10 Recent TV Shows That Failed Hard (But Should Have Been Great)
9. The Last Tycoon
The 1930’s Hollywood setting, F. Scott Fitzgerald's source material, and solid casting of Matt Bomer and Kelsey Grammer all signified great things were coming. Yet, this just became another expensive Amazon drama that aimed at high prestige plaudits and awards recognition - but ultimately came up short.
The series was gorgeous, with period detail and costuming that bore the same level of passionate perfectionism that a show like Mad Men holds. As handsome as it was, though, it lacked anything going on behind it, making it all the more infuriating to watch.
The dapper lead of Bomer plays a familiar spin on the successful yet broken male from a lost era - sadly, we’re never given a good reason to connect with him or his backstory. This applies to the supporting cast as well - all interactions are played with stiff theatrical dialogue or anecdotal monologues, and everyone ends up feeling like roving plot-points and not much else.
Ironically, for all its thematic musings on the facade the characters use to hide their true selves, the series was guilty of the same thing: a handsome exterior that’s basically hiding a shallow and dull interior.