point did there ever really feel like there was a real mystery. The characters just kind of meandered through mediocre story lines. Season 2 did seem to have a better arc but it was still troubled by all of the above. It's such a shame to see Moss, Kidman and Hunter wasted in this way.
The contrast check out The Sinner to see how drama/mystery should be done.
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I hate that these kinds of "mysteries" are being made now. You start with a story that - if told in chronological order - would have bored anyone to tears. You then take that story and tell it in two timelines so as to create completely unearned drama. It was pretty evident from the end of the first episodes that they were going to draw out the simple story by tossing out misdirection after poorly-executed misdirection. When you realize this fact, it was pretty easy to see how the "mystery" was going to end up. I hate this kind of storytelling because it isn't really telling a story or earning drama. Having watched Fargo just before this didn't help as that was a show that earned everything that it got.
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This is a show that really swung for the fences. Unfortunately, as the series went on, it struck out more than it got a hit. It is kind of hard for me to understand where this all went wrong. On paper it seems as though there was an excellent premise, and Betty Gilpin is fantastic in the role. The first episode is EASILY the best of the series, and as it went on it just got goofier and goofier. Towards the end I think I was half watching because it so badly lost its way. I can't think of a show that took the kinds of chances that this show took - maybe Schmigadoon? I really wanted to say nicer things about the show.
I didn't give this show a chance until recently because I've never been a huge fan of the genre and I heard the last season sucked. What a mistake! A little context - I tend to like dramas like Mad Men or Better Call Saul. I despise shows that have limited backdrops (zombies, vampires, etc) and I've never been a fan of movies like Lord of the Rings.
Season 1:
The opening scene of the first episode gives you a false idea about what the next several seasons are about. The season is generally good and then late in the season you get your first feel for how the series is going to go for you.
Seasons 1 - 4:
The show settles in to a nice pace and there are ebbs and flows along the way. Some storylines are better than others but I can say there are few bad scenes
Season 5:
I started to get a bit itchy. The season is very good but because there are so many storylines it feels like the plot is moving forward ever so slowly. This series really could have gone on forever if they wanted it to.
Season 6:
We start to see the end in site and storylines start to converge (or end)
Season 7:
And then it happens. All of the sudden the episodes went from "this is really good" to me wondering if I could call in sick tomorrow because I want to binge the rest of the season. It really is that breathtaking. It really was a joy to see the storylines come together and to see actors who had not acted together in the series working together. But more importantly, you began to see the results of all of the setup that had been done in the previous seasons. There is probably a stretch of 10 - 12 straight episodes that are just ridiculously good.
Season 8:
There are few shows where you feel like you are losing an old friend when it ends and this show ended up being that for me. I could not imagine that I would ever feel that way about it. Anyway, I can't fathom why this season is so reviled. The finale was only "good" given how poor series finales tend to be I was happy with that. The ways that the stories wrapped up were true to the overall series. I can't imagine what people expected - more fighting? The show was never about that. Anyway, I felt a huge weight off of my shoulders during a certain episode ended - I can imagine that others did as well. It may not have reached the heights of Season 7 but it was still really good.
Overall I would put this series in the same place as Mad Men, The Wire, Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul.
I've watched season 1 and season 2. I thought season 1 had the better story while season 2 might have actually been a little bit better if only because Carrie Coon had more to work with and is obviously a superior actor. It's a bit of an odd series in that they show you what happens right in the beginning and then actually work back from that. Bill Pullman does his best Bill Pullman in this series.
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I watch a TON of shows and movies, and this show is unlike anything that I can ever recall. While the show has a 9/11 backdrop, it is more about relationships and the difficulties with being a firefighter (and how those around them suffer). While the show is a comedy and is very funny at times, it works best as a drama. Every episode is at least "good", and it sometimes (especially in later seasons) ventured into the "great" category.
The show also did something that is very unique: it stuck the landing. The first few episodes of the final season were alright, but the last several were fantastic. And the finale.... perfect. It captured a little bit over everything that the show was about. I am going to miss those guys.
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I hate that these kinds of "mysteries" are being made now. You start with a story that - if told in chronological order - would have bored anyone to tears. You then take that story and tell it in two timelines so as to create completely unearned drama. It was pretty evident from the end of the first episodes that they were going to draw out the simple story by tossing out misdirection after poorly-executed misdirection. When you realize this fact, it was pretty easy to see how the "mystery" was going to end up. I hate this kind of storytelling because it isn't really telling a story or earning drama. Having watched Fargo just before this didn't help as that was a show that earned everything that it got.
follow me at https://IHATEBadMovies.com or facebook IHATEBadMovies
I hate that these kinds of "mysteries" are being made now. You start with a story that - if told in chronological order - would have bored anyone to tears. You then take that story and tell it in two timelines so as to create completely unearned drama. It was pretty evident from the end of the first episodes that they were going to draw out the simple story by tossing out misdirection after poorly-executed misdirection. When you realize this fact, it was pretty easy to see how the "mystery" was going to end up. I hate this kind of storytelling because it isn't really telling a story or earning drama. Having watched Fargo just before this didn't help as that was a show that earned everything that it got.
follow me at https://IHATEBadMovies.com or facebook IHATEBadMovies
I hate that these kinds of "mysteries" are being made now. You start with a story that - if told in chronological order - would have bored anyone to tears. You then take that story and tell it in two timelines so as to create completely unearned drama. It was pretty evident from the end of the first episodes that they were going to draw out the simple story by tossing out misdirection after poorly-executed misdirection. When you realize this fact, it was pretty easy to see how the "mystery" was going to end up. I hate this kind of storytelling because it isn't really telling a story or earning drama. Having watched Fargo just before this didn't help as that was a show that earned everything that it got.
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Season 1 is very good, but everything outside of the last 2 episodes of season 2 is poor.
I got through (almost) three episodes before completely seeing why this show didn't catch on. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that this show was training wheels for McBride for his other (far better) works (East Bound and Down, Gemstones). Its the same characters from his other shows put into a different backdrop with mediocre writing.
This show might edge out Better Call Saul as my favorite show of all time. Not only was there not a bad episode, there wasn't even a bad scene. The depth of the characters and the portrayal of the social issues of the time are second to none. The final episode (and scene!) are perfect. I can't wait to watch it again (for the third time) in a few years.
I just finished this and I already miss it. At the heart of the show is a love story - I won't say more than that. It took a while to build but there is some fantastic character development that takes place over the arc of the story. I love when people tell a story in a way that is soooooo different than anything else. They took the premise (crappy sitcoms) and completely turned it on its ear. It doesn't hurt that the ending (and specifically, the final few seasons) are perfect.
This is a show that has a small but extremely loyal fan base online. The show pre-dated the likes of Mad Men and was never made available online for purchasing or viewing. To find it you have to do some searching and then ask the community moderator for access to the videos that have been privately collected (they are not in high definition, of course).
The first season is actually quite good and the second season probably peeks with the Christmas episode. There is a warm feeling that you get when watching many of the episodes, especially early on as you get to know the characters. Later on (as the series starts to feel more like a sitcom than a show with an arc) it really loses steam. At time of this writing I am in season 3 and I am probably done with the show. I wish that I was closer to the end so that I could finish the series but it is starting to feel like a chore to watch it.
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The show peaked somewhere around episode 3 and 4 and then kind of fizzled out by the end. The problem with the show is that the only thing that separated it from a run-of-the-mill family drama is the idea of the open marriage used to fix a marriage. Unfortunately the only thing that was unique and - quite frankly - interesting is this idea. But seeing as this question is the only thing that propped up the show you could pretty much see all of the storylines and scenarios 2 or 3 episodes before they happened. And once they played out... then what? The secondary characters and their storylines were just filler. There was nowhere else to go with the show even if it as renewed.
The show was best when it stuck to some kind of storylines. By season 3 it became formulaic - one one-liner after another. By season 3 it became tiresome and I bailed.
This was a fun little show. You can absolutely see Horgan cutting her teeth and Catastrophe was definitely an improvement over this show. Tanya Franks was definitely the best character of the lot. While there really weren't any bad episodes there weren't any great ones either.
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