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
Leave a Reply