This show is <em>so</em> Netflix 2020: A brisk and bingeable seven-episodes blending TV niches.
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I Am Not Okay With This delivers a fast and familiar teen-ekensis tale
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Gah, stupid spellcheck unhelpful with my fake word (thanks, abundance, updating that in the story and internal style guide)
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Yeah, better memorize that spelling, that'll be a word you'll use lots! ;-)
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I saw the entire season in one go! I found it so funny and the characters so interesting.
The actress Sophia Lillis that plays Syd is definitely someone to look out for.
The actress Sophia Lillis that plays Syd is definitely someone to look out for.
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Great job for an actress who was only 17 it was filmed.
I was thinking of reading the comic or graphic novel?,
but it gets some bad reviews on amazon.
Did the show help refine some of the blemishes of the original source or something?
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Just watched in a couple of hits in one day (food intervened) it is nice to have some decent compact 20 minute episodes rather than slow paced drawn out 50-70 minutes ones that seems the norm these days.
Looking forward to where this goes.
Looking forward to where this goes.
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This what is wrong with Netflix atm. Too many teen /young adult shows. There is nothing on there for me to watch
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The Netflix trailer takes waay to long to get to the emerging powers part of the plot.
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Or maybe they meant something aimed at not young adults? Like Adults? No need to be rude.
P.S., I'd say you used the wrong 'your', but your comment has deeper issues.
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I enjoyed the show a fair bit, despite it rather transparently being the most Netflix 'original' possible (I don't even know why they didn't just say it was set in the 80's, everything about it wanted to be in the 80's). I personally was hoping for a one-and-done style of show rather than ending the season on a cliff-hanger, but I guess that's not where the market is. I also would've preferred if the show kept it ambiguous as to whether Syd actually had powers, or if they were a manifestation of her anxiety.
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Tried to watch it, as I saw some glowing reviews elsewhere, but it was just so cringey, I couldn't get past the third episode.
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Is there a psychic power battle? Otherwise I'll skip.
I did always want to see Carrie fight Charlie somehow, during Dark Tower after all. Also the idea of Sissy Spacek and Drew Barrymore trying to pummel each other sounds fun. I enjoyed Chronicle. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm here for the spectacle. I'm more interested in srories where super powers force teens to grow up fast than as a metaphor for dealing with teen issues.
I did always want to see Carrie fight Charlie somehow, during Dark Tower after all. Also the idea of Sissy Spacek and Drew Barrymore trying to pummel each other sounds fun. I enjoyed Chronicle. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm here for the spectacle. I'm more interested in srories where super powers force teens to grow up fast than as a metaphor for dealing with teen issues.
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I watched all 7 episodes last night. Fun show. I think shows like this are netflix's answer to the loss of Marvel to Disney.
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yes, and I though it was very boring. But I'm not real big on 'teenage angst' types of shows anyway. It was a little "familiar" but "fast" is not what I would use to describe it
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Oh that's kind of an interesting thought—I never really got into the "Marvel's [Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, etc.]" beyond JJ season one; same for the DC-version that usually lives on Freeform (and I liked the Batwoman new 52 reboot a lot; but the recent TV iteration was too pulpy/soap opera-y for me).
For me, Netflix's versions like I Am Not Okay aren't as high school theater-y, in the sense of acting and emotions and stakes always cranked up to 11, which I think I prefer (even though, with the characters usually being teens instead of young adults, the content is directly more out of my demographic these days).
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Knowing about the comic a bit, I think the story would've been more interesting as a single season but that would've forced the creative team to do something new for (presumably a Netflix desired) S2 and beyond (which... can be a mixed bag for TV writers without source materials *cgh, cgh Game of Thrones, s7 cgh, cgh*). But the other Netflix Forsman series is braving a S2 despite a perfectly standalone (and enjoyable) S1, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Wife and I thought it was great and watched it in one go (which is extremely rare for us). We loved the characters, and there's something about this show that didn't feel half as cringey as the stuff WB churns out. I think a lot of it comes down to making the teens act a little more like actual teens. Clean up the rampant profanity, for instance, and it immediately feels manufactured. Even the relationships felt more real though I can't place why (maybe because it wasn't drawn out so it captured how chaotic such things are in high school...).
It's also one of the few times either of us enjoyed a "super hero" show/movie. Friends have been telling us time and again for decades, "I know you don't like super heroes but such-and-such is a good movie even though it's about [insert popular super hero here]!" They are never right (but that's just like, our opinion, man...). That's the only thing that makes me nervous about a second season of I Am Not Okay With This. Will it just evolve into more standard super hero stuff? I hope not. I have no exposure to the source material so I have no idea what's coming and/or what they'll have to drum up beyond what the comic offered, but this was so good I'm optimistic they can kick out another strong season with a similar format.
(Also, having just finally played through Life is Strange, which I loved, this was great timing by Netflix. Maybe my super hero stories just need to be based around coming of age stories of everyday foul-mouthed teenage girls from loving but broken households who are probably gay/bi and are stuck in Small Town USA...)
It's also one of the few times either of us enjoyed a "super hero" show/movie. Friends have been telling us time and again for decades, "I know you don't like super heroes but such-and-such is a good movie even though it's about [insert popular super hero here]!" They are never right (but that's just like, our opinion, man...). That's the only thing that makes me nervous about a second season of I Am Not Okay With This. Will it just evolve into more standard super hero stuff? I hope not. I have no exposure to the source material so I have no idea what's coming and/or what they'll have to drum up beyond what the comic offered, but this was so good I'm optimistic they can kick out another strong season with a similar format.
(Also, having just finally played through Life is Strange, which I loved, this was great timing by Netflix. Maybe my super hero stories just need to be based around coming of age stories of everyday foul-mouthed teenage girls from loving but broken households who are probably gay/bi and are stuck in Small Town USA...)
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The community around Life is Strange has been talking about this show a lot the last week or so since there are so many similarities between the two.
Also, if you haven't played the prequel game, Life is Strange: Before The Storm, it's well worth your time. It's so much better than anyone thought it would be. It's genuinely charming at times while the writing is as good or better than the first game in some cases.
On topic, I watched this show all in one shot last night. It's definitely worth watching. It's fun, moves at a good pace, and respects your time unlike a lot of shows being put out by streaming services these days.
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This show is because Netflix is trying to appeal to one of their sagging demographics ranges, the ages 13 - 16 range to which a teen angst 'powers' type appeals. Its the demographic age range of teen angst development with teens taking that turn towards adulthood in their thinking and views of their selves and others and the world around them and they want to exercise the power that goes with it but are still a little restricted. Its the age range where they are aware of the present reality all the time but still have that need for something mixed with some fantasy as they start to leave childhood behind. According to the marketing numbers its working, especially for girls.
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Celery Man
Ars Legatus Legionis
Only 7 episodes? Used to be 10 episodes a season, now 8 is the norm. Now this is 7. At this rate streaming shows will be down to 4 episodes a season tops.
At least broadcast TV used to make over 20 (!) whole episodes a season.
At least broadcast TV used to make over 20 (!) whole episodes a season.
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And they were often crap.
Fleabag is two 6 episode seasons with shows only 20-25 minutes long, and it is a masterpiece (IMO). Quantity does not equal quality.
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No, American broadcast TV used to make over 20 whole episodes a season.
When US series started making their way over to UK TV, absurdly long seasons - with the plot desperately stretched paper thin across them - took quite some getting used to, compared to the formerly typical 6 episode series. And discovering that a show you quite liked got cancelled before they even finished filming the thing could be quite an eye-opener too...
I welcome a return to shows that aren't written by committee (or worse still, ratings feedback,) do see an editor, and which you can be reasonably sure will actually finish.
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Its because of the way Netflix allocates space for programming.
Broadcast TV allocates by time and contracted ~ fixed episodes length to fill a season (which is in months divided into weekly episodes mostly, which is why you get 20'ish episodes in a season on US broadcast TV as being a pretty common thing (a standard broadcast season contracted is 5 months +/- a bit, not always consecutive). Netflix allocates by space available for a season.
Depending on how the story is to be told, If the Netflix season space can hold 10 episodes then you get 10 episodes, if it can only hold 7 or 8 then you get 7 or 8.
In commercial broadcast TV an hour episode is around 40'ish - 45'ish (maybe up to 48'ish sometimes rarely) minutes actual program time on average, a half hour show is around 20'ish - 21'ish (maybe 22'ish sometimes) minutes actual program time on average - the rest of the hour or half-hour is filled with commercials. Broadcast contracts for a season based upon actual program time per episode then sell commercial time for the remaining hour or half hour per episode and everything fits neatly into a standard broadcast pre-planned pattern of programming so season to season its the same episode count basically with the same times per episode and ~ the same amount of commercials planned out for revenue. Netflix doesn't use fixed season length like broadcast TV does, they use a space-available programming method and that's variable.
With netflix, a season space can be filled with as many episodes as ya want/contracted as long as the season space is filled and the time is available for an episode in each time slot space in that season space. Netflix contracts the show that way and how the story is to be told determines the length of each episode in the season space. Netflix streamers have seen the effect this has for some shows but probably never gave it a thought, for example, today's episode actual program time may be 50 minutes long but the next episode may be 40 minutes long - the way Netflix programs using the space method causes this.
So they decide how they want to tell the story in the episodes and decide one episode has a space of so many minutes to tell that part and the next episode has a space of so many minutes etc... in the time slot space and they fill up the season space by dividing it up that way, and that determines the number of episodes in a Netflix season for a show. Then Netflix contracts for that number of episodes and dumps it into the space and ya get an announcement that Netflix has contracted for a season with some number of episodes. Netflix season show space times become limited, so episode count for a season drops.
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I am with you. It always drive me nuts when they say this villain with 30 henchmen is going to take over the city/world. But I did like the first season of Jessica Jones. Krysten Ritter is just gorgeous.
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Watched it this weekend.
Quite well-done.
The ending was rather quirky. Not sure where it would go from here. It certainly seems that it can't continue in the same vein, so I'm not sure if that is good or bad.
What I can say, is that all the actors are good. I found the character development to be quite engaging, and would watch a second season; if only to learn more about what happens with them.
Quite well-done.
The ending was rather quirky. Not sure where it would go from here. It certainly seems that it can't continue in the same vein, so I'm not sure if that is good or bad.
What I can say, is that all the actors are good. I found the character development to be quite engaging, and would watch a second season; if only to learn more about what happens with them.
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I watched the first two episodes last night.
I enjoyed them and plan to watch the rest of the show. It seems to hit a sweet spot for me that combines an interesting story with reasonably believable character development. Good stuff!
I enjoyed them and plan to watch the rest of the show. It seems to hit a sweet spot for me that combines an interesting story with reasonably believable character development. Good stuff!
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Quality over quantity, and all that.
That being said, I did actually notice that there were only 7 episodes, particularly since one of them manages all of 16 minutes before the credits roll!
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Based on this review, I watched the entire first season on a weekend flight.
Wasn't disappointed, thanks Nathan.
Wasn't disappointed, thanks Nathan.
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7 episodes at 20 min is 140 minutes. A bit long, but are we seeing the rebirth of the teen flick from the 1980s?
Hollywood has realized teens don't go to the movies anymore.
Hollywood has realized teens don't go to the movies anymore.
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no... it's less of a super hero/super power show, and more of a realistic take on a carrie like scenario; there are no happy endings here, just further levels of fucked up. that said, I *want* a season 2 badly as it's not entirely clear if this is an origin story for a good person, or a bad person, or both. As to your last sentence, it's waaay more forcing teen(s) to grow up fast than a metaphor for teen issues, the teen/adult issues are their own thing and skew toward the dark side of the spectrum.
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I was actually trying to figure out who the target audience was while watching. There were so many 80's songs in the show it took me a while to figure out if it was set in the 80's or was just a show targeting children of the 80's. As there's not a lot of prominent smart phone usage, it was hard to tell. I finally decided that it's set in the present day in a scene where they grab a USB stick containing video footage. So that led me to believe that this show is at least partially geared towards an older audience by including music from that generation.
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IIRC, at the very start of the first episode she talks about making the diary and asks her Councillor if she could do it on her phone. I think that was clearly setting the action today as opposed to the 80's. BUT, I agree it feels otherwise a lot like a period piece, enough that I questioned whether I heard the beginning right, so I feel like there was a degree of directorial failure since the time period is not clear. Or perhaps it is clearly stated, but then the show acts in a different way.
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This show clearly used The Netflix Formula, all the pieces are there.
My wife and I watched 5 or 6 episodes.. and it just never took off for us. Might finish it, might not. Everything was... OK. But just OK. Nothing really stood out as making us really want to watch more. But we did, thinking it would improve... but it just didn't. My 14 yr old daughter loved it though, so maybe I am not the target audience here.
My wife and I watched 5 or 6 episodes.. and it just never took off for us. Might finish it, might not. Everything was... OK. But just OK. Nothing really stood out as making us really want to watch more. But we did, thinking it would improve... but it just didn't. My 14 yr old daughter loved it though, so maybe I am not the target audience here.
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Would be interested in a source for this info with detail on Netflix programming. Specifically, what is a ' space-available programming method '
Your post doesn't actually provide any detail beyond 'Netflix is not broadcast television'
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I believe Netflix does a show called Grace and Frankie. Perhaps that's closer to what you're looking for.
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