John From Cincinnati: The Complete First Season

Reviewed by:
Gene Newman

The Skinny: The cryptic and wholly misunderstood HBO show is about a Jesus-like figure (John) returning to earth and guiding a community of Southern California surfers into the bizarre. It's funny, uncomfortable, confusing, and, strangely enough, enlightening.

Reminded Us Of… Deadwood (because of the dialogue), The Endless Summer, Point Break, Shakespeare if he used the f word a lot.

The Good: The characters are genius (Ed O'Neill being just one of the standouts) and the writing by series creator David Milch makes even the most common exchanges interesting. We really wish HBO gave this show another season to set things straight.

The Bad: It requires effort and thought, two things that destroy any TV show not called Lost. After watching these 10 episodes twice—once when they aired and again on DVD—we're still unclear of the exact meaning, but we like it. It just takes a leap of faith.

Best Extra: Milch provides two commentaries, one of the first episode and one of the last, and they are the most bitter, angry, and off-the-cuff commentaries you'll ever hear. When he's not on the verge of tears or muttering profanities, he manages to shed a little light on what it all means. We don't care what his next show will be about, we're watching it.

"Decoding John: The Making of a Dream Sequence" (behind the scenes of Episode 6)