Netflix 1899 - New Series from the Creators of Dark (1 Viewer)

[Josh Dial]

The trailer for Netflix's upcoming show, "1899" was released today.



All I need to know is that it's from the creators of "Dark", which in my estimate and without hyperbole is the best show on any streaming platform ever.

The trailer looks great. I'm 100% in on 1899.

 

[cineMANIAC]

Too bad it's a Netflix exclusive because this looks badass. I dropped the streaming service more than a year ago. They've come a long way since their early DVD mailer days but I'm still not enticed to resubscribe. This series may change that. We'll see.

 

[Josh Dial]

Too bad it's a Netflix exclusive because this looks badass. I dropped the streaming service more than a year ago. They've come a long way since their early DVD mailer days but I'm still not enticed to resubscribe. This series may change that. We'll see.

Resubscribe for a month, binge this and binge Dark, and then cancel

 

[Malcolm R]

I've been trying to watch Dark, but it's kind of plodding IMO. Only made it through two episodes so far and haven't felt compelled to get back to it. Does it get better as it moves along?

 

[Josh Dial]

I've been trying to watch Dark, but it's kind of plodding IMO. Only made it through two episodes so far and haven't felt compelled to get back to it. Does it get better as it moves along?

I don't like when people say "keep watching it's gets better!" If a show isn't working for you it's probably best to cut and run. However, in this rare case the show's pivotal episode for most people is episode 3. There's a particular sequence where it all finally clicks into place for a lot of viewers.

So I'd suggest watching one more episode. If you don't like what the show is doing by the end of episode 3, you won't like the series, because it's more of that (though the plot gets increasingly convoluted--but never illogical).

 

[Josh Dial]

Friendly reminder that all 8 episodes are available for streaming today.

I'm planning on watching the first two or three episodes tonight, and finishing up this weekend (going to The Menu tomorrow night).

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I still haven't gotten around to "Dark" yet, but I watched the first episode of this tonight.

It feels very tailored to Netflix's international model; the dialog in the first episode is about 40 percent English, 40 percent subtitled German, with a smattering of subtitled French, Spanish, Polish, Danish, Cantonese, and Japanese rounding out the remaining 20 percent.

The discovery at the end of the first hour hooked me into probably continuing this week.

 

[Josh Dial]

I just finished the first season.

Holy...
...
...
...
...
...
crap!

Crazy show very much in the vein of Dark. This did not go anywhere near where I thought it was going to go. I loved it.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

@Josh Dial

Let’s say I’ve watched the first three episodes of this and basically been bored out of my mind and unmoved through each of them - should I plow through or stop?

 

[Josh Dial]

@Josh Dial

Let’s say I’ve watched the first three episodes of this and basically been bored out of my mind and unmoved through each of them - should I plow through or stop?

I think a better use of your time might be to watch the first three episodes of Dark instead of plowing through three more episodes of 1899. If you end up liking Dark, finish that series and then continue 1899 (because I think if you like Dark you'll like where 1899 goes). You'll see I gave sort of similar advice to Malcolm above. I don't like to tell people to keep watching something that isn't grabbing them.

But Dark and 1899 are a different breed. Sort of like Twin Peaks. In my experience, Twin Peaks doesn't "get going" until the scene with Cooper throwing rocks at the bottles. For a reason I can't quite explain, that, for me, is when the show starts. Dark starts in at the end of episode 3. 1899 starts at the end of episode 4.

Such a risky way to tell a story. But there you go.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I can swing one more episode to see if the ending hooks me.

Is this a limited series or will it be ongoing?

 

[Josh Dial]

I can swing one more episode to see if the ending hooks me.

Is this a limited series or will it be ongoing?

My recollection is that following the tremendous success of the first two seasons of Dark (I'm not alone in calling it the best streaming show ever), creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar were given some bonkers 10-season order from Netflix. They were told they can split those 10 seasons over however many shows they want. Basically a "you make it we'll show it" blank cheque.

1899's season finale definitely sets the stage for another season. And I know Friese and bo Odar have an adaptation coming of the German book "Tyll". My best guess is 1899 will run for three seasons, Tyll will be three seasons, and a third show will be three seasons. That's nine seasons of their allotted 10. The tenth was Dark's third season. That's the full order.

 

[Josh Dial]

I can swing one more episode to see if the ending hooks me.

Is this a limited series or will it be ongoing?

Well I spoke (wrote) too soon. Netflix just cancelled it. I guess it shows that even Netflix's darling creators aren't immune to studio decisions.

I still suggest pivoting to Dark, though!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

No reason to finish it then.

For whatever reason I just couldn’t buy it. I kept seeing actors standing in front of the video wall and thinking “oh, this character speaks this language to help sell the show in that territory”, etc., that kind of thing. I wished it had been different but I guess that’s just how it goes sometimes

 

[Josh Dial]

No reason to finish it then.

For whatever reason I just couldn’t buy it. I kept seeing actors standing in front of the video wall and thinking “oh, this character speaks this language to help sell the show in that territory”, etc., that kind of thing. I wished it had been different but I guess that’s just how it goes sometimes

For funsies, watch the last five minutes of the final episode.

 

[Malcolm R]

Another one and done Netflix series. This is why I generally don't bother to watch any Netflix series until there are at least two seasons streaming. And I can't believe I'm the only one, which may account for why these series' first seasons struggle.

 

[jayembee]

I don't like when people say "keep watching it's gets better!" If a show isn't working for you it's probably best to cut and run. However, in this rare case the show's pivotal episode for most people is episode 3. There's a particular sequence where it all finally clicks into place for a lot of viewers.

@Josh Dial

Let’s say I’ve watched the first three episodes of this and basically been bored out of my mind and unmoved through each of them - should I plow through or stop?

In a forum thread at The Other Site, I got into a back-and-forth about Breaking Bad, which I gave up on after the first three episodes. It wasn't that I thought it was bad, just that it wasn't clicking for me. Of course, a lot of people were doing the old, "It's the best TV show evah! You've got to keep watching!". At that point, the show was mostly through its final season, and I just had no interest in spending 60+ hours watching something that I wasn't convinced I was going to like. The funny thing was that each person had a different idea as to how many episodes one had to give it before being justified in stopping. One person even said that it didn't really get going until the third season, and my reaction was "So, I need to plow through two whole seasons of "meh" episodes until I get to the point where it starts to get good?"

The thing is, there are way too many broadcast, cable, premium cable, and streaming shows of interest to try and muddle through something that isn't working. And the older I get, the less time I'll have to watch the things that interest me. There have been many shows that didn't click with me right off the bat, but I fortunately decided to keep watching and was glad I did. I actually stopped watching Orphan Black after two episodes, but tried it again a few weeks later, and ended up loving it. But most of the time, if something doesn't grab me with the first episode, I'm out.

All that said, I want to watch both Dark and 1899. I just need to find the time to do it.

 

[DaveF]

Is 1899 worth watching, as a canceled one season show? it was on my list, hadn’t gotten to it yet, going to skip it altogether unless it’s really a standout.

Maybe I should finally get to watching Dark?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

No reason to finish it then.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[jayembee]

I must say that the fact that 1899 won't go past this one season puts a damper on deciding whether or not to watch it. My wife and I were fascinated by Season 1 of Raised by Wolves, and looked forward to watching S2. By the time S2 started streaming we had too much going on to watch it, and by the time we were ready to watch, the news came out that HBOMax cancelled it. Knowing that the story wasn't going to be concluded, we didn't feel inclined to bother watching.