The show tried hard to bring a scary, eerie vibe, but you won't get much of that here. It's a psychopathic narcissist talking on tape, and much of the first episode involves listening to the interviewer bragging about how to get that narcissist talking. It's just not good television. The parts about the facts of the murders were told well, but ultimately, anyone who cares about this show probably knows those facts already anyway.
The lead actress (Atwell) was excellent. The scenery, sets, and outfits all seemed of high quality. The story, however faithful to the original, left a lot to be desired. In short, I found it a bit dull. And maybe even more importantly, I really didn't like anyone except for Atwell's character. The men, in particular, were all kind of unpleasant.
Season 1 had a much bigger impact. Season 2 was okay. The pre-Christmas episodes of Season 3 have been a big trip into "Who cares?" territory. Too much backstory, not enough interesting new developments, and characters that have become painfully self-absorbed. The character assassination of Randall alone has taken the show down a few levels.
Overall worth watching. There are probably too many twists, some of which are really hard to accept or believe, but the 6-episode format really kept the action moving. TV with a finish line is so much better than TV that keeps getting stretched out for endless episodes.
This is a wholesome and sickeningly sweet show. Everyone is just a little too "good" to be interesting. The lead character is likable enough, but she is generally reduced to spouting lame advice, flashing all-knowing grins, and bashfully fighting off the advances of every man with a pulse. But the most disappointing aspect of this show is that nothing much ever happens. It's all rather circular, and you get the feeling you could miss a few episodes without even noticing.
The show is about twice as long as it needs to be, and the presentation of the case was completely misleading in some key areas. Nevertheless, it's one of the most compelling things I have seen on TV in years. I think it's a must watch even with those two key flaws. Just be sure to research the case on your own afterward to get a truer sense of reality.
More style than substance, and the style is just like every other modern TV show that uses incessant background music (like a Hallmark movie), flippant remarks from the jokey lead in serious situations, mysterious women who are too beautiful to have names, and pretty much everything you'd expect from a poor man's version of a Bond movie. It's just pure nonsense and fully removed from anything you'd experience in real life.
It's not good. Season 1 felt like an actual show. The first few episodes of Season 2 feel like poorly written softcore porn. I didn't make it to the second half of the season, so maybe it picks up, but it just hasn't been entertaining enough so far to bother finding out.
Overall, it's well worth watching as a series. That said, it's hard to accept some of the clearly fictional adjustments to this history-based drama. In particular, the Kennedy episode was full of seemingly fabricated dialogue. It works really well as a fictional drama, but it breaks down if you try to use this as a means of learning about history. Actually, the more you research certain events, the more you can get frustrated by how they were portrayed differently in this show.
And still...this thing is shot like a big budget movie, with beautiful cinematography and everything you'd want from a period drama.
This show isn't giving viewers enough reasons to watch it. The tremendous premise from the pilot episode is now long since forgotten. The FBI agent is a one-woman rogue agent with a knack for beating up people twice her size and avoiding using any backup or following any safety protocols. This show has morphed into a bad imitation of The West Wing, with a few action hero FBI agent scenes mixed in to confuse the landscape. The writers haven't a clue what to do.
The premise is interesting. They play it purely for lighthearted comedy, but I think they could have gone a bit deeper or more serious on occasion. It's still watchable, even if I'm not laughing all that much. I like the lead and Duff's character. They are delightfully less mean-spirited than most characters I see on TV these days.
The plot is convoluted, and often not particularly enjoyable. The mood is excessively gloomy, and the characters are mostly unlikable. For me, the show is too one-note, and by the midpoint of the season, I gave up in search of a different type of show with a more coherent storyline. After all, TV should be entertaining, and this felt more like punishment.
I very much enjoyed Seasons 1-4. I am 9 episodes into Season 5, and it has been quite dull. The show still seems high quality, but not enough is happening. It just feels like filler to this point. The plot hasn't advanced at all, and the show's usual tension has been in short supply.
The original premise for the show was very interesting. They could have blown that out into 10+ episodes of solid TV, but the writers had other ideas. They piled on crisis after crisis, and the writing just hasn't been good enough to pull off that degree of difficulty. The dialogue and twists are cheesy and eyeroll-inducing. The show is guilty of lecturing its audience in a way that West Wing only sometimes got away with. There aren't enough positive moments. It's just a giant tragedy with way too many music-swelling moments and crappy dialogue.
It was okay...probably worth the two hours spent watching it. I think the production was much better than the story itself. Despite several twists and a famous name behind it, the story isn't particularly enjoyable.
I think they forgot to make the show enjoyable. If you look at a show like The **** it's depressing, but there are comedic moments and amazing characters that keep you coming back for more. I ran away from American Crime because it gave me all of the depressing drama with nothing enjoyable to latch onto.
Delivers exactly what it intends to deliver. The scenery, costumes, and acting are first-rate. The writing seems accurate enough, though some dialogue is clearly a bit out of place (Churchill's condescension toward the Queen, for example). The biggest drawback is that it can be rather dull in stretches, but I'd imagine that's true to life for the Queen herself. Well worth a watch.
This felt about 3 or 4 times as long as it should have been. The backing music was often irritating, especially the tinkling "mystery" music. The case was presented to viewers in a confusing manner. It felt like they were going for an artisitc/dramatic effect rather than just presenting a case in a straightforward manner and letting the story be the feature attraction. I am fascinated by cases such as this one, but the style of this series really disappointed me.
Fails to entertain. The first episode was 55 minutes of brooding, moping, and hallucinating. If that's your thing then this is your show. If you like a couple minutes of fun mixed in with your drama then you'll have to look elsewhere. Absolutely no one is having fun on this show. Even the sex scene stopped before the sex. What a waste of talent.
A mixture of funny and boring, but the funny parts are good enough to justify enduring the boring bits. There are some scenes in the second and third episodes that made me laugh like a mad man. But then the next few episodes left me wondering, "Why am I watching this?" Whatever this is, it's different from most other shows out there. So you should at least give it a shot for its uniqueness.
I watched the first three episodes and came away feeling very little. Is there a compelling plot tucked away? **** the third episode alone killed any momentum the show had built to that point. I don't buy the young female programmer. Her homeless backstory makes no sense. The lead character is supposed to be some sort of visionary leader, but he just comes across as a smarmy guy who I can't imagine wanting to follow. The punk-heavy music of the third episode is also meant to startle, and all it really does is irritate. I think the writers forgot to make the show fun to watch when they wrote this thing. So yes, there could be a decent plot lurking in here, but the path to get there needs to be more fun than what I've seen.
The show got boring. The characters are now more irritating than quirky. A show needs to have a compelling, interesting plot or at least have some fun, likable characters. Suits no longer has either of these things. It's tough to bail on a series after sticking with it for three seasons, but I suggest that you do.
The overarching plot takes several twists and turns but ultimately fails to be compelling. The B-plot of the Mike/Rachel interactions were actually quite interesting during Seasons 1 and 2, but their interactions in Season 3 seem to drag. The show is losing its entertainment value, and I don't know how it can recover. The main premise that spawned the show can't develop any further without destroying the show it created. In other words, I think this show is stuck in a horrible holding pattern, with little to offer the viewer besides a few attractive people and the occasional funny moment.
The show improved from Season 1. The legal storylines are still the show's weakness, which is obviously an issue for a show about lawyers, but the interpersonal dynamics and relationships are compelling. If you aren't invested in the main romantic storyline then you're not going to find much here. I still think some of the characters are too focused on being smartasses and not focused enough on being human, but that's modern TV.
I find it difficult to relate to the characters. Harvey is too narcissistic, and Mike has a superhuman memory. I feel they went too extreme with both of **** the supporting cast is more of the same. Extreme character traits, and everyone is trying to be a smart ass to everyone else. I do appreciate the fleeting moments of niceness, but they last a split second before someone is making another snarky comment at someone else's expense.
I really liked the first few episodes. That premise would have been enough to carry the show for an entire season, at least for me. I found the setup interesting, but then a major plot turning point occurs, and it takes over the direction of the story. I just wasn't as interested in the show that continued after that turning point.
I think you should watch it, though. The lead character is clever and isn't entirely good or bad. She's complicated and unique, characteristics that are sorely lacking in many other shows.
It's a fine plot-driven program. The story arc is believable, the characters behave as you think they should, and the setting really feels like 1983. I enjoyed the first half of the season more than the second half, but it's all worth a watch. It kept my interest throughout.
The conclusion to this season wasn't especially satisfying. It certainly did not justify two seasons of circular plot to get there. Everything else about the show was good, though.
I loved Season 4. I almost got into this season, but I just couldn't buy the plot...especially Carrie's involvement. She has always pushed the boundary of what's believable, but now she's borderline magic. And why did the writers think we needed to see yet another Carrie off of her meds episode?
I think the show is toast. The Carrie character doesn't work anymore because her past makes her present so implausible.
It peaks in quality around episode 4, and the last two episodes really have a different feel to them. It isn't always a pleasant watch, and some of it can be downright depressing, but I think you'll be missing out if you don't watch this. The lead character is unforgettable.
The first episode was a 10 out of 10. The escalation of seriousness, the drama, the way the dots were **** was all expertly done. The second episode lacked the same level of suspense as the first, but the realism was still there. I am hopeful this show can stay strong to the end. Due to the incredible detail of the first episode, I think there will be plenty of material to work with in the follow up to the crime.
Season 2 is not worth your time. It will not enhance your enjoyment of Season 1...quite the contrary. Season 2 offers a frustrating mess of irritating court scenes seemingly designed to annoy fans of the show. There is also some exploration of an old case with a new set of characters, but the show does a horrible job of making us care even 10% as much about that case as we cared about the investigation in Season 1.
I thoroughly enjoyed these eight episodes. The only real negative is that the majority of the season was spent exploring red herrings and seemed disjointed from what we see in the finale.
The laughs are in short supply. Too many jokes hit on niche subjects, and the format comes across as tired and unimaginative. There is room for Colbert to do something different than the Jimmy's, but so far he is doing the same thing they are in a less appealing way.
If you like Bill Simmons' podcasts then you'll like this show. He is an excellent interviewer and generally understands his subjects very well. The quality of guests is very high, but the time limit hurts him. I think he is an ideal podcast host and would be a great TV host if the show was a full hour long to allow for fuller conversations.
No show can match this for pure spectacle. The characters and writing sometimes let it down, though. The characters are still mostly one-dimensional. Anyone who has lost a **** or was born a dwarf will be constantly reminded of this in almost every scene they appear. Some of the plots are so circular they will leave your head spinning. And yet, there are some battles this season that far exceed anything any other show could produce.
The settings are the show's greatest strength. They do a fantastic job of removing you from Earth and placing you in an exotic location from long ago. The characters have great potential, but some of them are just too one dimensional. Evil for the sake of being evil isn't much fun to watch, especially when the majority of virtuous types face brutality on a regular basis. The plot...well that comes and goes. Some of the stories are dull and aimless, and some stories just seem like a contrived way to put bare breasts on TV. The shame walk at the end of the season was particularly egregious in this regard. 10 seconds into that scene we got the point of it, but I guess they needed a few minutes of bare breasts to meet the season quota.
Specifically for Season 5, the biggest weakness was the Arya plot. It doesn't tie in with any of the other plots (which is a common problem for this show), but more importantly, it was just completely boring and nonsensical.
A couple of moments made me groan. There is a paint incident that just annoyed me to no end. The lead character kills me sometimes. There are some good points in the season, though...just enough to keep me watching.
It has good parts. The premise is interesting, and the characters are given time to display a reasonable mix of attributes and behaviour. One of the main issues for me is that the characters aren't particularly enjoyable. The lead character, in particular, can be rather infuriating. It's worth watching, I suppose, but I would never go out of my way to recommend this to anyone.
The ultimate style over substance show. The acting and production were top notch. The case itself, though...what a dud! I think it's a must-watch because it looks first rate. If only the story were any good.
Parts of this were very good. The end of the first episode, in particular, was fantastic. But at times the show really did drag, and eventually I just wanted it to end already. The premise promised much and really didn't deliver much in the way of an interesting story. Lots of potential wasted, but still watchable.
I'm a fan of the show, but I would classify this final season as just "okay." I felt it was an exceptionally safe season with very few intriguing plots or risks taken. This show peaked back in the early seasons before and during the war.
This is the best drama on TV right now. They have found the right balance of action, suspense, and old fashioned family drama to keep the show feeling mostly realistic. So many spy/thriller shows can't resist turning their leads into bullet-dodging, mind-reading, unbelievable superheroes, and at times this show veers in that direction. But this season in particular, they have done a good job of making the leads feel human.
Production values and acting seem spot on, but the writing and plot contrivances continually drag the show down. There are enough coincidences here that you'll be screaming out, "Oh, come on!" a few times. But it's an easy watch, even if it's sometimes a bit of a hate watch.
It's an excellent main premise, and there are some interesting subplots at play here. The middle of the season can aggravate at times, and some of the dialogue and main character bumbling seems a bit far-fetched. Nevertheless, a strong start and end to the season ensured this show was worth watching.
I can't help but feel they could have made a brilliant TV show and failed to realize its full potential. But I still appreciate that this was good, and at times very good.