An absolute delightful surprise! Let's be honest, Netflix original series can be very "hit and miss. Well, this one was a surprise hit. I really loved it.
I don't give 9 stars to a Netflix original series very often, perhaps just a few times, and my average is probably around 4 or 5. But this series simply surprised me, and in such a delightful way. I was happy and thankful I invested the time watching this show and enjoying the interesting and at times very funny story.
First, the writing is very refreshing. It's intelligent, funny, dramatic, intriguing, and there are several ties between past and future episodes that make for delightful storytelling. Too often, when lesser writers use non-linear timelines, flashbacks, etc.... It makes for a very confusing and hard to understand plots. Not here, because the editing was perfect. The flashbacks, and time resets, made complete sense given the story that was being told. They made for an interesting and a dynamic storyline that was ao engaging. We don't get this type of writing very often and especially in the Netflix series. So congratulations to the writers and the editors. It was very well done.
Second, I want to sing the praise of the producers. In short, they hired great actors. Everyone played their characters, primary and secondary, so very well. And speaking of secondary characters, there were several who were fantastic "scene stealers", and the show did a very good job of tidying up the subplots with these interesting secondary characters incredibly well. Indeed, the series ended with me wanting to know more about them. I will absolutely watch another season should they produce it.
Speaking of the actors, what a breakout role for Abby Lee. Wow! She played this key role with great finesse neither over or under playing her role and lines. I've added her as a favorite actress and look forward to future projects.
But again, every single actor in this entire series played their roles perfectly. So congratulations to the director and the producers. And of course to the actors themselves. I am very impressed.
Third, there is a lot of cultural and racial diversity in this series, yet it is not "woke" at all. I find this refreshing because I'm getting bored with such "listen to the message" entertainment. No one was written in as a "token" role for their race or their gender, and the writing was so good the characters became an end to themselves within the story itself. Again, incredible writing.
There are a few sexual scenes in the series and a few scenes of violence, but none of it is gratuitous. It makes sense within and is needed for the grand arc of the story.
I highly recommend this series.