Rated TV-MA, 30 Min episodes, 10 episode season
Starring Sir Patrick Stewart and Adrian Scarborough.
Created by Jonathan Ames
**No Spoilers**
Starz is really on a roll these days. With great shows like Black Sails, Survivors Remorse, Ash Vs Evil Dead and now this, they have proven to be a reliable provider of quality content. Blunt Talk is no different, and succeeds because it’s incredibly refreshing.
Blunt Talk centers on Walter Blunt (Sir Patrick Stewart) as a news anchor on a struggling station. His manservant (Scarborough) is always around to provide support as well as heavy doses of alcohol, and is pretty funny to boot. One of the most interesting plot points of the show was learning about their relationship and how they got to know each other. It was deep but also very real, and by far was one of the highlights of the show.
Blunt Talk gets a lot right, and one of those things is heart. All the characters feel deep and flawed, but Walter Blunt is the most flawed of all. He is a man who makes decisions that have good intentions, but don’t always pan out too great. I think all of us have had moments like this where in our head we thought “this is a really solid, genuine idea” that ended up biting us in the ass.
Each episode moves at a great pace, and you learn more about what makes each character tick. There are a lot of characters, but the show spends just enough time on each one to give you an idea of what they are like, but it never feels like there are too many. This show is not afraid to shy away from deep rooted traits/flaws in each character and Blunt Talk deals with mental illness, drug/alcohol addiction, sexuality and others that make it truly bold.
My only real complaints for the show would be its length and humor. The 30 minute episodes really zoom by and I think this show could easily fill about an hour’s worth of content. There is so much potential for a longer show that maybe Starz will consider extending the run time for it next season? Regarding the humor, I found it pretty funny, but many may not. It relies on very situational, sometimes very dark humor that feel at home on a premium channel but definitely isn’t for everyone. I was chuckling most of the time but there were moments that didn’t work too great.
Verdict
I can’t use the word refreshing enough to describe this show. It somehow juggles having hilarious moments, heart, sincerity and a distinct playfulness throughout each episode. Everyone surrounding Blunt just wants him to succeed, and you can see at his core that he is a good person that struggles with the stress of being in the spotlight. Shows like this don’t come around too often, and i’m very glad Blunt Talk got a solid viewer base to give Starz enough reason to renew the show and keep this fun story going. I can’t wait to see what Walter Blunt does next.
Score: 9.0/10
Fro$ty Insights 