Science fiction is one of the few genres that can truly support a sleeper hit. No matter how low-budget, how weird the direction, or how poorly aged, if there’s a strong idea, any sci-fi story can stand the test of time — Just look at 60-year-old shows like Doctor Who. Because of this, it’s no surprise that streaming services just starting out often look to sci-fi to build on: Netflix Stranger thingshas Disney+. The Mandalorianand Apple TV+ was particularly successful For all mankind, Separationand, more recently, The silo.
Now, MGM+ (formerly known as Epix) wants to create its own flagship sci-fi show to replicate that. The siloThe success of – and comes incredibly close.
gave The silo The comparison is unearned: Bacon 23 Based on a short story collection by Hugh Howe, who wrote the source material for it. The silo. The series follows a space lighthouse (Howe really has a thing for cylindrical buildings) and the various keepers who have lived there over the years. The first episode focuses on government agents Esther (Lena Headey) and Hallan (Stephen James), and their story weaves in and out of the first arrivals, creating a huge mystery that’s as fascinating as it is classic science fiction. Fi is a trope. .
Because of the short story’s source material, Bacon 23 Able to use a non-linear, episodic structure that almost echoes single-set anthologies such as Room 104. Showrunner Zach Penn, best known for writing early drafts of a bunch of MCU movies The Avengers, The show uses the structure to its advantage: with each episode centered around the Beacon name, the relatively low budget is expertly disguised.
In the experienced hands of guest stars like Barbara Hershey and Stephen Root, flashback episodes focusing on Bacon’s past become the show’s bread and butter. When you’re in a remote location, every episode is a bottle episode.
Thankfully, the story fits exactly what this show is trying to be. There are episodes that play out as action thrillers, episodes that more closely resemble suspense dramas, and episodes that devote themselves to love stories — each with their own style and tone. have gone Aster and Halan’s tenuous dynamic has been fleshed out and deepened throughout the past storylines, and it all leads to a final note that takes a big swing — and possibly sets up a season 2.
This sleeper sounds like the perfect recipe for a sci-fi hit, but will it get the flowers it deserves? The biggest obstacle to its success is simply its availability: MGM+ isn’t exactly on everyone’s streaming service roster. Considering its ambitious weekly release of eight episodes (with a two-episode premiere), the release is going up against the best of the year.
But if you’re willing to persevere and pick up a new streaming service, Bacon 23 Even the most prestigious sci-fi television will reward you with excellent companionship. This is TV as it’s supposed to be: ambitious, innovative and with a creative budget.
Bacon 23 Premieres November 12, 2023 on MGM+.
Credit : www.inverse.com
