I chimed in some time ago with the first round of review of Amazon pilots, I watched I voted, we all waited to see what would happen. And apparently the first of these series, one which I wanted to see more of, Transparent, is now available at a television near you. You know if you have Amazon Prime*.
Well another season of pilots has arrived:
- The Cosmopolitans (:27) – This ‘dramatic comedy’ look at American expats in Paris with Chloe Sevigny and Adam Brody among others might resonate with fans of creator Whit Stillman’s talky style but I’m not sure these half hour blips into their relationship and other babbling make for an ongoing show, would check out another.
- Hand of God (:68) – Ron Perlman and Dana Delany turn in nice performances heading this cast that has a tall order, although it strives to do interesting things the wackadoo religious vigilante angle was a little too ham-handed for me to appreciate what could have been a subtle look at a corrupt man breaking down and what could be the word of God, pass.
- Hysteria (:52) – Mena Suvari leads this ‘investigative thriller’ which for me was the most enjoyable pilot, though I will admit the oddly contagious/via social media/tied to a mystery in her own past is a precarious batch of things to run with, would definitely check out another.
- Really (:27) – Marriage, friends, and hitting that time in their lives, this cast, most notably Sarah Chalke, is apparently going for ‘funny, honest, behind-the-curtain’ look at marriage, etc. and although it might be honest it wasn’t all that funny or interesting, might check out another.
- Red Oaks (:31) – This gal loves an 80s vibe and boy I could rock that crimped look, but aside from that this ‘coming of age comedy’ where our protagonist must find his way at the country club wasn’t quite enough to make me want to tune in again, probably pass.
So are you interested in the new pilot format? Will you skip and stay tuned to see what gets a full season order? Do you have Amazon Prime?
*Let me just take a moment to say I love the breadth of outlets for television but I am tired of having to incrementally add. I pay for cable, basic not premium (so things like Fx but not HBO or Starz). I pay for Netflix, streaming not discs (so you know the selection is limited). I find enough to keep myself very busy and yet still hate to be missing things. And now do I really need to get Hulu Plus or Amazon Prime or…?
