Champion

You can't help but see the similarities of "Champion" with the American tv series "Empire". Both shows are centered on families involved in the music business. Both feature sibling rivalries and other external problems that both hamper and make their music better.

Where "Empire" got tiresome with the constant implausible family feuds, Champion brought more believable issues to the table and executed those issues very well. The writing is soo much better here. There is depth to the characters here. The music is fabulous also.

Overall I feel this is a very watchable series and I hope there will be at least one more season of Champion.

Champion offers a great perspective from the journey of a British Jamaican musical family in London and the conflicts they face with Bosco dealing with his issues while pursuing a musical career and Vita his younger sister always being the one he depends on. Every single actor did a great job on this production, the visuals to this show is quality, glad that bbc is taking the black representation in multicultural London seriously.

Now I must say, not sure if Champion is created from an existing IP, it did not need to be a series, a movie would have been fine as it feels the story was too stretched out, 8 episodes could have been wrapped up in a 90 to two hour film. Some of the writing felt too repetitive and on the nose, the dialogue could have been better, still great job to cast and crew, would still recommend.

The storyline kept me entertained and the actors were good throughout. I thought Bosco, Vita and the dad were all great actors and I'll be keeping an eye out for more work. The only issue for me (stressing that this is my personal taste) was that it focused a bit too much on the bad in people and everyone trying to snake each other. Maybe that is a true representation of how people are? But I just feel it would have been a better watch if it was more lighthearted at times. Without a doubt the best thing about the show was the soundtrack and musical performances though, they popped off I can't lie!

Champion's biggest selling point is the strong soundtrack. I believe they (half) attempted to make this work with Mood, but failed miserably. When it comes to music and beat, I'd easily give the series 10 stars. There is some serious British talent behind it.

Politically speaking, the show is relevant to current events. Whether that's a good thing in terms of watching an entertaining drama, is going to largely be up to individual viewers & their tastes & preferences. The first episode is quite meta in that it largely feels as if one is watching a news story about a social media video after it has gone viral. I'm unsure whether I'm saying that as a compliment. For anyone who has signed off of all social media platforms because of the continual drama over pretty much anything & everything, Champion starts to feel like you're being shoved back to the hamster wheel. I am hopeful this will get better.

The one thing that detracts from this series is the seemingly over the top selfishness of multiple characters. You can understand it from Vita's best friend, but the self absorption of her brother, and even worse, her mother (?!) is tough to watch. I have a large Greek family & there's definitely drama & people in everyone's business, however, I can't say any parent has tried to force one child to give up everything for their sibling. The mother expecting Vita to act as an assistant to her brother starts to become almost bizarre to the point her behaviour is borderline abusive. Bosco is completely self absorbed and self important.

What Champion offers is something different to other shows on the BBC. It is worth giving it a chance.

This is a show that's based in the UK, centered around a drama filled but talented Caribbean family that is doing their best to move through without much needed therapy. I cannot stress enough how upsetting all the parents are on this show though. It's disgusting. However it's a good show, with good (and sometimes great) music, and across the board good acting. I appreciate that about it. The show is easy to get caught up into and hard to walk away from completely. My wish is that amidst all the drama and backstabbing that some of these characters could've made more responsible decisions. We can't be all bad.