The After - ★★☆☆☆ "Eight strangers are thrown together by mysterious forces and must help each other survive in a violent world that defies explanation"
For a pilot that is from the mind of Chris Carter [also the creator of The X-Files] it had the right amount of mystery. Unfortunately, the characters are already annoying. Oh and surprise, it is set in a post apocalyptic version of our modern world. It has received 3,200+ ratings to give it four out of five stars. I feel the creators name is getting a lot of blind faith. Sadly, I feel that so far the premise feels like a long lost X-Files episode - stuck in the late nineties.
Mozart in the Jungle - ★★★☆☆ "Sex, drugs--and classical music--what happens behind the curtains at the symphony can be just as captivating as what happens on stage." Created by Paul Weitz (About A Boy), Roman Coppola (The Darjeeling Limited), Jason Schwartzman (Moonrise Kingdom) and Alex Timbers (Peter and the Starcatcher).
Not sure I have seen another similar show to compare this pilot to, but it held my interest even while trying to type this post. It seems to be a look into the world of musicians, dancers and others in the artist guild of New York City. While it may not be my normal TV fair it get my vote for more episodes.
Bosch - ★★★★☆ "Based on Michael Connelly's best-selling book series, Bosch (Titus Welliver), an LAPD homicide detective works to solve the murder of a 13-year-old boy while standing trial in federal court for the murder of a serial killer."
Cops and bad guys. Check. A cop who may be a little good and evil equally. Check check. Who doesn't like an underdog? My top pick out of this year's lot.
The Rebels - ★☆☆☆☆ "Julie (Natalie Zea) is in over her head when her husband suddenly dies leaving her as sole owner of The LA Rebels, a pro-football team."
Not sure what to say besides this is a sad ripoff of The Replacements movie - and that starred(?) Keanu Reeves.
Transparent - ★★★☆☆ "Created by Jill Soloway (Six Feet Under, United States of Tara). An LA family with serious boundary issues have their past and future unravel when a dramatic admission causes everyone's secrets to spill out."
Interesting premise. Fast talking. Quick witted. Rich characters. Not to mention Jeffrey Tambor from Arrested Development. I am ready to vote for more episodes. Although with all of the nudity and sexual situations I had to double check that this was not on Skin-a-Max.
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Side note, someone went a little crazy with the f-bombs across all series. Pretty heavy-handed. Language works when it fits the story, setting and characters. Not when it is there just to keep up with HBO, Netflix and Showtime.
Compared to last year's offerings - Alpha House and Betas were the highlights - these are pretty weak. If Amazon wants to compete with HBO, Netflix and others on original content they need to step up their game a few more levels.