The Bondsman

Complete and Utter fun, Easy to Watch, Easy to keep watching. The writing is painfully cheesy but In a charming way, it feels intentional, kind of nostalgic. Deserved to have been made in the late-90's-Early 2000's, would have had a more mainstream audience.

I also forgot how much I missed the episodic formatting, 'Episode 1 Spoilers ahead' 1 Demon per episode makes it a blast to watch.

The world-building is also very interesting, I constantly want to know more about the way the world/afterlife operates. One of my only concerns is that it's only 8 20-minute episodes, but If anything; that just means that it's less of a commitment.

Those whose memory is able to extend back to 1999 will immediately recognize the "inspiration" for The Bondsman. Okay, a direct copy is the better comparison. In Brimstone , Peter Horton was a New York City police detective, who was sent to Hell because he took pleasure in killing his wife's rapist. John Glover, the Devil, gave the detective a chance at a second life if he would return 113 demons who escaped from Hell.

The Bondsman is still a bingeworthy program, and I really like the mother and son dynamics as they play off each other in the course of returning demons to Hell. Unfortunately, there's no one streaming the original concept in Brimstone, and it isn't available on DVD or Blu-ray. Those who like and enjoy The Bondsman, would really appreciate Brimstone. Still, it's a pleasant watch in its own right and it deserves a second season.

Ok so anyone that rates this a 1/10 without even seeing a single episode should get barred from 'reviewing' anything! Trust me, there is someone if you look. Utterly ridiculous!

This show definitely has Ash Vs Evil Dead vibes and Tucker and Dale vs Evil, oh, and maybe Preacher too. It's a 'light' horror with splashes of humour, mixed in with plenty of gore. It's a fun show to watch.

I don't want to say anymore than that, it's best just to give Episode 1 a go like I did.... and then 4 hours later I'd watched the lot, and was typing a review.

Kevin Bacon is excellent as the lead character Hub. The rest of the main characters are great too. Oh, and there's even some nice Country music I liked, and I'm not a fan normally.

It's well acted, good cinematography , great effects, and a high end production. It's a fun ride if you like horror that makes you smile rather than hide behind a cushion. Ok, so some of the dialogue is a bit cheesy but if you stick with it you'll notice a definite difference from episode 5 on.

I would absolutely watch Season 2 if it gets commissioned. Let's hope enough people enjoy it that it does. I'd probably rate it above 7 but not an 8 so that's why I scored it as I did.

The episodes are short so maybe just try it out and see what you think. For a show I'd never heard about, it was a pleasant surprise, and you can't really go wrong with Kevin Bacon who looks great for a guy that's 66 believe it or not!

I've yet to see anything with Kevin Bacon in it that wasn't worth watching, so we're off to a good start, especially with the addition of Jennifer Nettles to the cast.

The premise is not original; Reaper, Brimstone, The Dresden Files, Constntine, Wynnona Earp and Evil have all trodden this path. There are probably a few I've forgotten about. So now new ground is being broken here, but it's a fun ride all the same. It's not billed as a comedy but, in a similar way to Evil, it has comic elements which help to lighten the mood a little. Without these moments of lightness the gore and dark tone would probably be a bit too much, so the writers have done a good job of balancing the tone.

I don't typically write reviews. On the contrary, I typically leave it to others. But the polarized nature of the reviews currently given to this show have inspired me to give a, perhaps, more nuanced take.

The Good: For one, this show is easy to watch. The short episode run-times mean you can watch an episode or two without committing a huge amount of time, e.g. When you're commuting.

Additionally, the plot is easy to follow, but likewise engaging enough to where it'll keep you interested - hence why I call it "comfort TV".

Thirdly, it's got a great soundtrack, which is well balanced and feels thought out. Definitely a plus that adds to the overall experience.

The VFX are pretty good, too. Don't expect excellence, but it's certainly a far improvement from what most such shows had 10-15 years ago.

The Bad: The acting is far from phenomenal. It's not terrible, but don't expect any Oscar-worthy performances, either.

It's also not a show for die-hard mythology fans, the mythological elements are kept pretty simple, and don't go on a deep dive. This may be an upside to some, though, as (again) it makes the show easy to follow.

Also, the sub-plots aren't super deep, and can at times feel a bit forced, but overall they're just ok.

Overall: I'd say the show is definitely worth a watch. The plot is engaging enough to where you want to keep watching, and it's a fun experience. I'm interested to see where season 2 goes with the premise.