Emperor of Ocean Park

This show is not perfect.

The pacing of the story is a bit off, and as other reviewers have said the constant time jumps are annoying and could have been handled more creatively without losing the plot.

It is a slow burn, purposely so, not just to build tension but to have the viewer invest in the characters. This pays off eventually.

One big problem is the script. It's not the best. Pace is erratic and content variable. I get the feeling this was a very hard novel to bring to the screen but so feel it could have been done better.

The good things, and there are plenty.

Great acting, especially from the three siblings and 'Talcott' in particular. Forrest Whittaker is a class act (I'll forgive him Battlefield Earth).

Very good delivery of a variable script, dialogue is clear and has emotion.

Production values are evident in every scene.

I do think this series is better than the sum of its parts and encourage potential viewers top give it a chance. Having said that, I also think it's a binge watch rather than an episode every night.

I'm writing after having seen the first episode, that aired last night. And, it's very good.

This show is about POWER & FAMILY--and a mysterious DEATH. Led by the always-good Forrest Whittaker as a very powerful judge, who appears modeled after Justice Clarance Thomas.

But "The Judge" (as he's frequently called) has a very extraordinary tv family--especially for an African-American family. They are ALL accomplished, very bright & competitive. They also are being drawn, unwillingly, into a possible murder.

The circumstances and "supporting" characters are all involved in government, business, and the intelligence worlds.

The future episodes may be subpar, but the premiere was a definite 10 out of 10.

BTW, this series on MGM+ tv had almost NO marketing; and lots of people who would enjoy it, don't know it exists.

My only quibble is that I was drawn to this show because of FW who can do no wrong as an actor. He's got it going in lenght, breadth, and depth, when it comes to his craft. And in looks too, in that he's not the standard roll out from casting central.

As a leading man, he carries the weight with ease and grace and never phones it in, you here that Denzel? Al? Nicholas? Forrest never! Phones! It! In!

You guys can learn from him.

Not a whole lot of FW in this first episode but that there is of him is pitch perfecto!!! And I excpect a lot of backstory to unfold.

Rest of the cast, storyline, writing, all A's. Good mix of characters and the casting. Tension is not melodramatic, just the right setting on the dial.

So I'm all set to see ep 2. Let's go, let's go, let's go!!!

I watched this hoping for something new but as it went on I just thought this is simply formulated to keep me watching. That fine when the storyline grips you in that way but all this was is holes in a very simple story which only got revealed in the last episodes. If you hadn't already worked the full story out by around ep 5 then perhaps this show was aimed at you.

You know when a show has very little to sustain it when it has to keep flashing back and forward in time just make more suspense. If this had just been play in real time not many people would have though it worthy of more than 60 mins in length.

Poor acting and forced character interchanges mostly based on coincidence didn't help either.

And of course it's left it with an option of another series but please save us from that.

Again another series that started off well but deteriorated rapidly, into a looong drawn out angst fest with very little happening. You put together a good cast that can act, then gave them a weak script.

Worst of all is the idea that jumping backwards and forwards in time for literally each scene one after the other, episode after episode, makes for a watchable story! What were you thinking???

To fixate on the phrase "do you have the arrangements" repeated ad nauseam all the way through like an 'omage to the Olivier/Hoffman "is it safe" scene from Marathon Man, only succeeded in irritating to the point where I was shouting at the screen.. NO and I don't care either!!!