Legado

As a fan I enjoy just about anything with Jose Coronado. He's a solid performer in everything I've seen him in. Rotten Legacy is no exception.

However, if you think you're in for an original concept, think again. This is basically Succession 2.0.

Succession was a remarkable drama with Brian Cox as the role that Coronado has in this series. Yes, it's a different series, but it is obvious that Rotten Legacy used Succession as an inspiration. Family drama, backstabbing, media empire, sound familiar?

While it is Succession 2.0, it is a solid show, if only for Jose Coronado in the lead.

My score 6/10.

Extraordinary. A raw and faithful portrayal of the inner workings of the press and politics, featuring highly exaggerated characters who embody the vices and flaws of the worst of high society. Outstanding performances and a superb script. Although the pace slows considerably after the initial episodes, the first three are truly impactful.

Since the story portrays (in particular) the hypocrisy of a certain segment of the political spectrum, the series is receiving numerous one-star ratings, likely from individuals angered by that depiction. I believe it is important to judge artistic works by their quality, not by other considerations; this is fiction, and if someone feels identified, that does not diminish the merit of the artists and professionals who created the work.

In summary, a controversial series, but one of excellent execution and rich substance.

Although the first couple of episodes seemed promising and looked like it would be about the political and social aspects of a media/newspaper family and its members, it fell into what has become far too common these days: a soap opera. The individual family members (and others on the periphery), with their sexual proclivities, drug usage, back-stabbing efforts and general family dysfunction quickly turned into a mess of too many side stories, too many characters, and lazy writing and character development. Stereotypes, an emphasis on trendy rich people and the focus on these empty, decadent and immoral behaviours (not just sexual), was really tedious by the 3rd and 4th episodes. I lost interest by then.

So I went into this prepared to not be impressed given the storyline lacks anything bordering on original, but I a pretty big fan of several of the actors so decided to give it a go. Plus I used to live in Madrid so I'll watch anything except horror that takes place there.

The acting, as I expected, was really good and the script wasn't too bad, my main complaint is that it was just waaaaaaay toooooooo loooooong. Instead of 8 episodes it could have easily been 4 without missing out on any important information or action. I just found myself several times wondering how much longer because so many things were being repeated and the same things said just by different characters it got really boring from episode 5 on (although picked up steam again towards the end).

Maybe worth a watch if you don't go in expecting too much...