Does anything live up to its hyperbole? Does anything substantial require hyperbole? My answer is no. Don’t think so.
The 2 best TV series I’ve seen in the past 3 years, Emerald City and Counterpart, were treated like orphans by their respective parents (NBC and Showtime), received ZERO promotion, but were outstanding (Emerald, for its production design, cinematography, FX [for a broadcast network] and performance by a single character, Ana Uluru as the Wicked Witch of the West) or jaw-dropping (Counterpart, for its engaging and fresh narrative and mind-blowing acting). Now that I’m thinking aloud, TRULY great stuff does not get hype, because TRULY great stuff, being innovative, unprecedented, difficult to categorize and not easily explained in 2 words or fewer (e.g., MTV cops = Miami Vice) is not grist for the hyperbole mill. “Hey, Ludwig’s finished his 9th symphony. He calls it The Chorale. Let’s get the hype rolling!” “Are you INSANE?! Look! He’s got 5 freaking movements. NO symphony has more than 4 movements! It’s 72 freaking minutes long! The audience’s collective bladder will explode. Dude! This is a loser. Pass!”
(The reality is that, when Beethoven’s masterpiece debuted, at the conclusion of its much-lauded second movement, the audience rose up and demanded to hear an encore presentation.)
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