Back in March, I raved to you lovely readers about the gloriousness that is Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. The writing! The characters! The music! All so very good.
I have another Netflix original series to wholeheartedly recommend this month, although you’ll have to firmly remove your Kimmy Schmidt hat for this one, because it’s pretty much the exact opposite of that show. Maybe the only things it has in common with Kimmy Schmidt are: 1.) it’s by Netflix and 2.) it’s WONDERFUL.
The show? I’m talking about Bloodline here, folks. The drama/thriller starring Kyle Chandler (who Friday Night Light fans will always revere as Coach Taylor), Sissy Spacek, Ben Mendelsohn, Linda Cardellini, Chloe Sevigny, and Sam Shepard is truly phenomenal. My friend Bethany recommended it to me, and now it’s time for me to pay it forward and let all of you guys know about its amazingness.
Here are just a few reasons why I’m obsessed with Bloodline:
1. Kyle Chandler. (If you didn’t know that was going to be my first reason, you don’t know Kyle Chandler.) I, personally, was introduced to Kyle waaaaay back in the day when he starred in Early Edition (remember that rather terrible show?), and then loved him on Friday Night Lights as Coach Taylor. He’s so well cast in Bloodline as well, playing good guy sheriff John Rayburn.
2. It couldn’t be set in a more beautiful location. Bloodline‘s plot centers around a family that owns an inn in the Florida Keys, and every episode made me long to visit the Keys more and more. (Anyone down for a visit? Only half kidding here…)
3. It keeps you on your TOES, man! This show blew my mind. So much so that, now that I’ve made it through all 13 episodes, I’m backtracking and re-watching the season to pick up on subtle things that make sense once you’ve seen the full storyline play out. You get snippets of what’s to come in each episode leading up to “the big event,” but even with those glimpses it will blindside you to a point. I have no idea how they’ll frame things up in Season 2, and I have a hard time believing it can be better than this inaugural season, but they’re definitely laying the groundwork for another interesting season.
4. Like another one of my favorite (and now over — which I’m still devastated about) shows, Parenthood, this plot focuses on a family of grown siblings who are making sense of their pasts and negotiating family politics, etc. The incorporation of flashbacks is well-done in this show, adding helpful context to each character’s past.
5. Ben Mendelsohn, who plays the black sheep of the Rayburn family, is captivating in his role. He’s Australian (something I didn’t find out until after watching all 13 episodes — his American accent is PERFECT) and has an impressive resume, but he shines in this series as the charmingly creepy and cunning Danny Rayburn.
6. Kyle Chandler.
Happy binge watching, friends!
7. Kyle Chandler
Did you say Early Edition was terrible? I think you meant TERRIBLY AMAZING. Like that cat, for example. That cat was amazing.
Okay, okay — the cat was the star of the show, it’s true.