The Old Man

This show starts super strong with great actions and a slow roll out of backstory that leaves you very intrigued. Once you are caught up by episode 4, things aren't going so well. Lithgow and Bridges are excellent. Shawcat is kind of a boat anchor, delivering every line almost in monotone. None of the characters are particularly endearing. As the plot development and action slows down after a few episodes, a lot of awkward dialogue fills its place. It seems clear that the writers were trying to recreate the style of The Counselor, screenplay written by Cormac McCarthy, but not doing such a great job. The more literary style of the The Counselor left a lot of viewers confused. How much more so will a bad copy.

I'll keep watching, hoping things get better.

This will be a short review. Season 1 was great.

In fact the first number of episodes were just epic, Jeff Bridges is sublime. It keeps you totally glued to see what happens next. Good back ground story and he is basically kicking ass, which less face it, is what we want to see from this so called Old man. Well, I know it is what I wanted to see anyway. It did deliver too, in buckets.

Unfortunately, season 2 has started off like a completely different show, slow, boring, bad story, I would almost stretch to say, bad acting from Lithgow. Just all around really the opposite to everything that was great about season 1. Very disappointing so far. It's looking like they should have just made a mini series and left it at that.

The Old Man is a spy thriller that is absolutely worth watching! Jeff Bridges is as terrific as always and does an incredible job making you believe he's still a bad ass at 72! His dogs steal every scene they're in and remind me of the dogs from John Wick. The rest of the cast all are at the top of their game here too, especially John Lithgow (who rarely disappoints). I know there are a lot of really good spy shows out there to choose from but this has everything you want from a spy thriller and should definitely be seen. I'm really looking forward to more and recommend this to anyone who's a fan of spy thrillers.

I loved the book. Unfortunately the adaption is stretched into a drawn out affair. I love Jeff Bridges, but the jumping past and present leaves the present day narrative poorly attended. This story could easily have been told in 4 episodes.

Enjoyed the first Season. The pacing, story, and characters were in good form. Costumes, set design, and music are top notch in both seasons. Various elements have become diluted with the 2nd season. The actors still give committed performances, but most of the dialogue is ridiculously ponderous. Some of Lithgow's lines come off as so basic that it's nearly laughable. His character appears to have just been hired into the intelligence community. This is not the actor's fault, it's the script. Many scenes feel like a Parade of Preciousness. Ironically, this tactic diminishes the potential of mystery. The languorous script is in harmony with the camera pace: there are enough long shots to flood a swimming pool. I plan to finish this season (just one more episode to go), but I'm not too keen to watch Season 3, assuming there is one. Maybe this show would have worked better as a movie.