It's too bad. Treadstone could have been a fun show with intrigue and ass-kicking. Instead, it was a character-heavy, plot-driven show, and for what it was trying to do, the writing and storytelling just weren't there.
The back-and-forth between the present and the early 1970s seemed unnecessary, especially as the era's John Bentley looked a lot like the present-day Doug McKenna. In fact, all the 70s scenes weren't 70s enough to be distinct from the present. I didn't believe for a second that I was looking at 70s-era East Germany inhabited by 70s-era East Germans. Production design, hair, makeup, and costuming just weren't trying.
The show could have done with fewer characters. There were way too many for the viewers to care about any of them.
The cicadas, who was controlling them, and the goal wasn't clear. If they were supposed to be super assassins who couldn't remember, they sure remembered a lot. Some of them hadn't forgotten a thing.
I could go on. On the whole, the show was a muddled mess, and as someone who enjoyed the Bourne movies, I was disappointed. A do-over would be great IF the showrunners had a great story to tell.
