Yawn... I'm so tired of this competition to see how bleak and dark you can make a show, with some audiences seeming to think that being dark and pessimistic is somehow a marker of quality writing. This is a very stylish detective show set in the 1930's. The cinematography and the sound design are clearly going for a suspenseful and uneasy tone, and sometimes it works out okay. Other times you are watching a long boring scene where very little happens and they've layered on music so dramatic that you could almost laugh. The show would be so much better if they chopped 15 minutes from every episode and cut 50% of the music. Sometimes I couldn't even hear the dialogue! Unfortunately, current TV is designed to take up as much eyeball time as possible since this is how streaming services measure success.
I can deal with darkness and a bit of gore if they seem to support a compelling story and enjoyable show. In the first episode there were some extremely dark and unsettling elements as well as some gross-out moments, but I felt intrigued enough that I honestly was optimistic about where the next episode would go. I also got a small glimpse into the main character, Perry Mason, and I wanted to see more of him. The mystery clearly wasn't solved yet so I expected they would revisit it, but I mistakenly assumed they would layer more stories in with it so that the show would get more interested every episode... Nope, the second episode was continuing from the first episode's plot which I hardly cared about to begin with but managed to be even less interesting. Meanwhile, there wasn't a single other character I could remember let alone care for other than Mason.
Despite this type of show not being my favorite cup of tea, I really did sense some potential and wanted to like it - especially since many shows have a difficult first episode but only get better from there. Sadly this one did not, it just became clear that the showrunners had no idea where to take this concept (or what exactly their concept was). Oh and surprise, they have abandoned the show now! I will watch out for reviews of the second season, and if I hear that the new showrunners have taken it in the right direction then I will gladly pick it back up. If not, I will gladly abandon it.
I can deal with darkness and a bit of gore if they seem to support a compelling story and enjoyable show. In the first episode there were some extremely dark and unsettling elements as well as some gross-out moments, but I felt intrigued enough that I honestly was optimistic about where the next episode would go. I also got a small glimpse into the main character, Perry Mason, and I wanted to see more of him. The mystery clearly wasn't solved yet so I expected they would revisit it, but I mistakenly assumed they would layer more stories in with it so that the show would get more interested every episode... Nope, the second episode was continuing from the first episode's plot which I hardly cared about to begin with but managed to be even less interesting. Meanwhile, there wasn't a single other character I could remember let alone care for other than Mason.
Despite this type of show not being my favorite cup of tea, I really did sense some potential and wanted to like it - especially since many shows have a difficult first episode but only get better from there. Sadly this one did not, it just became clear that the showrunners had no idea where to take this concept (or what exactly their concept was). Oh and surprise, they have abandoned the show now! I will watch out for reviews of the second season, and if I hear that the new showrunners have taken it in the right direction then I will gladly pick it back up. If not, I will gladly abandon it.