The Girls on the Bus

I just watched the 10th and final show (of season 1. The showrunner hopes for a season 2 - which is unannounced as of now.)

I love this show. I had to go back to watch the first minute of the first show - because it foreshadows the very end of the last episode.

Some criticize the characters as being stereotypes - and yes - but I quickly came to care about each character, even though there was one I looked down on and another I disliked because her politics were different than mine, but - the show did a great job of humanizing each journalist, and developing their history and motivations.

The show is so relevant to politics today.

Don't miss this great show. It deserves your attention.

It's been a while since MAX (formerly HBO Max) released an original show that I've actually liked.

That's finally changed though. The Girls on the Bus is incredibly enjoyable to watch. The talent and chemistry amongst the cast is magic. Melissa Benoist shines in every scene she's in.

MAX's marketing for the show is pretty much non-existent which makes me believe this is the only season we will get. I feel like if this was in any other streaming platform or network it would have gotten a press junket. I don't think MAX was the right distributor for this series but I hope this series leads to more future easy-to-watch content to their platform.

I am not a fan of political dramas so I honestly didn't have high expectations. I started watching because of the cast. My rule is to watch at least 3 episodes because a new series almost always needs to get going.

I was pleasantly surprised. The cast is solid, the chemistry between them is good, the character depth is clear, it has humor, it is thankfully not overdramatized, there are no ego roles, it deals with substantive issues, the story is satisfying and the production is good.

For me it's a pleasant breeze of fresh air.

I hope there will be a second season.

.........................

First, let's acknowledge that all of the actors on "Girls on the Bus" are incredibly talented. What has me hooked is the show is the ghost of Hunter S. Thompson. It's such a new twist in a political dramedy. The character gives context to the time frame and is a great vehicle into the mind of Sadie. It's also almost scary how the actor playing Hunter Thompson looks and acts like the real Hunter S. Thompson.

This show is definitely worth a watch. It's rare to find shows that have complexity with superb acting and a the ghost of a journalist who was himself a very complex person. I agree that it's not for everybody (what show is?). However, the 1 ratings don't even acknowledge the excellent talent or the ingenious Hunter S. Thompson character. Maybe some people don't know who he was or his defining contribution to journalism.

In the past, I used to enjoy TV series and movies about elections and presidencies, not just the obvious "West Wing," but almost all of them (by the way, "Dave" with Kevin Kline is one of my favorite movies of all time). However, I don't feel the same anymore, especially considering the current candidates for POTUS and world leaders in other countries.

So, I was initially reluctant to watch "The Girls on the Bus," but I gave it a chance when I saw that Carla Gugino and Melissa Benoist were the two leads. So far, I've watched one and a half episodes and have decided to continue following the show.

I'm not entirely sure if I enjoy the plot that much, but I do appreciate the performances, especially Melissa Benoist's portrayal of an ambitious young journalist who can't catch a break. It's not an easy role, and another actor could have easily overdone it or created a caricature of the character, but she managed to keep it in control.

As I mentioned, I'm unsure if the plot will make sense in the end, but the script has managed so far to portray the personalities of the main characters with adequate complexity.

Overall: It is somehow interesting. Not deep as other well known series. Characters not paper thin. Good performances.