From the start of its announcement this show brought out the most controversial discussions. So I followed the hype to take a look at what it’s all about.
I haven’t read any of the books nor did I play a single game so let me tell you: if you don’t know any of the stories and characters it’s kinda difficult to get into it. From the beginning it felt to me this show is directly aimed at the fans especially of the books. To me it seems like The Witcher is such a big story it must’ve been hard for the creators of this show to fit it into this show.
I get why fans of The Witcher might like this show so much and they have every right to. Storytelling is good although lengthy at times and as mentioned before it’s aimed at that audience.
For me as an „outsider“ this show is about average. Acting in many cases feels uninspired and a lot of the shows special effects and camera work feel like they’re pre 2010. And to be honest, I expected a little more from a show with this amount of advance blessings. At times you don’t really get where the show is headed especially as a virgin to this universe. Also character building and structure can be confusing at times.
Finally a word to the people who tried to tell everyone this will be a GoT-Killer: it’s not, far from it to be honest. Although I did NOT compare this show with GoT at any time during my watch through Season 1 there were a lot of Witcher Fans out there in the previous months who tried to paint that picture. Do yourself a favor and don’t compare those two shows. They have very different premises and both shows deserve to be looked at independently.
For Witcher-Fans: enjoy the show, it should be (almost) everything you were looking for.
For everyone else: give it a try but it just might not be your cup of tea.
At this point, it's my guilty pleasure show. The first season felt so toned down and slightly, and I mean super slightly, like a slice of life series. The story to me always seemed like it was dedicated to Johnny Lawrence and Miguel Diaz, similar to the original film being about Mr. Miyagi and Daniel LaRusso. That being said, S3 is an overdose of the final episode of S2, where we get more of the High School all out karate fight. It's bonkers and you know what it becomes tolerable when you get the best bits of Lawrence helping Miguel get out of his wheelchair. The Karate Kid was an underdog story, one where two misfits find meaning through one another. Cobra Kai is Degrasse+ Kung Fu (the TV series) and it's not in anyway in the same spirit as the original movie or its terrific freshman season.
That being said, considering the series is now a hit on Netflix, I do hope the Emmy's recognize William Zabka for his amazing performance on this show. The guy embodies every middle aged man who didn't understand high school ends. He also balances a terrific form of tragedy and humor (a talent not every actor can balance but Zabka does in a series that could've been an SNL bit). Anyways, I'm going to buy an Eagle Fang Karate T-Shirt. This is my guilty pleasure TV show.
I genuinely don't know if it's comedy snobs or what that's giving this show a low rating. It's immediately an immersive experience of the era. Each character has a strong voice, which is exceedingly hard to do so early in a series. It pays homage to the difficulties of playing the game with your friends (mostly) jokingly rooting for you to fail so they can succeed. It's sincere. I don't know if someone thought a drama about the early world of comedy was supposed to have them in tears the whole time, but the jokes and comments on hand aren't lazy and conversations are funny and feel real. I haven't read the book, but even after 2 episodes I think I want to. Rarely has a new series made me want to perk up and look forward to each episode so quickly. American Gods was the last one if you want to talk about worlds apart style and drama wise. Already it's got great casting, great pacing, great dialogue, and a great ability to embody the material. If the show starts to disappoint, I'll come back and change my rating, but I think you'll be out on more than a few spurious limbs trying to justify an average of 40%.
edit: Oh, I get it. Jim Carrey being a producer on a show means it's supposed to make you feel like you did at 13 when you saw Liar Liar. Grow up.
On IMDB someone compares this to Vinyl. The anti-hero experiencing the same problems every day in a world with no particular plot is precisely opposite of this world. This isn't centered on one person and their problems. This isn't meant to beat you over the head with "just how 70's things are." This is a romance. This is about being in love with comedy as a profession and its roots. If you don't feel like you identify with comics...no shit...that's why you're in the audience. The themes and personalities and conversations are still perfectly human and translate well. I'd hate for unfair naive maligning of this show to get it cancelled after one season before anyone can discuss something wrong with it besides, "But I thought Jim Carrey...!"
