Oof - an awful ‘thriller’

Every time I see something about this show all my brain can think about is that NBC sci-fi show about underwater monsters that got cancelled.

I watched the first episode or two and it was so cliche it felt like that Kristen Bell thriller, except it wasn't a satire.

This show did not have a lot of fans here on Reddit but I was one of the few so I’m happy to see it getting renewed. Definitely not one of Apple’s top shows but I still found it watchable nonsense with that typical slick Apple production quality.

This show doesn't quite sing for me but I would watch Gugu Mbatha-Raw scrub mildew off shower grout for 8 hours, so I'm glad it's been renewed.

I thought this was supposed to be a miniseries?

I liked Surface (2005)! It was the most interesting Lost-like that came out.

I am glad that apple gives shows a chance rather than simply cancelling unsuccessful ones right away like Netflix.

Apple cancels shows that underperform (see: Mr. Corman).

Apple is also just getting started in the streaming game, so it's normal for shows that would normally get canned on another service to get renewed for another season because they lack a robust content library. Once Apple's content library is large enough, they'll be canceling shows just like every other service in the game.

Don't hate streaming services for canceling shows that people don't watch enough to justify the production costs. It's juvenile.

Never got to see why they were digging holes

Apple is a waste of money. Watch a season, wait two years for follow up season and they are only 8 episodes anyway. Streaming services are shooting themselves in the foot with the lack of new content and the reliance on movies made 40 years ago to provide content

So like a Jason Bourne without the super fighting skills.

I will watch Gugu do anything

Show got progressively worse as more was revealed. By the end, I found Gugu’s character to be utterly despicable and her quest for answers to be entirely unworthy of attention.

Yeah this is the first I've seen of a new one, got my hopes up lol. Sigh, I still want an electric kitty lizard for a pet.

Man I would love to see a retrospective on all the Lost-knockoffs that came out in the mid-00’s.

This show was decent. Not really sure how they’re going to stretch out the story for another season though.

On the off chance that you haven’t seen it, check her out in the Emmy winning episode of Black Mirror, San Junipero. One of the best pieces of television even written/filmed imo, and she’s enchanting in it.

Ohhhh for sure. One of the best. I really enjoyed her in The girl before on HBOmax too. She’s such a talent and stunning too

Check her out in Belle on HBOMax too

Will be checking this out. Thanks!

As long as it contains 10 minutes of people laughing at how on the fucking nose naming a show “flash forward” was when it came to its inspirations

I do wish shows would not have cliffhangers since a cancellation is a strong possibility.

I remember Apple canceling a show while it was still airing lmao, so get your facts straight. I think it was the Mr. Corman show.

Still sad about mr corman

When shows I forgot were on, and appear nowhere in the stream rankings, get renewed: of course it's an AppleTV+ series.

I want to say that, but she was so god awfully bad in The Undercovers, along with that human ken doll Boris Kodjoe.

Hard agree— she became awful at the end and you realize she isn’t just stuck in a classic protagonist “I’m the main character” role, she’s just an actual sociopathic narcissist

My one pop culture fairy godmother wish is to get to see San Junipero on a cinema screen somehow someday. I think it's absolutely stunning, not least visually.

Mbatha-Raw is incredible in it, as is Davis.

Eh, I liked INVASION better, but Surface was cool too. I'm just all about some William Fitchner and he seemed like he was having so much fun in William-Fitchner-Loves-Being-A-Pod-Person mode.

It even bled into shows that ostensibly shouldn't have even been that. Under The Dome was completely undone by Lost envy. And then they started firing showrunners every season only to hire new showrunners that would immediately abandon the previous one's plots and plans and then do that again like five more times. It was almost amazing how committed that show was to being a trainwreck.

Mostly it would just be about the writer’s strike that almost killed off scripted tv and ushered in the reality tv era for ad based channels. Life with Damien Lewis is the one I wish would have survived to an end.

It'd be nice if they could actually get some of the writers to answer the questions they set up on those shows

I so so agree

That was the problem for me as well. I found myself actively rooting against her by the end of the season. And not in a fun way like Succession or Game Of Thrones.

It’s too bad, because Gugu is a fantastic actor. The script was just dogwater.

You know that really would be. I got really into the first season of Heroes… wonder where they were going with that originally?

Yeah the writing didn’t lean into her being an actual bad guy hard enough— that’s the only way i can see Season 2 being worth making. It’s a show about people getting her back for her crimes and she just embraces the reality of her delusions.

Nobody has mentioned The River yet and now I have. Lovingly.

Was supposed to be a new cast of characters every season apparently

Invasion (again the one on ABC, not AppleTV) was the better show. I keep hoping someone picks it up and reboots it some day.

Also, “Invasion”, “Surface” — what’s up with AppleTV re-using old show titles from the 90s? Did they buy a studio that owned these names already or something?

What a lost opportunity. (Excuse the pun)

Terrible to no payoff at the end of season 1. Surprised it got renewed

One sign that Apple is canceling or not renewing a show is when they stop tweeting about it all of a sudden, even while it's airing. It happened to Little Voice, Home Before Dark, Suspicion, Mr. Corman and Central Park.

The reason is Reese Witherspoon. Tim Cook loves her very much, so ALL of her shows on Apple TV+ are renewed non-stop. Even complete dogshits like Truth Be Told.

I liked the trailer for The Event, but it just didn’t come together very well, same with Revolution

I’ve noticed a big drop off in quality of Apples new shows this year, Severance is a big exception to that, and the returning shows were good, but a lot of the new stuff was underwhelming this year.

It took some big swings that didn’t always land, but it was interesting and unique, I would’ve watched more

For sure at least another season. If it didn’t get the views I get it but I do feel at least on social media people don’t give shows enough time to find their footing

Some great shows only became great in a second or third season

Yeah, even Andor takes a few episodes to really get going and it’s one of the best shows of the year

>One of the best pieces of television even written/filmed

Redditors try not to overhype things as much as possible challenge

They were both great. Invasion had probably better cast/acting, but i liked the mystery/story of the Surface more, the way it kinda moved from sort of scifi mystery and family show through conspiracy thriller to catastrophic show in the end, it was fairly entertaining to me.

>One of the best pieces of television even written/filmed imo

Important context. It’s how I genuinely feel, I’m not stating it as some immutable truth.

I don't believe you feel this way

Yeah, I’m anonymously lying about my personal preferences concerning a television episode that came out 6 years ago to a tiny anonymous audience in a low traffic Reddit thread, because reasons. Busted! Nothing gets by you, chief.

Now you are speaking some truth.

That show was, well it wasn't great. I did watch all of that season though. Then again I also watched all of Siberia on NBC.

You could say you're gaga for Gugu.

Did you see the end? There's like a huge part of the mystery they left unsolved.

Exactly, that was the running joke with Netflix for a while at the beginning too, that everything was automatically getting three seasons. Obviously it's different now but Apple is following the same path somewhat. Not enough content to cancel everything, got to build up the stable a bit first.

Weird someone would downvote you and OP for sharing interest in her work.

Guilty

Yeah, I saw it. I can’t really recall it right now though.

I down voted you? Not much experience here so not sure why

No, you and the comment above.

This show was horrible and frankly doesn’t deserve a second season. Gugu is a great actress but this show did nothing for her. The plot, writing, and characters were horrible.

that show was awesome, major cliffhanger too from what I recall. they were planning a 3-season thing and only got 1. it had carla gugino too and overall was much better than invasion and that other one that came out that year and was also about aliens.

I swear Apple's goal is not to make money directly from AppleTV+. I wish I could fathom what it actually is.

They've let a lot of sleepers have second seasons. Just because they cancel one doesn't mean they aren't giving a lot of them some room to breathe.

Apple is also a company that prides itself on quality. Why would you assume they will run their streaming service the same as the others that do quickly kill off potential big shows with only a small cult following after season 1.

A lot of great quality shows need time to breathe and I think apple understands that.

You seem incredibly naive if you think the viewership < production costs ratio doesn't apply to Apple.

>A lot of great quality shows need time to breathe and I think apple understands that.

I think you are blissfully unaware how many "great quality shows" have low viewership numbers that actually grow in viewership over time. It's incredibly rare.