American Crime Online

Usually I don't write reviews. But this series deserves definitely more appreciation!

First of all, if you look for light fare, pure entertainment, fun or action, just forget it.

This one is different: As the title reveals the show revolves around a crime. But other than usual it's not basically about solving the case, but rather the (lack of) interaction of those involved: the victims, the alleged suspects, their families and lawyers, the legal system, the media etc. It makes you want to hug and punch them, sometimes at the same time.

It is a disturbing, unpleasant, annoying and depressing trip through fear, pain, despair, confusion, guilt, grief, anger and hate; an honest and uncompromising examination of mankind's abyss, its failures, prejudice, lack of mutual understanding and the denial, ignorance, accusations and injustice that comes with it, inside families, inter-cultural, as within the social and legal system.

Similar story could happen anywhere, not only in the USA, unfortunately.

+ Realistic Script + Coherent Execution + Authentic Characters + Outstanding Cast

By the way: I started it once last year and after 3 episodes I stopped. Like some critics mentioned, they want to get entertained, not depressed. Back then I totally felt the same way, though at the same time I found the concept, realization and especially the cast brilliant. So I just waited for the right mood. Now I gave it another try and it was totally worth it.

I watch a lot of foreign movies and TV series because I find most domestic products to be formulistic, highly predictable, shallow or simplistic (many fine exceptions exist - as examples True Detectives, Breaking Bad, Justified etc.). This holds particularly true for anything offered by the big 4 networks. As an example watch both versions of the series " Secrets and Lies" and you will clearly see the difference between an off shore and a domestic take on the same story. For me there is no comparison, the original Aussi version is much more to my liking.

Now to "Crime Story"; it takes a couple of episodes to develop but like a fine wine after it breathes a bit the content becomes richer and more accessible. I really appreciate the casting, character development is strong and the pace is just right for me. All the actors are superb, pretty much every cast member gives an honest and compelling performance. The camera work is artful, not artsy but artful, adding to the experience. It is a drama and as such there is very little to feel good about here but the story so far is strong, well told and deals with serious issues. I eagerly look forward to each new episode. My typical viewing habit is to record episodes of shows I follow and then watch 2 or more at a time. Skipping through commercials, especially for dramas, allows the story to flow and for emotional or dramatic moments to make their point and to leave a mark. If you are a reality TV watcher or do not value well staged dramas move on - there is nothing for you here. However if you enjoy a script which is well written and deals with big relevant issues, stellar acting and something different from the majority of the cookie cutter series out there I'd say give this one a try. I was very surprised when I read through the other reviews here for this fine series and found the amount of negativity that they contained. My guess is that, like myself, the audience for a show of this caliber pretty much dismiss network offerings and will never find it. Regular network viewers need the familiar and don't know how to appreciate the slower more deliberate pace of the story , the depth of the questions raised, or the skill with which this series has been crafted - this is too bad because I find the time invested to be well worth it.

Life doesn't happen in neat chapters where one part of the story wraps up neatly and then moves on to another. Life doesn't present its main characters always with perfectly coiffed hair and Hollywood-style makeup. And that's exactly why I'm really liking American Crime. It's a slice of life - a very sad and often confusing slice of life. American Crime festers in the dark side. It brings out the worst in humanity ... so far. I imagine as the series gets further along, there will be changes that come with plot revelations and character development. I'm enjoying the well-thought out plot so expertly put into words, the richness of the acting that brings that script to life and the occasionally brilliant and always good cinematography. The score by Mark Isham contributes just he right tension without becoming overbearing or, like so many other productions, just too loud. I can't think of a thing missing. This is the formula for a very, very good TV crime series. I hope each episode is as good as the first two that I so much enjoyed.

It's said we're in a golden age of TV drama, and here's more evidence. One astonishing fact about this series is that it was made by ABC, one of the supposedly fossilized networks, rather than by one of the newer niche cable channels. And now it's available on Netflix (at least here in Canada) so you don't have to dodge commercials.

There are two seasons, the first of eleven episodes, the second of ten, and both track the consequences of a crime that has already happened. The first series, set in Modesto, California, concerns what is apparently a murder-rape by lowlifes of a golden all-American young couple. The second series, set in Indianapolis, deals with an unsavory sexual incident at a party held by the basketball team of a private school. The lives of staff and students at this entitled institution for the wealthy are contrasted with their counterparts at a typical local high school.

The simple, unsensational title is a clue to what this series is trying to do. It aims to be nothing less than an anatomy of contemporary American society. It persuades us that these crimes and their repercussions reveal a great deal about national attitudes to race, education, money, sex, violence, guns, drugs, policing, journalism, social media, the justice and penal systems—you name it. And as with The Wire, a series which had similar ambitions, one comes to understand and sympathize with these characters and their predicaments, even if one doesn't like them. Here is America today in microcosm, and it's not a pretty picture. But Americans are not as exceptional as they sometimes imagine. As this series suggests, the characters' problems are human problems, and you certainly don't have to be American to identify with them.

What is quite unusual is that several of the main parts in the two series are played by the same actors, as in repertory theater. This may be a gimmick, but it works, as the standard of the acting is very high and the effect is to draw attention to the Shakespearean theme of appearance vs reality. The performances of Felicity Huffman, who plays both lead female characters, both unlikable in different ways, are astoundingly good. It helps, of course, that the rest of the cast, the dialogue, camera-work, editing, even the score are of the highest quality.

American Crime is grim and as far from light entertainment as you can imagine. But its final effect is not depressing. Lies are relentlessly exposed for the damage they do. Deeper and more difficult truths, the only kind it's safe to build trust on, start to emerge. And those are perhaps the most important messages that come from this outstanding series.

If one adheres to the belief that art reveals some critical aspect of being human, then American Crime is one of the best pieces of art I've ever seen in a network television series. The title may mislead viewers into expectations of a high-octane cop procedural; those anticipating such will be disappointed. Just like Breaking Bad (without the violence) American Crime operates on a much deeper, psychologically-taut, gut-wrenching level. It burrows into the souls of its characters, depicting each as they react to and evolve from a single murder committed in Modesto, California.

Described without spoilers, the series begins after the fact, immediately introducing us to eight main characters touched directly by the crime and who are bluntly stereotyped by race, religion, familial position, lifestyle or psychological make-up. They react according to type but as facts of the murder emerge, the burden of carrying these conventions under such inconceivable circumstances forces each character to evolve from type or submerge more deeply and desperately within it.

To say that American Crime reveals how messy life really is would be trite, a whopping understatement. These are extremely diverse characters, linked by a singular event and inflicted with raw, immense pain. They are extraordinarily fleshed out by the likes of Felicity Huffman, Timothy Hutton, Penelope Ann Miller, Benito Martinez and the always underrated but extremely gifted W. Earl Brown (Dan Dority from Deadwood, for a television reference).

Creator John Ridley wisely chose to develop the series anthologically; like True Detective, the characters draw viewers into a world most never see and while the journey is richly satisfying, it is also so wholly unsettling that one can't imagine it continuing through 12 episodes, season after season.

American Crime focuses on the people surrounding a criminal case and the difficulties that they go through rather than the actual crime or criminal investigation itself. While I understand the merits of this and appreciate it the point they're trying to make, the fact of the matter is that I want to know the outcome. I want to know what happened. The acting is great and the series is well written (probably too good for network television though) but it's a let down getting to the end of the season having no idea what actually happened. The series doesn't need to focus on the investigation or be a police procedural to give the viewer a but more payoff at the end. We can struggle with the families of crime victims and ultimately learn the truth/see how things turn out without losing the main message of the show.

I am not to get long winded here but i will get right to the point in saying this is hands down one of the boldest productions made in a long time.It's message script delivery and plot development are so astoundingly well executed (no pun intended) that I give it a whole whopping niner.Yes nine. I wasn't sure at the gate but once this series got running I was addicted to the amazing performances delivered by some of the finest actors and actresses in the business.Welcome back I say to old favorites such as Timothy Hutton and Felicity Huffman. Great supporting form Benito Martinez as well.But there are also fresh new actors such as Richard Cabral,Elvis Nolasco and Caitlin Gerard all delivering top notch rolls worthy of special mention here.All in all a series touching on a vast array of tough social issues at a bruising pace.It's so realistic yet existential at the very same time.Don't miss it.I rate it higher than most.For some reason it has touched a nerve.I find the message here perhaps lies not in how the unique model of American racial diversity is infected or doomed to self-destruct but by how that very same diversity is re-routed towards or unified by the same challenges and confrontations brought about by drug and weapons abuse and by a penal system targeted at young black men.See it and come to your own conclusions.But see it!

This series is undoubtedly one of the best series we have right now.

Season 1 wasn't everyone's cup of tea. But, it highlighted so much that I've never seen on television before and was arguably one of the best scripted and acted series of 2015.

Season 2 is on a whole other level. Just a few episodes in and this series shows how all series should follow-up to previous acclaim. This season has one of the most original and intriguing plots I've seen in ages. I predict this season will also earn several Emmy nominations.

What really stands out in this series other than its acting and script, is that it greatly focuses on race, gender and gender roles, sexuality, drugs, wealth, power and status.

Part of me wishes I could just trash this show, but it IS actually quite well done. Very nice camera work, and pretty decent acting. At least, I pray this is acting and none of these people actually act like this in the real world. The unfortunate and tragic part is it just how accurately it portrays the potential depravity of the human race. Every single main character is AWFUL, each in their own wretched way. In fact, no, awful is far too good of a word. You've got your heartless gang bangers, you've got your drug dealers disgracing their military uniform, and back stabbing cheaters, degenerate life destroying gamblers, you've got your murderers, and your thieving prostituting junkies that'll do any and everything for their next fix. You've got not one, not two, but essentially half the people in the show are racists, and not just your run of the mill confederate flag waving scumbag, but racists on such a horrifying level it will chill you to the bone at the sheer depravity of it all. Your jaw just might hit the floor while your blood runs cold from the things that come out of these people's mouths. The only two you'll notice right away AREN'T racists are murdering thieving pimping/prostituting smack junkies. Go figure. The police ... well they aren't any better. And every parental figure on this show has contributed in full to the complete and utter rock bottom of each of these destroyed lives. I can't wait until each of these terrible human beings gets what's coming to them. I just can't wait. Because I hate them ALL. Each and every single one of them.

So strap in, get ready to grind your teeth in anger, and skip the popcorn cuz you just might puke it up. It's THAT unsettling. You've been warned.

Just two episodes in, and I am hooked and heart-broken again. I just keep thinking "this is all around us, this is all around us." The strawberries that we ate for dinner? And the low cost hotel I drive by on the way to work..what's happening in those fields and rooms?

The new members of the cast are as strong as the old. I feel that the issues that American Crime addresses this season are wider-reaching, yet personal at the same time.

It's hard to watch bright and shiny commercials during the show - a weird juxtaposition.

Lets face it, race has pretty much always been the number one talked about subject in America. For better or for worse it seems that no one will ever stop talking about it. Fast forward to America Crime which is a brand new crime drama centered on a few characters who are all connected through a murder and a rape. Did not think I would be interested in this drama but after the first episode I was hooked. The acting seems to be top notch and realistic from everyone. The artistic view of race relations in this show is amazing. It's slow paced yet the conversations are meaningful and deep. I believe race can be addressed without offending anyone and this show does it. I don't think it's so much that people are racist but it's more that people make assumptions based on what people look like, the music they listen too or the tattoos they have. This show will make you think about how you view the next person. It proves that no matter what race you are everyone has their own problems and usually the same problems of everyone else. Gave this a ten because most shows that come out don't live up to the hype of what the show is about. This show gives you everything it promised no more no less.

i still don't get the rating, it is one of the best series running. no cheap tricks, no "unexpected but seen a million times" turns and twists. each episode is just another brick in the wall for all the characters. and they are not black or white, they are grey. like everyone in real life. when they move to a darker or lighter shade of grey it is just life as it is. highly recommendable!!!

I had hoped this was going to be a great series. Alas, I found it to be extremely painful to watch. The melodrama just never ends, great shows like "The Wire" have class & depth to the story that extends beyond the tragedy & drama at the center of the plot, making them more like real life. "American Crime" has no depth & way too much intense angry drama between the characters. The outcomes of all plot lines are all pretty predictable.

Basically I felt like I was watching a show produced for really bad rehab clinics to show to their teenage clients to scare them on to the straight & narrow.

4/10 as I'm in a good mood right now, but I've watched all 10 episodes & every one has left me feeling incredibly irritable.

The only potential in the show was the story line. I understand the show was trying to be original, but it failed from the very first episode. The acting is so bad in most of the cast that it reminded me of those Medicare commercials, where they sit on a bench reading script, with no realism. Also, It's too dramatic. Even in situations when there's no need for emotion. The entire show is like that, creating drama from the smallest situation. Whining and whimpering in ever scene. Man if real life was that dramatic, I would have offed my self a long time ago. But it's not. By the way, what's up with all the racism and pure hate? No one person can be so openly racist in real life. Not even a KKK member. So why make a character so unrealisticly evil (the mom). I'm to the point where I'm forcing myself to watch the rest of the episodes just to know what happens.

This TV show about a crime that involves different races is serious and involving. A white couple is attacked in their home. The wife is raped and in a coma and the husband is killed. The suspects are African American and Hispanic. After 2 episodes you can see there is more than meets the eye as the victims are found to have in their house a large amount of the small screen drug of the moment - meth. There are some current themes about race, prejudice and preconceptions. This feels more like a cable show than network TV. Top notch cast. Felicity Huffman is quite transformed as the bitter, grieving mother of the male victim. Timothy Hutton looking bedraggled plays her ex husband. Penelope Ann Miller looks younger again and is the mother of the female victim. It's worth watching to see how things unravel as you look into the lives of the perpetrators and the victims. There is some serious quality TV here.

I could wax lyrical about the acting, the writing, the direction, the cinematography and all the usual things people talk about.... all I will say is in a world where the kardashians are considered great TV/Entertainment, this show reminds us of what really is amazing acting, fantastic storytelling and compelling storytelling with a narrative in both seasons that is relevant to our times. Simply one of the best piece of TV to come out of Kardashian land in a long long time. Season 2 was even better than season 1, though very different story lines, though I did feel some ends where not tied up well in S02. That said, and to reiterate, one of the best shows produced in the USA that i've seen in a long long time. Felicity is simply brilliant, and why is it that we don't see more of the rest of this very talented cast of regular and sporadic guests. More more more please.

This TV series – contrary to the "TV Guide" synopsis – isn't about crime, or sex, or homosexuality. It's about a neurotic school administrator who meddles in the personal affairs of students to the point that the students literally have to transfer to another school to get away from her. What a horrible creature she is. If this story is supposed to be an object lesson, it does a horrible job, as if the homosexuality of a student should become the priority – and eventually a cause for celebration – of the (of all things) the school administrators. The plot is outrageously unrealistic in every regard. The intended story (an implausible "gay rape" of two male high school classmates) is pure melodrama, where the "rape" is never actually depicted, and could be presented in a single 90-minute episode, but instead becomes a confusing mess over the course of 10 or so 1-hour episodes, every one of which centers on the neurotic female chatty-Kathy administrator, a character that – fortunately – would never exist in reality.

Terrible. Season 1 was fantastic. Season two is all over the place. The overwhelmingly MASSIVE lack of acceptance for homosexuality. Why is everyone so appalled by this kid being gay? I grew up in a small town. It was not like this when a kid came out.

The unimaginable disbelief of every single person that a man could be raped. Regina King literally says "What?! A man can't be raped."...You're telling me she portrays a very smart and successful grown woman and she can't fathom a world where men can be raped? Thank you writers for trying to make everyone feel stupid.

Then the random interjections of the Mexican/Black war being waged at the "other" school (can't think of the name because there is absolutely no development of the story around it).

THEN the random dialogued race baiting, which season 1 did not contain. One example when they're all sitting at the dinner table talking about how white people are entitled. That scene had absolutely nothing to do with propelling the story.

I am truly astounded at how atrocious season 2 was. Season one dealt well with racial divides and real issues without ever deviating from the story or making the viewer feel stupid.

I managed to watch the pilot and exactly half of episode two. At that point I looked at my wife and said, "I've had enough of this." She agreed and we switched to something else.

The police shoot an obviously unarmed man while he is running away. He never attacked them in any way, he just ran and was shot for it. This is a political statement by the writers. I got the message, the writers think the police shoot too many people. I don't hold that view, most cops never fire their weapon in the line of duty.

A juvenile boy is charged with murder for renting a car to a man. This man later gave a second man a ride. The second man then committed a murder. The boy never saw the second man. The boy had no knowledge of why the man needed the car. I think the purpose is to show how unfair the American justice system can be. But the writers do so by depicting a situation that would never happen. He would have to be in the car and have knowledge of the crime to be charged. Renting out a car is not a crime.

There is an unfolding story of the victim being a criminal in his own right. He is a war veteran, and thus must be portrayed as having psychological problems. It is the same old Hollywood tale of the soldier who comes back from an unpopular war and takes up a life of crime. I predict that the victim will be made to look as guilty as his killer in the end.

American Crime focuses on the fact that a crime in modern America is not only a violation of law by an individual resulting in a state-imposed punishment, but is an event where tensions surrounding race and historical prejudice play out in a condescend, emotionally-heightened form. The miniseries follows the aftermath of the murder of a white American and the rape and assault of his wife. The man charged with the crime is an African American male called Carter who lives a transient life with his white, junkie girlfriend Aubry. The state's case is that Carter robbed and murdered the man, assisted by two Mexican men: a driver, Hector an illegal immigrant with a criminal past, and the car's owner, Tony, a legal immigrant from a conservative Mexican family. What eventuates is that the family of the deceased begin to argue that the crime was a racially-based hate crime, while Carter's sister argues that it is another instance of an innocent African-American male thrown in jail based on limited evidence. The facts of the case begin to diminish in importance as the overarching dialogues of racial hatred, revenge and past transgressions take the centre stage. As the show progresses, it makes the point that the race-based dialogues of blame and resentment do not benefit those involved, and individuals are sacrificed in the name of the greater cause without any clear beneficiaries. It tells us that unless there is forgiveness of past transgressions, justice will not occur either on the individual level or throughout wider American society as a whole. What makes American Crime a great show is that it tackles the topic of racial tensions in America (complex in itself), but also highlights many of the other impacts of serious crime that can often go unnoticed. We find Tony being sucked into the youth justice system, and beginning to acquire violent friends and tendencies that did not exist before being tainted by the system. We see a network of victim support that assists victims and their families in overcoming the trauma of crime, but at times encourages a punitive approach that is too revenge-orientated to be of true assistance to the victim. Moreover, the adversarial justice system and an open court process can often bring to the surface the behaviours of victims that their families would prefer hidden from the public arena. Generally great shows tend to not only be insightful and well-written, but also have a charismatic lead character(s): a Tony Soprano or a Walter White. No character in American Crime left me with the impression of greatness or longevity. This is a weakness but also a strength of American Crime, as it keeps the focus on the issues rather than the charisma of any particular character. That being said, this fact may lead to American Crime being forgotten or failing to capture the audience size that such a well-written and thoughtful show deserves.

I was so excited when this show was previewed, but it has totally fallen flat for me. The characters are not realistic or relatable, and I find myself just not caring about any of them or anything that happens. This is partly due to not having a good "flow" of the stories, but I find the biggest problem to be the character inconsistency. Someone like Barb does not ponder whether she is a racist, for one example. Aubrey & Carter don't seem to have any chemistry, and the conversations between Russ and his future daughter-in-law were just ridiculous. I've been a daughter-in-law for a decade and would never, ever start psychoanalyzing my father-in-law in such a way today, let alone the first time I met him! Characters don't have to be likable, but they do have to be believable.

didn't. I gave it the benefit of the doubt and watched 4 episodes plus part of the 5th when I decided it was not worth it to waste my time watching it. I thought with the cast of Felicity Huffman and Timothy Hutton it would be great and frankly it should have been. I found the characters very boring and the whole premise of the show very dark. It was not entertaining and it was too much work to watch it. So decided there were better shows to watch than that! My expectations were high and the result was low. It takes too long to get into it although I never did. I even recorded it so I could fast forward through the commercials but that did not help either. American Crime for me was not enjoyable.

Another slow unoriginal crime drama. I watched the first 2 episodes and gave up half way through the 3rd. In my opinion, a good show should be gripping by the 2nd episode. 3 boring episodes means it's a boring show.

The story unfolds very slowly. The characters are flat and not at all compelling. I don't know why I even bother mentioning the story. The show is so slow that it doesn't really matter if the plot is thought provoking.

There is a racial aspect to the plot and for some reason, it seems like many Americans are guilted into giving racially themed shows higher marks than they deserve. I can't think of any other reason for some of the top ratings awarded here. If entertaining shows like breaking Bad deserve a rating of between 8 and 10, there is no way this is worth 7.5.

Like many shows on non-premium cable channels, there are so many commercial breaks (that can't be fast-forwarded) that it adds to the boredom and makes it even harder to get into. This show reminds me that I should stop paying for cable TV and just pay for episodes with no commercials on a streaming service.

I might give this another go if it comes to Netflix but for now, there are hundreds of more interesting shows to watch that don't involve me being forced to sit through 10 minutes of adverts for every 5 minutes of boring show.

American Crime 2015 (AC2015) are intensely developed stories about a number of crimes committed in Modesto, CA. The stories depicted are not meant to make you laugh. AC2015 is a very intense drama — disturbing to say the least.

Before I go further, I must give credit to the insightful script writers, who wrote credible dialogue for the well developed characters within the context of the story lines. Also, credit must be given to the brilliant casting director(s). The actors give the necessary edge to escalate the frustration, grief and individual ways of coping with the futility of their situations as they saw them. You may find their chemistry as a whole odious. The direction and prime talent of the actors delivered over the top performances that will cause the audience disconcerting thoughts and feelings. AC2015 was well done. It's content is worthy of discussion. I recommend watching season one of the AC series anthology.

The stories are about many families involved with the fallout of crimes and what they do to sort things out in pursuit of justice. The characters are diverse within their own families, as well as without. Some adapt better and make things work to minimize loss, while others only know estrangement and blame.

I found the inability, for some, to exercise good judgment, overruled by wayward emotions, pathetic and tragic. Those particular characters show us about real peoples' track records of behavior, or narrowly, stunted intellectual latitude, resulting with an incapability to fully comprehend reality and culpability. These traits will always cause them to blow out in life. Anyone, who has ever sat on juries in the criminal courts, will recognize many of these characters' mindset, with their families included.

Barb (Felicity Huffman) is the pivotal character in the main plot. Felicity's performance is sterling. Love her. Hate her. Her grief is put on hold, because she must deal with the justice system as it is. The complexity of what Barb is up against, while desperately trying to understand answers to questions that never will be satisfactory is totally daunting to her. Disruptive people with their own agendas, whether 'passive-aggressive', 'aggressively destructive' 'on the offensive', 'in denial', 'absent', 'incompetent', 'liars' 'vigilantes', 'limited intelligence', 'racists' and Barb herself, all contribute to her ineffectiveness. Barb evolves, though.

Russ (Timothy Hutton) is static, reliving how he is past his previous self. Russ is not even close to resolving his personal inadequacies, nor recognizing them, yet he feels entitled to pick up where he left off. Tim gave another great performance.

Aubry (Caitlin Gerard) gives another incredible performance. Aubry and Carter (Elvis Nolasco) create a bizarre world of love and disaster. Allyah (Regina King), gave another fantastic delivery of counter struggle to right matters.

Alonzo (Benito Martinez), an illegal, suffers immense loss fighting for his family. AC2015 is an interesting contrast of families in crisis — individuals in crisis. How people communicate with each other helps or hinders finding the truth.

The juxtaposing of characters throughout the main plot and subplots add to the heaviness all share in getting through the awful circumstances that these families were suddenly thrust into, because of American Crimes.

I have watched the entire first season, and about half the secind season. I find the show a slow paced, but often honest protrayal of America today. I can understand how many people may not enjoy this show since in their opinion " it's not entertaining". I highly disagree, but different strokes for ddifferent folks.

There are many people that put down the show, because of an artistic choice by the director, to cast the same actors every season, in different roles. Some, in seeing the same actors seem to think, that the characters changed off screen in between seasons. The Muslim woman, having somehow acquired a Business degree, and dropped her religion to become a high powered executive, was given as one example. The drug addict thief, becoming a high school principal. The fact that they have different names seems to have not been noticed, and somehow this failing of the reviewer is used to Point to a supposed weakness of the show.

They also say they have never seen this before. American Horror Story does the exact thing brilliantly. Repertory Companies also do this on stage, where a company of actors will have several plays under their belt, and one night might put on ONE. and the next a totally different one. It is new on Television, but the practice goes back to the days of Shakespeare, and Marlowe.

This is like watching a production of Comedy of Errors one week, then seeing a production of Hamlet the next, then complaining that the show lacked cohesion, because... the guy that played one set of twins on week one, is now playing some guy named Laertes the next... " where is the cohesion??"

It seems to me that simply paying attention to character names, and plot, would show some people that... it's a different story, with different characters. The fault is in the viewers not understanding what is easy to understand, ..Not the Director's for lacking cohesion.

I guess this is what we get from viewers too used to Hollywood Pablum? When you have viewers so used to having Every Little detail explained to them... they cannot seem to use their minds when a show refuses to connect all the dots.

TL;DR: Superb Show, average network viewer not up to snuff to appreciate it.