The first few episodes start off a bit shakey and a lot of the characters initially start off a bit dense and/or one dimensional. I would urge you to give it another go and get through a couple of episodes. After that, this show proves it is entirely worthy of the score and praise it gets.
Altough I'm german I rarely check out german TV shows. The last one was Deutschland 83 and that was like two years ago. Germany just hasn't figured TV out yet but that's another discussion.
When I heard Netflix was producing a german show I just had to check it out because Netflix has a great track record so far and Germany does have talent infront and behind the camera. But overall I think this show just fell flat. Good, but nothing great.
Fantastic visuals that are shot very beatifull, the actors IMO are mostly great and the music/score can be beautiful but often gets obnoxious. But unfortunetly there are too many characters that are hard to keep track off which distracts from the story.
The story is already confusing enough even without trying to keep up with the many characters over different decades and it heavily sets up future seasons without answering a lot of questions about this one and just left me unsatisfied at the end.
Still worth watching tough IMO and very bingeable similarly to Stranger Things.
But if you do watch it then choose the subbed version. I checked out the dub really quick and it sounded horrible. And also don't browse your phone as you might do on other shows. You're going to miss so much important shit.
EDIT after Season 2:
I'm not actually sure what just happened and what I think about it. But the one thing I'm sure of is that the casting in this show is absolutely phenomenal. The actors look so much like their younger counterparts that I'm not fully convinced they aren't actually related.
Plus the cinematography is still fantastic and the music monatages are really beautiful (and they got rid of those obnoxious sound effects).
And altough the story is still very confusing I found it more easier to follow and more engaging than Season 1 because I now know all the charcters and their background. And it seems that the writers had this all planned out and aren't just making shit up as they go.
Changed my rating from 8 to 9.
EDIT after my first rewatch just before S3 is released.
Changing my rating again. This time to a 10. After S1 I thought it was good but confusing show (8), after S2 I thought it was great and really well thought out one (9). Now after rewatching both seasons for the first time I think the show is fucking masterpiece. (10). Once you can watch it without being confused and actually knowing what is happening your just in awe throughout all of it.
If they stick the landing with season 3 it could be up there with the best ever.
EDIT after Season 3
Masterpiece. Simple as that.
Writing. Directing. Cinematography. Casting. Acting. Soundtrack. Everything is perfect.
I'm going to miss the beautiful music montages at the end.
Intelligent, twisting, gripping, well written and well acted. Definitely worth a watch. Netflix gives you options - mine was the original German with English subtitles. That’s my recommendation.
Absolutely fantastic. I will admit that I hesitated at first, but then I thought why not give it a try. Gloomy and eerie, but good at it. The music throughout the series is really well chosen; it fits perfectly well. The writing is also top notch, as is the acting. You can either have it in English sound or in German sound with English subtitles. Honestly I wasn't bothered at all with the English sound, so if that's your thing you will be able to enjoy the series just fine (maybe you'll also be slightly less distracted as opposed to reading subtitles). Personally I chose the German sound, as it felt more natural.
Honestly, give it a try. Might very well be the best series I've watched this year.
EDIT: Binged season 2 in a sitting. Just wow. This review doesn't do it justice. And the casting...I mean, I totally thought old Ulrich was the result of CGI or something. Season 2 is best thing I've watched this year and last year included (ever?).
Impressive! Thanks for putting the effort in to make this list.
Don't know where the high ratings come from. This show is not good. It's slow, empty, cliché and totally not "cool" or "tough". Luke Cage was the only show that was nice to watch. Probably something to do with the American cliché of having the worst life, drinking alcohol to drown in your sorrows and having had loss (which we all have in our lives). Being able to relate doesn't make this a good show. Hoped for a surprise, but it's nothing special and even a bit bad..
I honestly didn't think this show was going to be any good....but damn was I proven wrong. Absolutely love the storyline, characters, and dynamics of the show. Seriously folks, do not pass this one up. Super entertaining and funny with plenty of action!
Excellent glimpse into Frank's past. It shows a lot of where his inner rage is coming from. I am also really enjoying the focus on the other vets and how they are readjusting and coping with their PTSD. This country still has a lot to learn on how to handle our Vets with respect and getting them the help they desperately need and deserve.
The concept of the show kind of perfectly represents the show itself. You go out with a bunch of old friends thinking it's going to be a great time, and in the end, things don't turn out the way you were expecting and everybody just kind of ends up disappointed.
I went into this expecting a laugh out loud comedy with a great cast, and there was some of that, but by the end it became more drama, and nothing really ended in a satisfying way either.
I do think the cast was good, and there are some good funny moments, and well done serious moments, but I think overall the show has a weird balance, and doesn't really pay off in a way that leaves any of the characters or audience satisfied. But then again, that's very similar to the night out with old friends from college the show describes, so maybe it achieved exactly what it wanted to achieve.
On one hand I do kind of hope there's another season, only because there's so much left unresolved in the end, but you're never going to get a resolution that satisfies everybody, so I'm not sure if the show should have one either. It's just a strange show. It definitely kept me interested enough to binge it though, so I'll give it that.
So far I watched countless episodes and series. Never watched something more than once. Except Rick and Morty... Starting my third rewatch right now :D, it is that good! But I can imagine it is not for everyone ;).
The Americans is hands down the best show on TV right now. Such a perfect show from start to (hopefully) finish. I think we are pretty lucky to be getting six seasons of this beauty! 10/10
Ziva needs to come back. Now.
A surprisingly gripping show. Highly recommended.
I enjoyed the first season, but after that it turned into a mediocre primetime soap... lost interest early on in season 2. As the show aired on public television in the states, I found the implied quality rather humorous. Fine if you like it, but watching it doesn't exactly impart an air of sophistication. For those who enjoyed this series, take a peek at Australia's "A Place to Call Home", orgasmic by comparison. Downton is TV melodrama, nothing more... nothing less -- "A Place to Call Home" is genre-similar, knows what it is and does it so much better ;-)
A Place to Call Home: https://trakt.tv/shows/a-place-to-call-home
I remember really liking the first few seasons of the original 24, on rewatching them now they came off as a bit silly, but for the time they were in they were great. Unfortunately, this show seems to keep the silliness of the original, rather than keeping with the times. If you'd like to relive those days, then give this a shot, but don't go in with high expectations.
I don't get it, why are people being so damn critical about the movie ? Ya gotta understand that it was just a catalyst so that the MCU franchise could grow on it; the movie was purely made to introduce Captain America, the cosmic cube and Agent Carter, nothing more nothing less, and it did a good job at that.
First episode wasn't as good as I wanted it to be... but I'll stick with it for now.
