Emperor of Ocean Park

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.

Only half way through and Im obsessed. Have closed to 800 shows on my Watched List. This related to family complexities, social issues always leaving you needing more. The episodes seemlessly run together. It's the perfect show to binge in a day. It has an interesting perspective of how a father maintains unique relationships with each of his children which i think many will find relatable. Even though my political knowledge is limited the writers include me through the perspective of one of the children. In addition, the family dynamic is further relatable through the choice a of the siblings and how they complicate families. All while a mystery is being solved and real lives are being lived.

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!!!

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.

Finally, a Hollywood TV series with black leads where, no one is selling drugs, no one is from the hood, no one is on welfare, in public housing or on government support and needs to be saved. It's a miracle. The casting is good, the actors have range, they're educated, well spoken and employed and actually own stuff.

Hollywood need to produce more TV shows like this. Here's a gentle reminder, that not all POC come from lower income backgrounds, are African American and have a connection to narcotics. More of this Hollywood and less of everything else. More recognition of the fact that your audience stretches far beyond people who like shows like snowfall, the wire, godfather of harlem and abbott elementary. It's about time that Hollywood ups it's game and widens the scope of its content in both TV and film.