Dear AMC,
I love your original programming. Let me just get it out there in the open and say that. I'm currently at some stage of watching your three original programs: I watch Mad Men and Rubicon live, and am catching up on Breaking Bad with DVDs. I'll be eagerly (read: rabidly) watching The Walking Dead when it premieres at the end of this month. I have to say that your programming has accomplished the not-so-easy task of knocking HBO from my Sunday list of appointment television; because of you guys, I haven't seen any of Boardwalk Empire, a show I had been anticipating for quite a while. Mad Men was just too engrossing.
But I'm not writing this to talk about Mad Men, Breaking Bad, or even The Walking Dead. I'm writing to you to talk about a series that may be struggling just a bit with viewership, but deserves to have just as many viewers as everything else you've brought to the small screen. I'm talking about Rubicon, that brilliant little nugget of a show that has begun to make me feel so happy with myself for sticking with it through those slow first episodes.
I'll admit, my faith was tested. Some episodes passed with minimal action occurring, and I was beginning to get worried that we'd only end up with a minor revelation about the overall conspiracy by the end of the first year. That would have been very disappointing, and thankfully, it didn't turn out that way. Somewhere, things got really good.
There's been the awesome character development. Will's still a little two-dimensional, but Kale Ingram has evolved into the real star of the show. After a lot of debate on whether or not we should trust Kale, I finally decided that we should, and the character has grown even more endearing. I won't be the first to say it, but Ingram has quickly become one of the greatest characters on television. And then there's Truxton Spangler, Will's enigmatic boss who really started to shine in "A Good Day's Work," the most recent episode. He was phenomenal in the episode, and as an audience member, I still was feeling for him when he ordered a hit on our protagonist. Even old sniveling Grant Test has become a really likable guy, and the change hasn't been abrupt. We simply learned more about him, and once we discovered his P.O.V., we began to sympathize rather than loathe. That's good character development.
And the plot. Oh, wow, the plot. As I said before, the story was a LOT slow in the first few episodes of the season. They weren't bad, but they were just very, very drawn out. By the end of the third episode, we knew little more than we did at the end of the first. Now, in retrospect, that all makes sense. Seeing things suddenly explode into action seems to be another part of Rubicon's realism. The pace in life isn't regular, and it certainly wouldn't be for the conspiracy-busting that Will has gotten himself into. The fact that things are suddenly entering a breakneck speed with the plot (the attempt on Will's life, Kateb entering the U.S.) seems to make sense, and I think that we're headed for a mind-blowing couple of episodes when Rubicon's final two episodes of the first season air.
So here comes the question: with viewership okay but not great, does Rubicon deserve a second season? To me, the answer is unequivocally yes. The show has proven itself to be one of the better shows on television. It doesn't break your string of excellence, AMC. You're still three for three (four for four if you count The Prisoner). You're starting up a pretty good line of dramas over the next year or so, and I think Rubicon can proudly take its place amongst them. Let's help Will Travers get to the bottom of this conspiracy for at least another year.
Sincerely,
Sam McPherson
They might cancel this? NOOOOOOOO!
Rubicon (Drama, AMC) A think-tank analyst comes to the realization that his colleagues are not who he thought they were and may be a part of a covert organization secretly manipulating world politics and affairs. James Badge Dale stars. Casting: Avy Kaufman Casting, 180 Varick St., 16th Fl., New York, NY 10014. Premiered Aug. 1. Renewed.
- from http://www.backstage.com/bso/production-listings/…
Agreed agreed agreed! What a great show and the slow build was really magnificent now that we can look back on it and see all of the pieces fall into place. This show is MASTERFUL. I have several friends who have started watching it because of my growing hysteria about it from week to week. Also the cast is to DIE for. We definitely need more of this show, not a doubt about it.
Rubicon is a show that you have to pay attention or you will lose info, the last 3 eps have been awesome. It reminds me a lot of 3 Days of the Condor, lots of twist and turns. One of the few shows that I watch when it is on. Do not even want to think about it not coming back. When a show starts out as slow as this one did, please give it time to hook more viewers. I am doing my part and rave about it all the time.lol
I agree, I think that Rubicon is the best new series of the year (forgive me, Scorsese). I've enjoyed watching every episode, including the first ones where we could see how the pieces were put slowly and carefully over the chess board. Yes, they were slow, but it made complete sense as it was a series about hidden patterns… they wanted the viewers to see the patterns before solving the mistery.
I sincerely hope they renew the show.
Sam, according to http://www.backstage.com/bso/production-listings/… Rubicon has been renewed, unless it's a typo (or a conspiracy, lol).
As for me, I love this series and would very much like to see it continue. With the various openings in positions and the resulting opportunity for quick promotions (not unlike that on a Klingon warship lol) I even tried to apply. ;-) http://tinyurl.com/2abneto
Here's the post – Rubicon (Drama, AMC) A think-tank analyst comes to the realization that his colleagues are not who he thought they were and may be a part of a covert organization secretly manipulating world politics and affairs. James Badge Dale stars. Casting: Avy Kaufman Casting, 180 Varick St., 16th Fl., New York, NY 10014. Premiered Aug. 1. Renewed.
When people say it's slow at first, they make it sound like a bad thing. It's not. Even when you don't have a clue what's going on, Rubicon has a style/sense/pace that makes one want to simply watch and enjoy. The visuals don't hurt either. Reminds me of going to a museum to look at art. Not kidding!
Totally agree. Rubicon is the best new show this year. Give it time to find its viewing audience or make a killing in DVD sales. The word of mouth is spreading.
I agree. This show is the best of the bunch for me. In fact, I like it better than Mad Men. It's got me thinking, and I am excited to watch TV again. Three weeks ago I actually started dreaming about the show. I think about it as I drive down the road. Those first four episodes did a lot to establish the characters and the story. We are more used to film, which has to establish characters, plot and the action or intent in about two hours. This is what makes Rubicon such a special show. It takes the time to pull us into this complex world. I don't think Will is two-dimentional. He's coming out of his head -a place he's been stuck in since 911 where he lost his wife and child. As an analyst he is an acute observer. Now he he has to come fully into this world and interact with it. All the analysts have social quirks which makes them so interesting and realistic. I love Kale and Spangler. These are complex characters and the actors playing them do so with skilled, nuanced performances. So far, the best scene in the series has been in the episode "Connect the Dots" when Spangler gives the talk about "that tie" and who to trust. Unbelievable performance. I will miss this show, after next week. I hope I don't have to wait a year for the next season. Renew Rubicon and let a masterful, top quality show find its audience.
Sorry. I meant to write "The Outsider" for the "that tie" speech.
Please renew Rubicon. Nothing else like it. Written with intelligence. Very rare these days. My new favorite!
Great show with fantastic actors and compelling writing. Smarter by a mile than anything else that’s been on TV since The West Wing.
I hope it gets renewed!
PLEASE RENEW THIS SHOW!!!!
Can somebody please confirm if they are indeed bringing Rubicon back? I don't watch any of the other aforementioned AMC shows but Rubicon was the best show I have ever seen in my 31 years of watching television.
Rubicon was of the best shows very on TV. Great Scripts, directing, super acting. You couldn't help by deeply connected.
AMC, please bring it back.
Thanks.