468. Web-series Reviews – 267

More web-series reviews…

After Life – Came in 2019. Tony's life is turned upside-down after his wife dies of breast cancer. He contemplates suicide, but instead decides to live long enough to punish the world for his wife's death by saying and doing whatever he wants. Although he thinks of this as his "superpower," his plan is undermined when everyone around him tries to make him a better person.

A review from IMDB...

(Review updated after Season 3).

Tony's wife of 25 years, Lisa, has just died of cancer, leaving Tony a shattered, suicidal wreck. He goes from happy, caring and fun-loving person to cynical, rude and self-destructive. He figures that there's no downside to acting this way: after all, if things get too dire he can always commit suicide. But what if there are things and people worth living for?

Written by, directed by and starring Ricky Gervais, After Life is a brilliant drama. Incredibly relevant, relatable, realistic and dark. Makes you think about your own life, how you handle tragedy and other setbacks, what it all means and what's important to you.

Clever, original and bold plot from Gervais. Can't think of too many movies or TV series that have captured how one deals with tragedy, and suicidal tendencies, so directly and confrontingly ('Leaving Las Vegas' would be the best example I can think of). Not at all predictable: from the outset there are several paths the plot could have taken and Gervais keeps his options open all the way through.

It's not all drama though. With Tony's character being so cynical, there is plenty of room for comedy. The humour comes thick and fast, without detracting from the seriousness of the subject matter. The jokes are woven into the dialogue so well that the humour doesn't seem forced at all.

Great work by Gervais in the lead role. We know he can do drama, from 'Derek', especially, but his work here is quite eye-opening. The casting of Ashley Jensen is a masterstroke: the two of them recapture the chemistry they had in 'Extras' to great effect. Credit too to Anti as Brandy the dog - probably my favourite character in the series!

On the negative side, Season 2 is initially a bit disappointing. Season 1 was so brilliant and self-contained the series didn't need a second season. My fears were initially justified when, instead of progressing the story, S2 seemed to almost go back to Square 1. Even worse, the tone was lowered considerably by the course, unprofessional psychologist. He wasn't even funny, so not sure what purpose he served, other than to irritate viewers. Season 2's latter half is superb, however, and more than makes up for the slow, tonally disappointing, start.

No such problems with Season 3 though which is, for me, the best season of the lot. Hilariously funny and at the same time the deepest, most profound and most emotional of all the seasons.

A superb series and evidence that Ricky Gervais is a force to be reckoned with not just in comedy but also in drama.

Season 1 - 10/10, Season 2 - 9/10, Season 3 - 10/10.

My Take – A wonderful watch!

 

Smoke – Came in 2025. A troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator follow in the footsteps of two serial arsonists.

A review from IMDB...

Dennis Lehane and Taron Egerton's follow-up to Black Bird is ambitious, uneven television that succeeds as psychological thriller whilst failing as conventional crime drama.

The Good: Egerton delivers a masterfully unnerving performance once Dave's true nature emerges. His portrayal of wounded masculinity and narcissistic delusion is genuinely compelling. The supporting cast - particularly Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine's tragic Freddy and John Leguizamo's bitter ex-partner - provides excellent dramatic weight.

Ep 6-7 represent television at its finest, with psychological warfare that's properly riveting.

The Bad: Severe pacing issues plague the series. Ep 1 feels generic, Ep 4 descends into ridiculous territory, and Ep 8 tests patience as obvious setup. The finale prioritises character revelation over narrative closure, leaving frustrating loose ends. The series suffers from identity crisis: never quite deciding whether it's procedural or character study.

The Verdict: When "Smoke" embraces its psychological complexity, it's genuinely brilliant. Unfortunately, structural flaws and tonal inconsistency undermine its overall impact. The series works best as an actor's showcase for Egerton, whose performance alone justifies the journey.

Bottom Line: Compelling but flawed... worth watching for the psychological depth and exceptional performances, but temper expectations regarding satisfying resolutions.

Ambitious television that doesn't quite achieve its considerable potential.

My Take – Worth a watch!

 

Countdown – Came in 2025. An LAPD officer joins a secret task force to investigate a suspicious murder, but uncovers a sinister plot that requires the team to unite and save millions in the city.

A review from IMDB...

This is one of the best shows for a while and I can't fault any of the actors, they all give great performances.

I was really glad the first story was resolved because I hate it when they string you along and then you don't get a proper ending until they make another series, which unfortunately is what they've done with the second story.

The Old cliffhanger trick should be consigned to the past because unfortunately so many shows get cancelled nowadays for various reasons that very often we never get another series so we're left with a terrible unfinished story.

I really hope that doesn't happen here but in this day and age they should complete the story satisfactorily every series just in case they don't make any more.

For this reason I have deducted a point from my score and another point for various plot holes which I won't go into now so as to avoid spoilers.

Also a point deducted for my pet hate which is all too prevalent nowadays and responsible for ruining potentially great shows, that being the ridiculous trend to have different directors of episodes! It's a recipe for disaster and here there at least 8 different directors throughout 13 episodes which is just crazy. I can only assume it's because the makers want lots of their friends to get some easy money and extra on their CV's so do them a favour.

Unfortunately it doesn't help any series because they all have different ideas and it ruins the flow of the story and in many cases it makes you wonder if they've even seen the other episodes!?

My Take – Worth a watch!

Adios till next time😊!!