Swimming with Sharks

The show started good. There was a great potential which wasn't used by the end of the show. Acting was great, technically brilliant but unfortunately written poorly starting from episode 4.

This series has almost nothing in common with the 1994 cult classic of the same name. It's a weak combo of a lot of films/series you have already seen. The good news it's somewhat short. It may have been a more effective 2 hour movie.

The re-written version of the 2022 Swimming with Sharks misses the tough-to-come-to-grips-with lessons portrayed in the 1994 original movie. The 2022 series is fine for a consumptive time-passer... The 1994 original will stick with you for life.

This series deserves my rating of 7 simply because it is very dark (and by "dark" I mean noir and not poorly lit), something Hollywood rarely wants to touch with a ten-foot pole. Film makers aren't afraid of violence, not even a little, but it's mostly of the cartoonish variety like John Wick of superhero doggerel in which there are no consequences for the actions. They will show brains painting walls that would put Jackson Pollock to shame, but dark and noir scare the crap out of most film makers. That's too edgy, too emotional, so better just stick to over-the-top Road Runner cartoon violence so as not to upset anyone.

I would rate this even higher if they hadn't thrown a monkey wrench into the pacing in the middle episodes with a few inexplicable music videos which completely deflated the tension they had built in the beginning.

*The Bad Seed 1956 knew a lot about being dark. Totally creeped me out when I watched it when I was ten or eleven.

Fabulous transition performance from Kiernan Shipka, who sheds her girl-next-door image, as the deranged Lou seeking to find her place in Hollywood. Other than that though, this show is a mashup of clichés with an overly elaborate and ultimately unbelievable spine.

Had potential, but overplayed its hand.