Preacher

Not yet read Preacher, but I was a little aware of the concept before starting this adaptation. It was mostly the stars that encouraged me to watch, as I'm a big fan of all three leads, particularly Joseph Gilgun and I'm overall I'm happy I did, as I liked (but perhaps didn't love) this series.

Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper) is a former criminal who has returned to his hometown to become their Preacher - as his father once was. Attendances are dwindling and Jesse is unsure of his place in the world, then he receives what he believes is a divine gift. When he speaks, those who hear are forced to act on it, regardless of what it is. With his church on the up, he reconnects with Tulip (Ruth Negga) a childhood friend who has a mission of revenge for them both to begin and meets Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) an Irish Vampire just looking for a good time.

The first season is a funny, daring adult fantasy with wonderful central performances from its three leads and able support from the likes of Jackie Earle Haley, W Earl Brown, Lucy Griffiths and Derek Wilson. It ends at a point that I was really excited to see where it would go, but from there the show repeatedly splits up its three central characters and the second season is a step or two down in quality from the first. The third is better, but repeats the trick of splitting up the leads and introduces an element of repetition into the story line, as does the fourth. The later seasons rely on this bond between the three but the bonds between them is really something that we're more told about, than seeing exist.

One other slight issue, now it feels like it's another aspect of the very busy "adult fantasy" market. "The Boys", "American Gods", "Legion", "Good Omens" have all come subsequently and all (to some extent) cover similar ground.

I don't want to give the impression that it's bad, at any point, but aside from the first season it's just a bit too peripatetic and repetitive for its own good.

Many people have criticised the show, some based on religious "blasphemy" and some on the fact that it isn't true to the comic. However, SEE beyond the face value. It's not about revenge, it's not about Justice. It's not about religion or atheism. It's about letting go. Surrendering to what you can't control. Humanity. Duality. Our light side and our dark side. There is a much deeper message embedded in this TV show. These writers have done their homework. They get it (as with many other writers). See past your ego for once and see the Universal Truth hidden within.

I hadn't even heard of the Preacher comic books (or graphic novels if you wanna be that person) but I also never heard of the Walking Dead before the show and now that turned into a phenomenon. This didn't quite become a major hit but AMC managed to pick another gem out of a pile of more obscure source material and execute it while looking polished but not selling out to appease a wider audience. I guess you're able to have a little more leeway when you're backed by the likes of Seth Rogan (one of the shows producers and he's been hitting some homers too with his comic book choices) The story revolves around a former crook turned preacher who through a series of unfortunate events came across a rather dangerous power that was "misplaced" by heaven and now has an assortment of kooky characters trying to get it back while he stubbornly refuses to return it unless he speaks to God himself who is apparently missing. This is a really great unique concept. It reminds me of Constantine not only in it's way of playing with the christianity mythos but in its antihero main character. Actually all the characters in this show are quite flawed and can in no way be called a hero in a conventional way; another reason I really like this show. The characters are unique and memorable and very well-cast. Some characters that really stand out though are of course the vampire and the bald German man. Very great. The writing is also quite good of course. Lots of wit, nothing extremely deep but it's fun for fun's sake with some really nice twists and blood-splattering bangs (trust me there's no lack of gory violence and outlandish lude humor). It doesn't really try to woo you with any of its sets or effects though it looks pretty but don't go expecting any epic thunderbolts or larger than life hellscapes. It focuses more on the story than on it's visuals. The characters end up tripping up on their own flaws almost too much. I would've been a little excessive if it kept on going the way that they did. 'Glad they reached a pretty gratifying conclusion and not left it with an ambitious "to be continued" though I gotta say they really seemed to stuff that last season with as much lewdness (is that a word?) as they could get away with. They knew it was going to be the end so they almost made another "This is the End". All in all a fun twisted dark fantasy without Kanye West. 7.72/10.

Preacher has to be one of the hardest shows that I've had to describe in all of my reviews. It was so bizarre that if I tried explaining it to you you probably wouldn't want to watch it. So I won't and you should. The biggest thing I can tell you about this show is that I promise you've never seen anything like it and I promise you'll have a good time watching it. It has plenty of violence, drama, comedy, mystery and thrills to keep just about anyone entertained. If you didn't watch this while it was on that's actually an advantage for you because this show is definitely better watched as a binge instead of waiting week to week and then months between seasons. It's not going to be on anyone's best ever list but it's still definitely worth the time to watch.

I can't believe how unique, fun, smart, dramatic and insane this show is. The twists are as unique as the characters... This show is definitely binge worthy... Thank you creators, actors, writers, and everyone else involved in this show.