The USA Network has had enjoyable shows in its history, from “Burn Notice” to “Suits” and “White Collar”, but it was never any kind of critical darling. USA had never really aspired for something unconventional, artful or emotional enough to break through the clutter of the Golden Age of Television.
As FX president John Landgraf pointed out earlier this summer, there will have been more than 400 debuts of original scripted television shows on broadcast, cable and streaming services in 2015 alone.
With this being said, it’s time you heard about the show that helped USA break through all of that.
If you’re tired of hanging out with your same old friends on Netflix, whether it’s the ones from Albuquerque or the ones from Manhattan, I’ve got someone for you to meet.
His name is Elliot Alderson, and he’s a twenty-something computer programmer with some social anxiety issues. He doesn’t like the world the way it is. He’s quick to point out corporations’ fraudulent natures and even refers to the show’s all-powerful business conglomerate as Evil Corp. When approached – WARNING: I am going to spoil part of the first episode, but I promise I’ll be pretty spoiler-free beyond that – by a secret hacker group bluntly named “fsociety”, Elliot begins to wonder if he can truly help change the world.
I won’t say much more about the plot because I want everyone to find out for themselves, but let me tell you a few things about the show.
1. The story is told almost exclusively through first-person POV narrative
I can’t think of many television shows, due to their ensemble nature, that feature storytelling with such singular focus on one character as “Mr. Robot”. And Rami Malek, who plays Elliot, is more than up to the task. He delivers one of the most complex and interesting performances on television all year, only elevated by the show’s use of voice over in which the audience is put inside of Elliot’s head to hear his thoughts (or is he just addressing us, as his imaginary friend?).
Malek’s performance and the clear, distinct way of filming New York City that the show and its directors pull off makes for the most compulsively watchable show since “Breaking Bad”.* I watched a majority of the season on my family’s DVR, and I was always surprised when the show cut to commercial. Every single act felt like it was too short.
*The camera work even reflects the untrustworthy first-person point of view with characters often appearing far in the corner of shots at odd angles.
2. The show’s creator, Sam Esmail, is a man with a plan
If you’re worried about investing in a show after just one season when there are still seven seasons of “Mad Men” and eight seasons of “Dexter” to watch on Netflix, let me put your fears to rest.
Esmail, the creator and showrunner, has a plan for “Mr. Robot”, and he has USA’s full support.*
Esmail originally began writing the script as a feature-length film, but he found he couldn’t stop writing. The screenplay had become so long that the film would have to cut a lot of things to make it to the screen.
Instead of sacrificing his work, Esmail decided to make something completely different. So, he began selling his idea as a television show. The rest is pretty much history, but the important fact is this: Esmail has said in countless interviews that he still knows what ending he is building toward and that he intends to tell the story as fast as possible to reach it.** In the era of increasingly finite television, this should provide at least some comfort to the hesitant among you.
*The show was renewed for a second season before the first episode even aired.
**His estimate ranges from four to five seasons.
3. “Mr. Robot” feels nothing like a television show
I’ve watched a lot of television shows, and you start to settle into the way some things work. There will be a conflict here. This character is going to go through this depression arc. Episode nine will have the “big event”.
All of the typical things you expect from a television show are flipped, spun and pirouetted on this show. It never obeys the rules of TV storytelling and flips convention at every opportunity.
The only reliable metric on “Mr. Robot” is that the show will be interesting and compelling for most of the episode and end with 10-15 minutes of insanity.
I think I’m actually jealous of everyone who hasn’t watched it yet because I would love to race through all the episodes instead of being forced to wait a week in between each one like I did. I’m tempted to drop the “Betcha can’t eat just one” tag on this show because it’s that addictive.
So, if you’re looking for a new friend, check out “Mr. Robot”. Elliot is lonely, too.
All ten episodes of “Mr. Robot” Season One are currently streaming on USANetwork.com. Check them out, and let us know what you think.
Featured photo courtesy of: Flickr
