Who's In It? Kyle Chandler, Ben Mendelsohn, Sissy Spacek, Chloë Sevigny, Linda Cardellini and Sam Shepard What's It About? A family of adult siblings find that their past secrets and scars are revealed when their black sheep of a brother returns home. Why Should I Watch? If you haven't watched Friday Night Lights (all five seasons available on Netflix...), you might not know these two things. 1.) it is one of the greatest American shows of all-time. 2.) Chandler is one of the most reliable and criminally underrated actors at work today. Whatever project he is attached to, he brings tremendous quality. This rule is no exception to Bloodline which serves as Netflix's greatest original series. Squared off against the equally brilliant Mendelsohn, the show benefits from the strongest performance pallet across the service, as well as the finest visual craft. Shot on location in the hazy Florida Keys, expect ravishing cinematography which burns as brightly as the swallowing sun across the shore. Created by the forces behind Damages, it also offers the most assured and controlled writing too; a dizzying, disarming blend of family politics and disputes which delicately unwrap character by character, hour by hour. The decision to cross-cut through timelines also gives the show a striking edge as rarely are you able to predict when a flashback, flashforward or distilled memory will occupy the frame. Dialogue sequences are shattered by invasive dream-like imagery which really keeps audiences on their toes, and desperate to watch just one more episode. Brooding, gloomy and deliberately opaque, Bloodline follows the Rayburns; a wealthy unit of adult siblings whose family run a successful hotel, however they are hiding a dark secret that threatens to come to light when Danny (Mendelsohn) returns home for the 45th anniversary of his parents' business. Chandler is exquisite as younger brother and local detective John who is supportive of his troublesome brother, but doesn't think he is best-suited to be back home. The expansive supporting cast is also brilliant, with mighty fine work coming from Sevigny, Cardellini and seasoned veteran Spacek. Splintering stories, shocks-a-plenty, and an aura so widely unsettling that it holds the viewer with baited breath, Bloodline serves as one of TV's smartest and sharpest offerings. Luckily for Netflix subscribers, season two has been green-lit for 2016, and we are ready to check in with our bags... Agree with our picks? Which original Netflix series is your favourite? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Film and UFC obsessive with a passion for scribbling words about them. Avid NFL fan and big Chelsea supporter too.
Film Studies degree graduate from the University of Brighton.
