Mr. Mercedes (2017)

Watchseries; It starts off well enough, but throughout the series they fall into the trap of introducing new characters and dilemmas rather than focussing on a decent, concise and gripping series.

Ive not read the book so cant comment on similarities etc. But as a series, it falls into the tired old framework so many series go down, with more emphasis on keeping the story going and dragging it out, rather than making it well.

Got bored around episode 7.... shame really.

It starts off well enough, but throughout the series they fall into the trap of introducing new characters and dilemmas rather than focussing on a decent, concise and gripping series.

Ive not read the book so cant comment on similarities etc. But as a series, it falls into the tired old framework so many series go down, with more emphasis on keeping the story going and dragging it out, rather than making it well.

Got bored around episode 7.... shame really.

Mr. Mercedes watchseries. I'm a huge fan of Stephen King and have been for many years but I've hated the majority of adaptations of his work. Not because they don't stay true to the books but because sometimes they stay too true and it just doesn't work. There is a huge difference between a book and a screenplay so doing a word for word copy of a book, especially a King book, just doesn't work on the screen. Thankfully with Mr Mercedes this hasn't happened. The characters are there, the plot is there but there are differences and I'm glad there are. Brendan Gleeson is a great choice for Bill and the production doesn't have that cheap feel that a lot of King adaptations have (The Mist TV series, Under the Dome, The Shining mini series to name but a few). I'm two episodes in and I'm hooked. I only hope they don't let it ramble on beyond the source material and spoil it as that would be a real shame.

I feel this has gone under the radar for many people. (Being on the audience network didn't help) stumbled across it on Amazon prime (UK) and have been hooked. The story, character development and acting have been phenomenal, Brendan Gleason being a stand out!

Only downside is season 2 takes a bit of a weird supernatural turn, but stick with it, it does get back to season 1 highs. Shame there is no season 4 but it had to end at some point. Definitely give this a go

Brendan Gleeson and Justine Lupe as 'Holly' stole the show with their characters. Harry Treadaway re-defined the word creepy as the evil villain. You must see the whole series from start to finish and season three is on the way. Mary-Louise Parker has a part and enhances the series like so many other actors, like Kelly Lynch from 'Roadhouse', who gave a great performance. This show is filled with surprises, and I have no intention of spoiling anything. It's unpredictable, just the way most people like a story line. Run with it.

This is a great show, but the reviews are probably going to be mixed right now as a result of the tragic events that happened in Charlottesville recently. TV doesn't just happen folks. This is a TV series based on an incredibly good series of books by Stephen King, whose trilogy finished up last year. This has been in production, in filming and is now finally coming out. It's not some knee-jerk reaction to recent news in the name of getting ratings or having a political agenda.

Some people just don't think before they post reviews. Just enjoy the show for what it is, great TV, and try not to make everything political. I wouldn't even say it's in "bad taste" like one reviewer did. It's a TV show, and if you follow it long enough you'll see that the attack with the vehicle is only a part of the overall story and that there's a lot of other content to enjoy. People, sadly, get hit by cars every day, some on purpose and some not. What happened in Charlottesville is a tragedy and I absolutely condemn the racist, small-minded person that committed that act, but don't blame this TV show for existing in the face of that tragedy.

It's fantastic that this adaptation has allowed the relatively slow unfolding of Brady Hartsfield's dance with Bill Hodges to simmer at more or less the same pace as the book; watching two people's lives revolving around one another at a distance is mesmerising, even before the inclusion of Hartsfield's moments of lethal tantruming.

The casting is terrific, the peripheral characters are used well, and there's an energising undercurrent in that everyone seems more interesting when viewed through the lens of Hartsfield or Hodges... what perceived slight or threat has Hartsfield sensed from them, what use can they be to opening up the investigation for Bill? As for the horror, it's sordid and nasty, and very human. The inclusion of the twisted relationship between Hartfsield and his mother is unsettling in the extreme, more so because of the sense that his mother has shaped him into this person who has grown almost beyond her ability to manipulate... he's her victim, but she's now obliviously trapped in reliance on a very dangerous person, creating a morbidly fascinating relationship that often has the viewer near sympathy for both of them, but then expertly throws you back into disgust.

There's a lot of waning interest because of the pace, but for me it's ramping up with every seemingly innocuous scene. It's almost like the series is taking the time to tell us a story, rather than spoon feed us distraction. This is how I like my TV; weird, suspenseful, full of potential, with an excellent cast, attention to detail, music well used and no sense of having a scheduler with a clipboard and stopwatch directing every scene.