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The Son - Pierce Brosnan in an epic multi-generational western - Saturdays on AMC

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R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus


Based on the New York Times best selling and Pulitzer Prize-nominated novel, comes 'The Son', a new western drama series which will air beginning Saturday, April 8 at 9/8c with a 2-hour premiere. The series will be simulcast across AMC and SundanceTV. The first season will consist of 10, one hour episodes.

'The Son' is a sweeping family saga that spans 150 years and three generations of the McCullough family. The ten-episode, one-hour drama traces the story of Eli McCullough’s transformation from good-natured innocence to calculated violence, as he loses everything on the wild frontier, setting him on the path to building a ranching-and-oil dynasty of unsurpassed wealth and privilege. 'The Son' deftly explores how Eli’s ruthlessness and quest for power triggers consequences that span generations, as the McCulloughs rise to become one of the richest families reigning in Texas.

Kevin Murphy (Defiance) will server as showrunner and Tom Harper (War & Peace) will direct the first episode.
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Cast



  • Young Eli McCullough was born with innate tenacity, inner strength and the will to survive. At a very young age, he was providing for his mother and siblings as they lived in the wilderness of the Texas prairie. He is the only survivor of the Comanche attack on his family's cabin.
  • Toshaway is a Comanche war chief and the leader of the band who captures Young Eli. This is a perilous time for Toshaway, as a dwindling buffalo population and the encroachment of white settlers threatens his people.
  • Prairie Flower is a young Comanche woman who is enjoying her last few years of sexual freedom before she is compelled to marry. Prairie Flower possesses none of the fragility or gentleness that her name suggests. She is foul-mouthed, physically strong, opinionated and fiercely self-possessed.
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  • Old Eli McCullough has grown up with the state of Texas itself, surviving the great struggles of Texas’s history.
  • Pedro García is the patriarch of the last great Spanish family in South Texas. He has survived by being a careful diplomat, nervous to choose sides between the neighboring white ranchers and Mexican seditionists.
  • Maria is Pedro's oldest daughter, who was supposed to marry well and carry on the family's noble legacy. But Maria had other plans for herself. She fled to New York City in her early twenties to study art, and immerse herself in the bohemian culture of lower Manhattan.
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  • Although Eli may be the star of this series, Jeannie McCullough is the lead. Over many seasons, the show will dramatize her evolution from an eleven-year old tomboy, mentored by her beloved grandfather, to the ruthless CEO of an oil empire.
  • Phineas is Eli's oldest son, who is a lawyer and the manager of the McCullough fortune. Never having had a taste for ranch life, Phineas moved to Austin for college and never went back. Even though he doesn't live on the ranch, he is the glue that holds the McCulloughs together.
  • Pete is Eli's youngest son. He runs the McCullough Ranch in South Texas, where he and his wife, Sally, raise their three children. Unlike Eli, Pete believes in the social contract — that people have the choice and capacity to treat each other with basic goodness.
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Videos and Links






Promo Photos

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Reviews

TV Guide said:
[A] terrific dynastic saga, a darker-than-dark "Giant" [1956 film directed by George Stevens].
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Daniel Fienberg said:
As I started The Son, I found myself less-than-engaged with the things that were supposed to be its calling cards, including the story and Pierce Brosnan, [but] on the fringes, The Son is sometimes smart, nuanced and relevant.
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Variety said:
“The Son” isn’t as much of a sodden disappointment as the network’s previous offering in the genre, “Hell on Wheels,” but it’s certainly not up to par with the best that AMC has had to offer.

If you’re looking for yet another show centered around a morally grey white man with a dark past, “The Son” might be right up your alley. Those who want something more original or fresh in the drama arena are likely to end up looking elsewhere.
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Entertainment Weekly said:
I’m intrigued by The Son’s possibilities. The opening credits seem to promise an even more expansive vision of American history. And I admire the show’s democratic vision of Texas as a never-ending culture clash. The Son will rise — if it can live up to its ambitions, if it can more convincingly explain how young Eli on the frontier became old Eli at the dawn of civilization, and if it can be even half as wild as the West it wants to explore.

B-
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R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
Deadline - ‘The Son’ Review: Pierce Brosnan Series Rides Nicely Into AMC’s Western Tradition

Yes, there are a lot of heavy and bloody clichés and American creation myths, but even when the narrative wanes it is Brosnan who holds The Son together — not only as the series’ marquee name, but also as an actor comfortable with his craft and himself. Elevating an already watchable performance where he plays not exactly the nicest man you are ever going to meet, Brosnan strides and growls his way across The Son with an earned ease of form.
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Alan Sepinwall - AMC Heads West Again With The Lifeless ‘The Son’

AMC’s version of The Son (it debuts Saturday night at 9; I’ve seen the first two episodes) is a glum, lifelessly condensed take on the material that in the early going doesn’t even rise to the passable standard of Hell on Wheels.
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Newsday - ‘The Son’ review: Pierce Brosnan is back on TV in promising new AMC series

The Son is mostly about a son with two fathers, one white, the other Comanche. He absorbs the soul, spirit and perspective of the latter. It’s a particularly interesting idea and character based on a celebrated book. Here’s hoping the miniseries lives up to the promise. Saturday’s opener suggests that it should.
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IrishNinja

IrishNinja

Member
^same, love westerns...but:

AMC’s version of The Son (it debuts Saturday night at 9; I’ve seen the first two episodes) is a glum, lifelessly condensed take on the material that in the early going doesn’t even rise to the passable standard of Hell on Wheels.
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...well, shit
 
T

Tugatrix

Member
Damn the trailer is region locked, I've been wanting to read the book but might as well pick up the show first
 
Grizzlyjin

Grizzlyjin

Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
Thanks for the thread, Ratsky. Another unapologetic western lover checking in. I was on the fence about even bothering with this since I've already got so many shows to keep up with. But almost everything I watched is either a series finale, season finale, or on hiatus this month. Plus THIS AIRS ON SATURDAY THANK GOD NO MORE SUNDAY SHOWS. Gonna check this out on Sunday morning while I eat brunch.
 
kunonabi

kunonabi

Member
I'm not too versed in American Indian culture and norms but were wild sexual escapades before marriage a thing for the women?
 
B

berzeli

Banned
Oh right, forgot about this one. And I see Tom Harper did the first episode, so at least that one will be well directed.

If there wasn't a billion other things to watch I think I would be quite excited. But such is the wonders of peak TV.
 
H

hiryu

Member
The book is sprawling and epic and good. It covers three distinct time periods and Eli's story was only about a third of the book. It's more a story of an oil empire and how a woman makes her way through that male dominated industry than it is a western. I would say more like the tv show Dallas but with many call backs to how the family started and the influence the past has on the present.
 
B

Black_Sun

Member
hiryu said:
The book is sprawling and epic and good. It covers three distinct time periods and Eli's story was only about a third of the book. It's more a story of an oil empire and how a woman makes her way through that male dominated industry than it is a western. I would say more like the tv show Dallas but with many call backs to how the family started and the influence the past has on the present.
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As a Hispanic person, I want to ask how's the Hispanic presence in this book? Any good Hispanic characters?
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
The two-hour series premiere is tonight!

First Son of Texas/The Plum Tree

In the series premiere, Eli McCullough leads his family's empire through difficult times after a frontier Comanche attack in 1849. Then, in 1915, Eli and Pete clash over how to respond to an unexpected attack on their home.
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LQX

LQX

Member
Good so far. And what is it about Saturdays and old west themed shows? They always seem to come on Saturdays as far back as I can remember.
 
B

Bandit1

Member
Show seems pretty good to me so far. Something that does bother me though is that young Eli seems to be 14-15 in 1849, so in 1915 Eli would be like 80, and I don't really see that in Brosnan or his performance. Still interested to see where it goes from here.
 
M

MrOogieBoogie

BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
I enjoyed the book and learned a lot about Native American way of life, which was my favorite part. The Comanche are endlessly fascinating to me.

There are some really fucked up scenes throughout, though, so I'm curious to see how they'll be translated in the show.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
I thought it was a promising start. The period trappings are all very well done and I think the actors are doing a good job so far. I didn't have a big problem with Pierce's accent either - it sounded a little wonky but not enough to take me out of it.

Oh yeah and the opening credits are great.

Black_Sun said:
As a Hispanic person, I want to ask how's the Hispanic presence in this book? Any good Hispanic characters?
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I haven't read the book, but the first two episodes of the show have a fairly substantial Hispanic presence.

Bandit1 said:
Watching now. Also, knew this was going to be a Ratsky thread. <3 thanks Ratsky!
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:]
 
Vert boil

Vert boil

Member
I was getting major Lifetime vibes from the casting/directing during the first episode. Sorta went away during the second ep and all that was left was dullness.

Ho-hum.
 
A

AdequateSubject

Member
This goddamn book... I have had it unfinished in by bag for ages. It's critically acclaimed and has an interesting premise, but I just don't like it at all. The major problem I have is that the story does not flow well at all. The perspective shifts between the three main characters / generations with each chapter, which gets very tedious after a while. And then, aside from a few memorable scenes, the individual stories aren't even very captivating. They feel more like "series of Things Happening" rather than connected stories where events lead into one another.

It's always annoying to leave a book unfinished, but I doubt I will ever muster the willpower to finish this one.
 
B

Black_Sun

Member
I liked it pretty well so far.

The Indian and Hispanic characters are much more fascinating to me than the milquetoast white guys.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
L+SD Ratings for AMC:

Episodes 1 & 2 - 1.92 million viewers and a 0.2 18-49 rating
Episode 3 - 1.55 million and a 0.2 18-49 rating
Episode 4 - 1.39 million and a 0.2 18-49 rating
Episode 5 - 1.21 million and a 0.1 18-49 rating
Episode 6 - 1.29 million and a 0.2 18-49 rating
Episode 7 - 1.17 million and a 0.1 18-49 rating
Episode 8 - 1.26 million and a 0.1 18-49 rating
Episode 9 - 1.06 million and a 0.1 18-49 rating
Episode 10 - 1.16 million and a 0.1 18-49 rating

L+SD Ratings for SundanceTV:

Episodes 1 & 2 - 372K and a 0.05 18-49 rating
Episode 3 - 228K and a 0.02 18-49 rating
Episode 4 - 175K and a 0.02 18-49 rating
Episode 5 - 218K and a 0.03 18-49 rating
Episode 6 - 141K and a 0.01 18-49 rating
Episode 7 - 160K and a 0.01 18-49 rating
Episode 8 - 224K and a 0.02 18-49 rating
 
Grizzlyjin

Grizzlyjin

Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
It was a good idea to premiere the first two episodes together. I found Episode 1 by itself to be boring, but things start cooking by Episode 2.

Random Thoughts
- Cool opening credit sequence
- Kendal Crowe from Season 5 of Justified!
- And Hanzee from Fargo Season 2!
- That CG smoke on the pipe in the flashback lol
- I'm way more interested in the 1849 story than the 1915 one.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
New episode tonight!

Second Empire

Young Eli trains as a warrior, but makes enemies in 1849. In 1915, Eli and Phineas struggle to help the family in Austin, while Pete faces his demons.
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D

DJKhaled

Member
I know AMC has had great shows but the two walling dead shows have really turned me off watching anything they make, and midseason finales really turn me off. Otherwise I'd be all.over this.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
A solid character focused third episode. Looking forward to next week.

DJKhaled said:
I know AMC has had great shows but the two walling dead shows have really turned me off watching anything they make, and midseason finales really turn me off. Otherwise I'd be all.over this.
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That's highly irrational bro~
 
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