The Hunters (So-So)
Seasons: 1
Starring: Al Pacino, Logan Lerman, Jerrika Hinton
Description: Grindhouse Fun combines with Al Pacino’s inimitable acting style to create a show about Nazi hunting as a group of people hunt down members of the Third Reich that are living in seventies America. It has to be good if it was able to convince Al Pacino to make the move to TV, right?
Why it’s lukewarm: The show isn’t terrible by any means, but you have to be in a grindhouse state of mind to be able to enjoy it. The show is also a little unexpected. Sometimes that’s a good thing, but sometimes it keeps you from getting comfortable. Still, the show has plenty of power to give to people who are able to tough it out and plenty of catharsis.
Utopia (So-So)
Season: 1
Starring: John Cusack, Rainn Wilson, Sasha Lane
Description: A group of misfits and comic nerds discover that the comic “Utopia” is predicting the end of the world. There’s conspiracy, thriller elements, and a couple of big names to add to the show’s appeal. It was first a Channel 4 sci-fi thriller that was passed around before the adaptation finally came out on Amazon.
Why it’s lukewarm: The timing was poor. It’s a story about the government lying about a plague and making fake vaccines, and it came out in the fall of 2020. Seriously, talk about a bad release date. It also takes itself a little too seriously for people to enjoy without a wink and a nod to the audience. Black comedy has to have a subtle hand sometimes, and this one was going at it pretty heavy.
Them (So-So)
Seasons: 1
Starring: Deborah Ayorinde, Ashley Thomas, Alison Pill
Description: The period piece “Them” has a black couple move into a white neighborhood during the fifties with their young daughter, and before long, the white neighbors are terrorizing them, trying to get them to move out. There also seems to be something a little supernatural going on, which just adds to the mystery.
Why it’s lukewarm: The setup almost seems like it’s old hat by now. The black people move in, and the white people don’t like it. While the production is slick, there just isn’t enough new and interesting to keep people watching. The show is also EXTREMELY brutal, which turned off a lot of audience members and critics. Throw in a dash of staid “Stepford Wives” elements, and you have a show that just doesn’t do enough to separate itself from the pack.
Truth Seekers (So-So)
Seasons: 1
Starring: Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Malcolm McDowell, Samson Kayo Description: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost once again come together to make some comedy, and this time, it’s a combination of “The X-Files” and shows like “Ghost Hunters.” They star as broadband installers who double as paranormal investigators who find themselves being followed by ghostly events and sights.
Why it’s lukewarm: The show has plenty of fun moments and lots of the comedy chops that the two main actors have shown us since they got together in “Spaced,” but the show as it is remains a little light. It’s billed as a horror/comedy, but there isn’t much horror to be had, and the laughs don’t always land for every viewer. Other comments tell us that it just wasn’t up to the standards that we had gotten used to from the duo.
Blade of the Immortal (So-So)
Seasons: 1
Starring: Kenjiro Tsuda, Ayane Sakura, Nozomu Sasaki
Description: The very first original animal series from Amazon started with flying body parts, and it got more violent from there. It follows the sixteen-year-old Rin and her bodyguard, who is cursed with immortality. Combining cerebral anime like “Serial Experiments Lain” and samurai shows like “Samurai Champloo,” it certainly grabs your attention.
Why it’s lukewarm: For people who are used to an excessive amount of gore (and we’re talking really excessively), this show will be a nice thing to watch. For those who aren’t used to people getting cut in half on the regular, it’s going to be a hard anime to swallow. You’ll have to buckle up for a gory ride no matter what. It’s ruthless, and for those looking for something to cheer them up, it’s not the correct option.