The Wheel of Time (So-So)
Seasons: 2
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney
Description: Based on the immense series begun by Robert Jordan and completed by Brandon Sanderson, this series is fantasy action at its most okay. While fans of the series were excited to see the books portrayed on the screen with all the energy of the “Game of Thrones” show, the first season proved to be far more of an adaptation than a translation of the books themselves.
Why it’s lukewarm: The visuals were a highlight, but many simply found the show to be boring. Not everybody agreed, but it’s hard to come up with something that is more damning for a show than it is simply boring. If you love it, great, and if you hate it, you might keep watching because you hate it. But boring? There are lots of other things to fill your time.
Modern Love (SO-SO)
Seasons: 2
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Tina Fey, Andy García, Dev Patel, Caitlin McGee
Description: Leave it to Amazon to adapt "The New York Times'" most tear-jerking weekly column into an anthology series with an all-star cast. The show portrays sketches about love, romantic and otherwise, in New York City.
Why it’s lukewarm: The show's primary focus is its ability to make you weep, and it received slight criticism for its lack of diversity. Unsurprisingly, the series was renewed for a second season, and we're willing to give it a second chance.
The Rig (So-So)
Seasons: 1
Starring: Iain Glen, Emily Hampshire, Martin Compston
Description: Just looking at the show and not reading anything, you might think this show is about someone on an oil rig. Well, yes, but it does a little more than that. It turns out to have supernatural elements that try its hardest to be an engaging piece of television. A strange fog cuts off the eponymous oil rig from civilization, and then there are inexplicable deaths and equipment failures.
Why it’s lukewarm: The cast keeps the show from falling too far, but the rather “The Happening” style message the show tries to make just doesn’t hit most people. It can be pretty heavy-handed at times, which just makes it come off as silly to a lot of viewers.
Gary Busey: Pet Judge (So-So)
Seasons: 1
Starring: Gary Busey, Shadoe Stevens, Ian Abramson
Description: If Gary Busey is in a project, you can bet it’s going to be kind of weird. Him dressing up like a judge and handing out judgments to pets is no different. Busey has to figure out court cases that feature made-up pet disputes.
Why it’s Lukewarm: The show is goofy, there’s plenty of good writing, and it neither takes itself too seriously nor references its strange idea too much, but at the end of the day, it’s just Busey being Busey in yet another odd place. It’s really strange, and if you don’t like that kind of strangeness, it isn’t going to trip your trigger all that much. Mostly, it just feels out of place on Amazon.
Panic (So-So)
Seasons: 1
Starring: Olivia Welch, Mike Faist, Jessica Sula
Descriptions: Take the idea of “Hunger Games” and pit a bunch of teens against each other, except it’s in present-day Texas. Based on Lauren Oliver’s 2014 YA novel, “Panic” mysteriously organizes a game for graduating seniors of a high school, competing in dares to get their ticket out of the small town.
Why it’s lukewarm: “Panic” seems to think that everybody who watches the show will get squicked out with even a little bit of blood and can’t seem to stop coddling its audience. It also seems to be a little more interested in boosting the star power of Ray Nicholson than actually creating a good show. Check it out if the premise seems interesting, but it certainly isn’t the best thing Amazon has ever made.