Today’s shows feature many of the same cliché ideas and plots. Netflix however has featured another of its own original series next to successful story lines such as Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things, and now The Get Down.
Directed by Baz Luhrmann and produced by hip hop artist and record producer, Nas, this show is based in 1970s New York. The main characters struggle to find their way and style through the early scenes of hip-hop. The show presents actors like Jimmy Smits, Justice Smith, Jaden Smith, Herizan Guardiola and other new actors.
Many of the characters go through their own individual struggles that range from trying to fit in or just simply trying to survive the broken and beaten down, poverty stricken Bronx area of the late ’70s. Thus for most of them, and most likely most of us, the music presents an outlet of escape.
From episode to episode, the show draws viewers in through the raps, rhymes and songs the characters create with jaw dropping drama with the events that unfold with it. While this series isn’t for everyone, it gives a glimpse into the revolutionary music of disco and hip-hop, with rivalries and rebellion from all corners. The Netflix series is compiled into two parts, consisting of 13 episodes. The first sequence of episodes contains six and the second part is to be released in 2017.
Each episode is intertwined with actual footage dating back to the 1970s which puts a nice spin on the related events in the series. However, it does have scenes that produce violence, crime and drugs, but nevertheless it turns around to teach morals and lessons for each character and the viewers. The first episode, which is a whopping 92 minutes long entrance to this story, may deter viewers from watching the rest of the episodes simply because it can get a little boring. In the end, it is worth it to get past that first introducing episode and on to the more exciting ones that follow.
