City on Fire

The 1st episode doesn't do justice to the rest of them. The plot and characters change dramatically. It is interesting how the character lives intertwine and who is connected to who, and why. It's almost impossible to predict what happens next, and yet the story makes sense.

This needs to be binged watched because you need to have everything fresh in your head, in order to follow the story. Most clues are important and you constantly keep guessing who's the bad guy and who shot the girl. So many people, so many motives!

There are a few flashback scenes, but once you understand them, that wont feel confusing and out of place.

The main story concludes in the 1st season, but there are enough open threads that I would love to see them answered in the 2nd season.

Having watched after reading negative riviews, I am surprise lots. This is an unique well crafted show. This is my genuine opinion. Not bad at all. Stories are not linier that interconnect each other. Each character has connected slightly. I can understand the connection as an episode proceeds. Music is also effective foreshadowing the each characters emotion and setting. Each actor shows quite good acting and persuasive. Why the negative opinions ?I presume that how the story is conved is preferrable. If you don't mind non linier way of story telling, you can like this one. Especially, if you like stories set on New York city. You can enjoy, I hope.

This turned out better than I expected it to. "City on Fire" has engaging dialogue, solid character growth, and hardly any plot inconsistencies, which I found quite impressive given the number of things the show tackled story-wise. I can't comprehend that people think the writing is subpar. It's not perfect, but it consistently delivers and certainly has its great moments. Despite a few odd character interactions and representation, the writing is pretty airtight. And it only gets better as the show progresses.

While the busy plot focuses on multiple storylines simultaneously, the show never sacrifices one for the other. It will sometimes seem like two shows at once, but everything is connected brilliantly. This split focus between storylines is done tastefully to build relationships between certain characters and generally make the story more cohesive in the end. I also love that there are open ends, leaving the possibility of a return, but the main conflict is mostly resolved. It's all crafted very neatly, I'm confident I'm watching a decent adaptation without even having read the book.

The characters are mostly serviceable, and an amusing one pops up every so often. They serve their purpose in the story well and are played by competent actors. The dynamic between the two main characters is also great. Every scene with Chase Sui Wonders (Sam) is gripping. She breathes life into Oleff's character (Charlie), who comes into his own regarding honouring and defending Sam, which scored his character some points. I didn't think he was boring.

The production looks good, the cinematography is solid, and the score/soundtrack augments the dated feel of the show, given the setting. It's nothing revolutionary, but I found it very engaging and I might have teared up a few times during the finale. I think it's worth your time.

After watching the whole series in just a few days I must say: I really liked the show and the characters. I love good thrillers with plot twists and mystery. And there were plot twists all the time. The ending was also SO unexpected and left me wanting to know more. It doesn't end with a typical cliffhanger but there could be a possible second season because a few stories lines are left open. That the whole show is taking part in New York City is also a great bonus :) the cast was amazing and loved how the characters developed during the story. Definitely hoping for another season. City on Fire season 2 please?

There does need to be a little bit of plausible deniability here but if you can get past that it's a great show! I thought it was well acted and the characters were well developed. I feel like there was a good amount of suspense and twists through the series. I have a hard time paying attention to most shows and turn them off after the first 1 or 2 episodes. This one kept me intrigued and kept me pushing play. You root for the good guys and hate the bad guys and you are left hanging on until the very end. Not sure why the low rating, I thought this was a winner and better than more higher rated shows. Give it a chance.