Luck- David Milch/Michael Mann on HBO

[WayAbvPar]

How is there not a topic on this already? God you people are slacking. If you have HBO you really need to be watching this. Easily my favorite show on HBO now. Great writing, great directiing/cinematography, great acting (and actors*), and lots of gambling for us degen types. Sundays at 9 and replayed ad nauseum through the week.


*Dustin Hoffman, Nick Nolte, and Dennis Farina, to name a few.

[Abagadro]

Catching up with it. Watched the first episode back in December and then rewatched it and have watched the second ep. Agree that it is really good. Only annoying this is having to spend 15 minutes after each episode explaining what is happening to the wife.

[WayAbvPar]

 

I was hoping you were watching this- specifically thought of you when I posted. Seems right up your alley. I think I am going to rewatch all the eps to date...I caught the 2nd half of the ep 3 again last night and some of the dialogue was much easier to parse the 2nd time through when I am not trying to follow the plot as well. I hope it catches on soon- numbers I have seen so far have been shockingly low.

[Rasix]

My wife and I watch just about every HBO show save some of the half hour ones.  We really haven't even thought about this so far.  It looks even less interesting than that surfing show that bombed a few years ago.

If we get a chance, I'll try out the first episode. 

[Johny Cee]

My wife and I watch just about every HBO show save some of the half hour ones.  We really haven't even thought about this so far.  It looks even less interesting than that surfing show that bombed a few years ago.

If we get a chance, I'll try out the first episode. 

The surfing show was fucking awesome, but way too odd to ever stick around. 

[Abagadro]

HBO has already renewed it so we will at least get two seasons out of it. From what I have read things don't really get going until episode four.

I love Milch's stuff and the subject matter is definitely in my wheelhouse (probably not a good thing to admit, heh). I hope they can develop a character as great as Swearengen on this show.

[Rasix]

HBO has already renewed it so we will at least get two seasons out of it. From what I have read things don't really get going until episode four.

I love Milch's stuff and the subject matter is definitely in my wheelhouse (probably not a good thing to admit, heh). I hope they can develop a character as great as Swearengen on this show.

Well, that makes it more appealing to watch.  I kept on with the surfing show until they canned it, then I just didn't see any point to sticking around for plot lines we'd never see through.  I think that may be the only show where I've seen every episode but the last. 

[Khaldun]

I thought the first episode was kinda meh. Glad to hear it gets better: I'll give it another shot.

[Tarami]

It's no Deadwood, but it's decent. It's certainly more intelligent than most other shows on at the moment.

[WayAbvPar]

It's no Deadwood, but it's decent. It's certainly more intelligent than most other shows on at the moment.

Plus it is about all kinds of gambling, which pretty much sells me on it regardless of other qualities. I watched every episode of Tilt FFS. I may have a problem 

[Tarami]

The setting almost turned me completely off it. I persevered though!

This is getting interesting for real now. The Greek is awesome, so is Escalante and Joey. Hoffman sadly feels misplaced, he's too... self-aware of the kind of crook he is.

[Rasix]

My wife and I will probably at some point power through the first few episodes.  The first episode was pretty awful for introducing someone to the series.  My wife absolutely had no clue what was going on at any time.  I barely knew what was going on.

What is with Milch and refusing to dumb down a second of his shows so people can actually get into them?   At least with Deadwood, the concepts weren't that hard to grok.

[Tarami]

It's the integrity that makes them interesting as shows, though. I don't doubt what these characters are doing because they don't feel like they're pandering to me. It's also the seriousness that makes it humorous - like the scene with the "Wait to go Greek" where three adult people in very serious terms consider what the hell it means.

[Soln]

I thought the first episode was kinda meh. Glad to hear it gets better: I'll give it another shot.

me too

what are they going to do?  The tropes of horse racing seem really over used.  For example, dying horse, lame horse, endangered horse, magical fast horse... and you can juxtapose horse with jockey.  Hope there's not a lot of animal cruelty dramatized.

[Rasix]

About episode 3-4 is when it gets good and should click with you if it's going to click.  My wife and I are now officially hooked.  Some of the scenes with the horses are really touching.

Oh, and at the start of episode 4 they do a "here's the plot in plain english, dumbass" intro. 

[Tarami]

Body count: 1.

[WayAbvPar]

I am not entirely sure he is dead. Not that I wouldn't welcome it. Nothing terribly redeemable or interesting about that character.

[Trippy]

Canceled: http://news.yahoo.com/hbo-cancels-horse-racing-series-luck-231442687.html

[WayAbvPar]

 

So fucking bitter. Why can't I fall in love with terrible shows that go on forever instead of brilliant shows that are over in a flash?

[Abagadro]

Fucking PETA.  Animals die. Deal with it.

[Ubvman]

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/03/14/hbo-ceases-all-future-production-on-luck/124549/

From what I gather, the show had terrible ratings. This could be an excuse to get out of high profile commitments to 2 seasons. They have already shot some stuff for the second season; dunno if they can reuse that.

[Tarami]

Sucks, but inevitable. The ratings don't surprise me as it's a really specific show. Most aren't going to like it.

Now to wait another half-decade for the next show by Milch.

[Ubvman]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/luck-canceled-hbo-dustin-hoffman_n_1346185.html

"Luck" was rather slow out of the gate, drawing only 1.1 million viewers for its premiere. The show has since struggled to attract 500,000 viewers during its initial Sunday night broadcast.

This sort of numbers don't improve after 7 episodes - this is not the type of show you can jump into and be able follow the plot. And then you have big names like David Milch, Michael Mann and Dustin Hoffman attached to it (on top of the high production values and cast) which cannot be cheap. HBO gave a 2nd season commitment after the 2nd episode, which I am sure they are regretting. The horse deaths give a convenient out.

Personally, the show is very boring. I gave it a try but by the 4th episode, I couldn't care about it anymore. It doesn't help that for realism's sake - they just assume everyone is up to date on horse racing lore.

EG: WTF is a claiming race and WTF is happening? I'm all what what what? How does that work?

[Ruvaldt]

I tried my best with this show, but I couldn't even follow the dialogue a fair amount of the time.  I'm betting that I am not the only one.  It doesn't surprise me that it got axed.

[Abagadro]

After watching the finale I am officially super fucking pissed that this show isn't coming back now. Good god. That was art. I'm not ashamed to admit I wept during that finale, twice.