Aquarius

...and that's okay! There's a serial-killer cult-leader who has dirt on various officials, a follower who has reservations, a down-and-dirty ethically-challenged cop teamed with an idealistic partner with a scandalous (for the time period) secret, all mixed with classic music and drenched in sepia.

The acting is reasonable (not great, but not horrible... especially for network television) with some good portrayals by serial-killer Manson (Gethin Anthony) and good-cop Damon (Brian Shafe), and the sub-plots give a good sense of place (civil rights issues, drugs, sexuality).

The beginning is a bit slow, but you would expect that (it's not the type of show where you'd jump straight into a manhunt or anything). It's probably a bit more on the character drama- side than the action-side, so keep that in mind.

In the continuum of shows out there I'd rather watch this than The Americans, but I'd throw Aquarius under the bus for Hell on Wheels.

After about 4 or 5 episodes I find myself waiting for Duchovny to come back into a scene, he makes this whole show go forward; otherwise, a bit plodding in terms of story and script. The Manson actor good but in a scene with Duchovny, no contest who makes the scene memorable. Without Duchovny, a plodding script with pretty boy, pretty girl actors whom you want to be forgiving towards as it is obvious they are trying their best and good at it, but the script will not let you do it.

The show does a pretty good job of showing the times for what they were in terms of dress, cars, music and the like but at times, it gets in the way of the show. For example, the Duchovny characters son shows up having fled the war as an enlisted soldier appalled that he was in Cambodia fighting what he believed was an illegal war. Accurate but really off topic and this character is a diversion to the plot and unnecessary to illustrate the times. It is unlikely Manson did what he did because of this, so why throw this in the script (including the Black Panther movement angle)?

If the writers had stuck to the crime drama, dress, music, cars of the period it would have been a great series. Too many plot diversions that are unnecessary and make the script plodding.

BTW, David looks great for his age and his acting accomplished. He makes the pretty boy actors in the show look just that, boys and not men. Why I gave the show an 8/10. Without him in this show, try 6/10 at best.

Anyone that has done some research on Manson, the family and all circumstances that surrounded them before during and after the horrific countless murders that climaxed with the Tate La Bianca ones and the three ring circus that was the trial, knows that there was no need for writers and producers to embellish or go off book. Fact is stranger than fiction, especially in this story, you can't make this stuff up. The cast of characters, hippies, ranchers, runaways, satanic cultists, vindictive hells angels, black militants they re all there along with riff raff of all kind. Just read Ed Sanders The Family and Helter Skelter. There was no need to embellish, and the kids are way to contemporary. Some of the girls sound like jappy valley girls.

Californication is one of my favorite shows from all times. When I started Aquarius I thought that I was going to see Hank Moody resolving crimes in the early 60s but the Duchovny acting as Samson was so convincing that not for a single moment I thought about Californication. The same occurs when you watch the X files: another character very well formed but completely different from the other Duchovny's roles . That's good acting. The show is convincing, realistic and has a great soundtrack. If it weren't for the brownish filter that they put in every single episode with the purpose of letting you know that the events take place in the 60s the show will be great.

From time to time, a jewel is created and Aquarius is one of those.

A mixture of fiction and reality alike, based on true events of the 1967-1969 period.

• Superb script and storylines with correct development. Some fillers were there, story and character-wise.
• Brilliant depiction of that period in all scenes.
• Superb and believable acting by all of the cast. They all shone unequivocally.
• Stellar accompanying music and sountrack.

I won't be repeating in details what some reviewers hinted regarding the brilliant cast. Nobody here was above the other. Everybody did his job correctly and awesomly and was part of the big picture. As always, David Duchovny enthralled with his ever-present charisma.

A pity that unknown events led to the cancellation of this shiny series, with only sadness and disappointment remaining...