Prosper

Prosper is blessed with an outstanding cast of respected Australian actors and is based on a timely and relevant premise given the unsettling influence megachurches and pentecostal Christianity more broadly claim to wield in many secular societies, despite their overall insignificant numbers.

However as an ex-Pentecostal with an all too familiar understanding of the whys and wherefores of that strange world, I feel Prosper's writers and actors would have benefited from developing a deeper knowledge and understanding of the language, cultures and idiosyncrasies of both the on-stage performances of celebrity preachers and the jargon and deluded self-assurance that those people employ in their everyday lives.

There are definitely moments in Prosper where Richard Roxburgh's talents as an actor are allowed to truly shine, particularly during some of Cal's darker moments. But when Cal is "in character" as a celebrity man of god in front of his congregation or praying on his own, his portrayal becomes more wooden and inauthentic. Rebecca Gibney is in fully Lady Macbeth mode for much of the series which I think is also a missed opportunity given the public role of the typical Pastor's wife in this world is to be a happy, shiny accessory. More juxtaposition between the persona and the person would have made her character richer and given Gibney a wider repertoire to work with.

My other reservation with this show is the number of subplots going on in each episode. Some end up feeling undercooked as a result. I would have preferred to see a slower build and more nuance and more tension around fewer threads of the story.

Hopefully if a second series is made, the will be opportunity to bring on writers or consultants who really, truly know how the murky world of pentecostalism works and thereby add a sorely needed layer of authentic credibility to this show which will reduce some of the cringe.

Incredible performances - Richard Roxburgh is truly one of the best actors around today. Great writing, stunning cinematography, complex character studies, nuanced, intelligent music, editing and stylised direction. The twists and turns are incredibly compelling. There are still lots of unresolved stories so would love season 2 asap! We binged it all in one day. Stylistically it's part Succession, part Fall of the House of Usher, and its own style of mystery and drama. Prosper is a brilliant achievement - a stunning exploration of hubris, family, love, desire, hypocrisy, deception, influence and the fall of man. Wow! Very excited for season 2!

Enjoyable, all to poignant depiction of an evangelical church. So much glitz and glamour, with Rebecca Gibney once more displaying excellence in her character portrayal of the family Matriach.

Richard Roxborough managed to convince me that he indeed thinks God speaks to him and he has deep seated beliefs that he is making the world a better place despite being so flawed.

I can see links to Hillsong, Sheila and the oOrange people to name two.

Great music, written by great local musicians.

Characters are so extremely and wonderfully flawed

Everyone has their own agendas and foibles.

I certainly hope there will be a season two.

The accuracy with which the show captures the performative faith and lack of self awareness of Megachurch incredibly accurately to be quite honest.

The preaching and coded language has drawn some ire in other reviews for being cringe-worthy, but frankly that is astonishingly true to Megachurches and the people that run them. The Megachurch jargon is also accurately captured, and much like real life the characters use it to deflect their predatory behaviour.

There's a surprising amount of good in this show for Christians who are to put it politely disenchanted with Megachurches. The show is certainly not anti religion, and it easily could have gone that way which is a credit to the writers.

The main weakness of the this show is the utter lack of humour within it. If you're going to compare yourself to Succession, one of the funniest shows of the last decade or so, there needs to be at least an attempt to engage in humour in some form. Given the actors involved, this is certainly a surprise, with Roxburgh in particular having done Rake in the past, which struck the balance of comedy and bleakness in the way Prosper desperately needed.

I'd definitely recommend the show to anyone interested in the subject matter and all it entails, but if you're looking for something funnier, this show probably isn't for you.

I attended Hillsong Church in Sydney for 6 years and this is a very accurate portrayal and quite insightful. The writers have obviously done their research, and it's quite surprising how on point they are! The thinly veiled George Aghajanian (HS general manager) character (Eli) is particularly accurate. It must have taken some good research to reveal the type of person he is, considering how guarded they can be.

The series also depicts Brian Houston (Cal) very well, highlighting his struggles with drugs, money, power, infidelity, and his overall disingenuousness. They did well to show the 'wizard' behind the curtain. I guess this is the problem with all rich 'celebrity' pastors, where eventually their growing hubris gives them a self-rationalised clear conscience to break ethical and Biblical boundaries. Congregants are isolated and marginalised as the money raising intensifies and people at the top get rich. Eventually this same hubris brings them tumbling down.

There is also the exploitation of staff, volunteers and Hillsong College students, which has led to a revolving door of burned out, disillusioned assistant pastors, leaders and church members.

Don't get me wrong, Pentecostal/Charismatic churches are a real true blessing (so maybe don't binge-watch this?). Technically, any church that has a membership of over 1500 people is a "megachurch", but if you happen to be a member of a charismatic megachurch this series will help you be more critical and less naïve; simply because of the large amounts of tax-free money changing hands with no external accountability.

It should also motivate you to question and hold to account the ethics of any large Pentecostal/Charismatic church (regardless of size) that mimics/models the methodology of Hillsong. Question your Pastor's motivation and ethics. Check the percentage of tithing actually going directly to the needy and not just 'building funds' and hidden tax-free fringe benefits for elite leaders and payments to/from your pastors to reciprocating guest speakers.

Definitely worth watching but please don't let it turn you off finding a good, ethical Bible-based Pentecostal/Charismatic church to attend!! But if you are already attending one as a congregant and you feel you are either being marginalised, disconnected or exploited, then you should probably find another church.