Godfather of Harlem (2019 – ) Season 1

A gangster named Bumpy Johnson makes his way in Harlem during the 1960s. A TV prequel to the 2007 film, ‘American Gangster’, which centered on the criminal enterprise of Frank Lucas.

My thoughts: Forest Whittaker is great, but the show just feels like a pastiche of seminal gangster epics.

3/5

Snowfall (2017 – 2023) Season 1

A look at the early days of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles during the beginning of the 1980s.

My thoughts: Stylistic anachronisms abound in this 80’s era exploration of the cocaine trade.  Borrows heavily from what has come before.

3/5

A Model Family (2022 – )

After unwittingly stealing money from a cartel, a cash-strapped professor finds the only way to save his broken family is by working as a drug courier.

My thoughts: Annoyingly contrived.  Coincidences and illogical decisions drive the plot and conveniently complicate matters.

2.5/5

Cruel Summer (2021 – 2023) Season 1

In this anthology series, each season follows a new cast of characters who deal with traumatic events over several timelines, and how those events impact their lives.

My thoughts: Pretty solid storytelling a cross three timelines but sunk by overwrought dialogue and heavy handed direction.

3.5/5

Boy Swallows Universe (2024)

In 1980s Brisbane, a precocious boy and his selectively mute brother embark on a suburban odyssey of love, redemption, and retribution after their family is torn apart by a drug lord.

My thoughts: Tonally, it’s all over the place.  Some parts are dark and tragic while others are silly and farcical.  Weird, and not in a good way.

2.5/5