Banshee

Damn. Why did it have to end after just 4 seasons? I ended up falling in love with the entire cast. Now I understand why so many people hold this show in such high regard. It offers countless high-quality aspects. Antony Starr, in particular, shone in all directions here (though it was the role of Homelander that brought him fame... such a pity). To sum up, Banshee captivated me with its straightforwardness. No one here messes around; it's at times quite a brutal watch for a TV production. However, I was somewhat annoyed by how the creators had to cram so much sexual content into each season. I get the occasional inclusion, but at times I wondered what genre I was actually watching :D Anyway, the third season was probably the best; the Indian character Chayton, with his role as a merciless killer, is etched into my memory. The final season was wrapped up optimally; I couldn’t have ended it better. I’m really glad for the time I spent on it. For me, it’s 8/10. P.S. Job, as the loquacious sidekick, was excellent :) (24/05/2023)

Alan Ball and pulpy, rough and rougher (roughest) schooling, Jim Thompson style, about an ex-con, who used to be an amoral sheriff, only ever acting in his own self-interest. And, to an extent, an unadmitted, but even more “faithful in spirit" adaptation of the “Scalped" comic book series. The main (anti)hero is direct and blunt, and wherever he goes, no-one wants any problems. Another nice thing about it is that is does not take itself too seriously. And Ball himself is a guarantee that despite the “badass" scene full of porn-… um, sex, explicit violence and unwavering testosterone, it isn’t gratuitous (this only applies to the first series). Course, it’s not about holding up mirrors, not even really bloodied ones. The real problem is the main storyline, which is just dumb even for a self-confessed sophisticated B-movie, and so even though every episode in itself is amazing, the way they are fitted together as one whole is just worrying. Everything is centered around unparalleled, extraordinary fights and characters, but not the story (which changes, although subtly, in the course of the second series). At a pinch, you could say that each glance and dialog is an excuse for several minutes of all-out fucking or a several-minute long fight/shootout. And since the third series this is not an overstatement, they do not care about the “story" and just focus on the “dirty". Of course, the method of execution, that is the question! They explicitly pay tribute to everything from The Raid to Carpenter. If you agree to respect these distinctive rules, then… What’s not to love? | S1: 4/5 | S2: 4/5 | S3: 4/5 | (05/02/2013)

It’s been a long time a new series made me as happy as Banshee did. Let’s ignore the fact that at the end of each episode, the protagonist looks like a zombie beaten with an iron rod, only to become the properly coiffed alpha male in the next episode as he was in the beginning of the series. This series portraying a city that has a bit of everything is simply superb. Given the size of the city, there’s a great number of Mafiosos, and the audience will grow fond to each and every one of them. And that’s the great thing about this series. Each character has their place in it. The story gets back to each of them and they each affect the story in some way or other. I don’t care that Antony Starr’s character is basically immortal. Apart from this, everything works perfectly: dialogs, camera, atmosphere, relationships. The first season was a pleasant surprise. (28/07/2013)

I'm reviewing the series after only two seasons, which is about as much as I can take. Antony Starr is a great actor who did a fantastic job alternating between the Magnum look number one through five so professionally that I didn't even register the difference. If the sheriff he portrayed had some sort of venereal disease, the whole town probably had it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many unnecessary sex scenes and pointless fights. There was hardly any development in the story, and I was often bored. It was also full of various clichés and flashbacks. The only interesting character could have been Kai Proctor, if only the creators had given him more screen time. (17/08/2018)

I'd be interested that it’s from the makers of True Blood, and I could get used to the slightly creepy town full of various individuals (including the Amish). Yet even though True Blood later became something I loved, the beginnings here are pretty damn weird. So far, it gets points for Ben Cross and a good dose of soft porn. (14/01/2013)