AsianTrumpSupporter
Platinum Member
Normally, I wouldn't care about a show about prostitution, pimps, pornography, etc., but this show is from David Simon who was a co-creator/co-show runner of The Wire, which is one of the greatest shows ever made, IMO. However, David Simon hasn't really recreated the magic of The Wire in his shows since then.
Boogie Nights is one of my all time favorite movies, but this show isn't as explosive or as riveting as that movie (yet).
I just watched the first episode titled "The Pilot," which is about 1 1/2 hours. It's set in 1970's New York back when NYC was a scary, seedy place. The show is supposedly about the rise of the porn industry in NYC with everything that comes with it: drugs, the mob, etc.
The first episode was decent in setting the tone of the show, but it didn't really have that compelling nature that The Wire had to keep me watching. I will keep watching the show, but I'm definitely not hooked yet.
The first episode does feature some good character actors/actresses and also has some very good acting by James Franco who plays twin brothers (sort of like Ewan McGregor in season 3 of Fargo). This may be some of the best acting I've seen by Franco so far. He doesn't play it over the top or loud, and this show in general is surprisingly restrained compared to, say, Vinyl. I loved Vinyl, but I also like that this show is more restrained and takes its time.
Based on what I've seen, I am curious to see if they can keep this show interesting and make it compelling enough to last more than 1 season. I'm not convinced yet that they can, but it's still worth a watch. It's also nice to see some other actors from The Wire return to play different characters. Method Man is probably the weakest out of that group, but he wasn't in the first episode very much. Maybe he'll get better later on.
I'd give The Pilot a 6.5/10.
In David Simon's defense, season 1 of The Wire was definitely a slow burn, and I wasn't truly hooked until the end of the first season. But I was hooked enough to keep watching from episode 1.
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