After reading other reviews for this, I wonder if we watched the same show. I know people's opinions are subjective, but I really feel that some professional critics are just judging this harshly because they're seeing others doing so and want to jump on the bandwagon.
Apart from a couple of cops with designer stubble two days in a row – this show captured the 1940s perfectly. Actors spoke like they were in the 40s, people dressed like they were in the 40s. There was no inappropriately placed political correctness to make it feel fake. The name of the jazz club was very racist (there's no getting away from the fact that 1940s America was a very racist place, I for one prefer it's not brushed under the carpet) Simon Pegg uses some racist language and women were told they had to be escorted home.
The script was great, Simon Pegg's first exchange with the main protagonist gave a glimpse of the quality of the writing early on. Alexa Davalos was perfect as the femme fatal. I really felt like I was watching a Katharine Hepburn or a Rita Hayworth rather than someone pretending to be from that time period. Overall, the casting and the dialogue was perfect. There were lots of familiar faces.
As for production values, they were off the charts. The pilot featured different time periods, the 20s and the 40s (not sure if this will be an ongoing thing but I hope so) and both looked perfect. No expense was spared. It was good enough to be mistaken for a medium-to-high-budget movie. It looked a lot like Polanski's Chinatown.
As for the plot – I can only describe the first two episodes as very satisfying. I love Boardwalk Empire - which is a very similar show – but I often feel unfulfilled after viewing. Like I've eaten all my vegetables and only got half a steak. The pacing in this was just-right.
Overall, I enjoyed every scene, every second. I remember thinking "this is great" while watching it. Outside of watching Breaking Bad, I haven't enjoyed watching something this much for a long time. I'm confident the IMDb score will pick up as the quality becomes undeniable. I've seen many good shows start with an average rating on here, and pick up once the professional critics stop savaging it. I don't think this will be any different.
Apart from a couple of cops with designer stubble two days in a row – this show captured the 1940s perfectly. Actors spoke like they were in the 40s, people dressed like they were in the 40s. There was no inappropriately placed political correctness to make it feel fake. The name of the jazz club was very racist (there's no getting away from the fact that 1940s America was a very racist place, I for one prefer it's not brushed under the carpet) Simon Pegg uses some racist language and women were told they had to be escorted home.
The script was great, Simon Pegg's first exchange with the main protagonist gave a glimpse of the quality of the writing early on. Alexa Davalos was perfect as the femme fatal. I really felt like I was watching a Katharine Hepburn or a Rita Hayworth rather than someone pretending to be from that time period. Overall, the casting and the dialogue was perfect. There were lots of familiar faces.
As for production values, they were off the charts. The pilot featured different time periods, the 20s and the 40s (not sure if this will be an ongoing thing but I hope so) and both looked perfect. No expense was spared. It was good enough to be mistaken for a medium-to-high-budget movie. It looked a lot like Polanski's Chinatown.
As for the plot – I can only describe the first two episodes as very satisfying. I love Boardwalk Empire - which is a very similar show – but I often feel unfulfilled after viewing. Like I've eaten all my vegetables and only got half a steak. The pacing in this was just-right.
Overall, I enjoyed every scene, every second. I remember thinking "this is great" while watching it. Outside of watching Breaking Bad, I haven't enjoyed watching something this much for a long time. I'm confident the IMDb score will pick up as the quality becomes undeniable. I've seen many good shows start with an average rating on here, and pick up once the professional critics stop savaging it. I don't think this will be any different.