HBO/BBC's "Years and Years" (2019)

[James Luckard]

I watched this absolutely brilliant miniseries from Russell T Davies when it aired on the BBC, finishing last week.

It started tonight on HBO in the US. Hoping there will be more discussion here than there was on the UK thread.

Years & Years (2019): Official Trailer | HBO - YouTube

Unusually, the American trailer is much better than the UK trailer and gives a far better sense of the tone of the show.

It'll be compared to "The Handmaid's Tale" or "Black Mirror," but it's so much more. It's an epic, humanist masterwork of speculative sci-fi. It follows an ordinary family in Manchester forward over the next 15 years as a nationalist/populist dictator takes over. She's played by Emma Thompson in what's really an extended cameo. The genius conceit of the show is that Thompson is not the focus. She's almost entirely seen on TV screens that the family may or may not be watching.

It's tender, wrenching, hilarious, thought-provoking and (to my mind) eventually transcendent.

I've never seen anything on TV like it, and I can think of only a few films that approach it.

[kevin87]

Tovey's in it so I'm watching... but I'll wait for all 6 episodes lol

[Hoke Moseley]

Haven't even seen this advertised anywhere...

Thanks for the heads up.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by kevin87

Tovey's in it so I'm watching... but I'll wait for all 6 episodes lol

He's amazing in it! He's pretty much the lead, though the focus is on all four siblings.

[sandman slim]

Also, the show was created & written by Russell T. Davies (Doctor Who, Queer as Folk). Excellent cast aside, Davies alone is reason enough to watch.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by sandman slim

Also, the show was created & written by Russell T. Davies (Doctor Who, Queer as Folk). Excellent cast aside, Davies alone is reason enough to watch.

His writing here is unparalleled.

Here are a couple of great interviews he gave about the show:

https://variety.com/2019/tv/features...ew-1203248705/

https://rts.org.uk/article/why-trump...ears-and-years

He had the idea for it 25 years ago and has been working towards it almost his whole career.

[James Luckard]

He also did some informative interviews for the Radio Times when the series aired in the UK, but BE CAREFUL, they're designed to be read after certain episodes have aired, so they contain huge spoilers:

Read after Episode 4:

[Show spoiler]https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-06-04/years-and-years-shock-twist-russell-t-davies-reacts/

Read after Episode 6 (final episode):
https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2...ears-series-2/
https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2...ies-interview/

[James Luckard]

In addition, Davies has made his scripts for all 6 episodes available, free of charge, on the BBC website:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/sc...ears-and-years

[Josep5349]

It was a decent series, thought provoking. As the Manics once sang, “And if you tolerate this, then your children will be next”. The only downside for me was Russell T Davies’ tendency to lean towards the cheesy at times.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

He's amazing in it! He's pretty much the lead, though the focus is on all four siblings.

[Show spoiler]...till he isn’t !

I thought Anne Reid was the highlight among the cast.

[Show spoiler]She starts out as the stereotype of the grandmother who appears conservative and a bit racist, but she has the capacity to change.

[mikeinvegas7]

Checked this out last night. Really enjoyed it.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

[Show spoiler]...till he isn’t !

I thought Anne Reid was the highlight among the cast.

[Show spoiler]She starts out as the stereotype of the grandmother who appears conservative and a bit racist, but she has the capacity to change.

It's true, it was

[Show spoiler]a really bold choice to kill the lead off like that, and I applaud Davies's courage. He said he considered killing Viktor instead, but he knew he had to make the tougher choice and kill Daniel because it was better for the show. He said he actually made the decision to kill Daniel after Tovey was cast, and he had to ask Tovey if he was willing to appear in less of the show, which he agreed to.

Also, that paves the way for Jessica Hynes to gently take control of the series, and reveal all the depths she's capable of conveying as an actress. I have watched that final episode three times and been flooded with tears throughout her final monologue every time. It takes a truly gifted actress to sell words that simple and heartfelt and earnest. Davies said there was pressure to remove the monologue, because it was so emotional, but he fought and kept it.

[James Luckard]

By the way, if anyone would like to check it out, I'm writing weekly reviews/recaps of each episode for a genre/entertainment website, here's my review of episode 1:

https://theroarbots.com/roarbots-rec...s-magnum-opus/