The Premise - Questioni morali

There is no pretence here. Up front the makers say these are parables to make you think about issues that they feel affect American society. In the first two episodes it is racism and gun control.

As a result we have a modern Tales of the Unexpected with a number of agendas.

Like another review I think they should have shown episode 2 about gun control first. It was well performed and tight. I had seen a similar story before but it was good.

Episode 1 was about police malfeasance and racism. As a result it did not really contribute anything. And so put people off.

I don't really think the series achieves its goal of encouraging discussions. Messages forced on the audience without entertaining them never work.

TO Start: The actors in "The Premise" are quality actors, they tried their best and saved the show from an all-out disaster.

BJ Novak introduces each episode as if it is a work of genius. It is obvious that the Premise is heavily influenced by Netflix's Black Mirror but unlike Black Mirror, it is missing quality writing. Each episode is supposed to leave the audience thinking about each situation, as if something truly groundbreaking has occurred. If this show actually accomplished this main point then The Premise would be an instant classic. However, it fails because it never truly draws those main points to a fully recognizable conclusion. AS if it was missing The Premise of each stand alone episode.

Each episode does not seem realistic. The things that happen in the episodes do not seem real, as if they would really happen in real life. Unlike Black Mirror which is full science fiction, The Premise is pure fiction but tries to imagine scenarios that would be outlandish and crazy, but could actually exist and happen in real life. Furthermore each episode seems so unlikely to ever happen in real life it is hard to believe.

The Acting is great. The actresses and actors chosen in each episode is the main strength to this show. It is the main reason to even watch it. Even if the show feels stupid by the end. Because the show did not leave me with a sense of awww or wow it left me thinking, "well that was stupid" 4 stars is being generous, but the quality of the actors/actresses deserves as much. The show needs better writing and some better sets. The sets were all pretty terrible in my opinion. None of the show seemed real or authentic. The way BJ Novak presents each episode is like "Seriously, this guy should let his show stand on its own two feet" and we know you created it. He needs validation and credit for each episode, well, that is the impression I obtained from watching each episode.

Overall, if the Premise had better writing and more realistic premises, then I would give it another chance. The acting was great, the show does have potential, but can it go beyond what it is now? A conceded mess by BJ Novak.

Some good, some better, some not.

This seems to be a vanity production for Novak. Him wanting to try a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Least favorite, the one about the guy coming back to high school. It was strange on too many levels. There was zero balance.

Most favorite: Hang on, because this surprised even me: Butt Plug. It was brilliant! Absolutely brilliant. There's one teeny tiny hint in there that I played back twice to make sure I heard it correctly (and I did) because it made no sense at the time - and then it made all the sense to the piece.

Frankly, the bully should have been a lawyer!

I admit to fast forwarding through some of these.

All in all, it's worth it.

The Premise is an anthology series, which means each episode is separate from the others. Each has its own characters, actors, plots, and storylines separate from the others. As a result, you get a wide spectrum of stories and, likewise, story quality. For what it is worth, episode 2 is the best, with episode 5 not too far behind. Episode 3 was entertaining enough. Episode one was okay, not great. Episode 4 you can skip. But with only five episodes, you can watch the entire series pretty quickly. It was a waste of time. There are a lot of great actors in this show, such as Ben Platt, Jon Bernthal, and Daniel Dae Kim. I'm not surprised this show only had one season, as it was kind of all over the place. It was pitched to be a balance between comedy and drama, but it had a hard time finding that ground. IMO, the show worked best when it leaned into the drama. Episode 2, which is the best, has no funny parts. But 5 did have some levity that helped it. If I were to recommend this show, I would say watch 2 for sure (Jon Bernthal's episode) and then 5 (Daniel Dae Kim's episode). If you liked that, watch 3, and then you can decide if the other two are for you.

Unique in this aspect, the aspect of political relevance and accuracy ) brings the top and subtle details of this culture war.

Well acted, well built.. a bit unrealistic and exaggerated but its worth the trip.