Note: this is a spoiler-free advance review of the first episode of Feed the Beast, which will premiere on AMC on Sunday, June 5 at 10pm EST.
In this post-Mad Men and Breaking Bad era, AMC seems to be leaning more and more heavily on adaptations (Preacher, The Night Manager) and spinoffs (Fear the Walking Dead, Better Call Saul) over original concepts. It's a strategy that's worked pretty well for the network so far, but Feed the Beast (which is an adaptation of the Danish series Bankerot) threatens to break that streak. This restaurant-based crime drama serves up an unappetizing mishmash of story elements and certainly won't leave viewers hungering for more.
Feed the Beast was adapted and developed by Dexter original showrunner, Clyde Phillips. The show revolves around two friends and former restaurateurs struggling to take advantage of the booming Bronx real estate market. Tommy Moran (Friends' David Schwimmer) is a sommelier currently moonlighting as a wine salesman and grieving over the death of his wife, Rie (played in flashbacks by Terra Nova's Christine Adams). That death has profoundly damaged Tommy's son, TJ (Elijah Jacob), to the point where he hasn't spoken in a year. Dion Patras (Cloud Atlas' Jim Sturgess) is a hotheaded, talented chef with a knack for landing himself in trouble, hence why the pilot opens with Dion being released from prison and dodging a vengeful mob boss (Mad Men's Michael Gladis). Slowly, the two men realize that the only way to escape their collective funk may be to finally realize their dream of opening a high-end Mediterranean restaurant.
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In this post-Mad Men and Breaking Bad era, AMC seems to be leaning more and more heavily on adaptations (Preacher, The Night Manager) and spinoffs (Fear the Walking Dead, Better Call Saul) over original concepts. It's a strategy that's worked pretty well for the network so far, but Feed the Beast (which is an adaptation of the Danish series Bankerot) threatens to break that streak. This restaurant-based crime drama serves up an unappetizing mishmash of story elements and certainly won't leave viewers hungering for more.
Feed the Beast was adapted and developed by Dexter original showrunner, Clyde Phillips. The show revolves around two friends and former restaurateurs struggling to take advantage of the booming Bronx real estate market. Tommy Moran (Friends' David Schwimmer) is a sommelier currently moonlighting as a wine salesman and grieving over the death of his wife, Rie (played in flashbacks by Terra Nova's Christine Adams). That death has profoundly damaged Tommy's son, TJ (Elijah Jacob), to the point where he hasn't spoken in a year. Dion Patras (Cloud Atlas' Jim Sturgess) is a hotheaded, talented chef with a knack for landing himself in trouble, hence why the pilot opens with Dion being released from prison and dodging a vengeful mob boss (Mad Men's Michael Gladis). Slowly, the two men realize that the only way to escape their collective funk may be to finally realize their dream of opening a high-end Mediterranean restaurant.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...