Lodge 49

Cancelling Lodge 49 will go down as one of AMC's most regretted mistakes. It's a delightful multi-faceted series that I'd been meaning to give more attention to here. It's just hard to sum up what a charmingly esoteric experience it is if you've not seen it. (The Prague Paradox by L. Marvin Metz is off the flippin' chain!) Early ads focused on the superficial The Big Lebowski similarities so I didn't expect it to grow on me exponentially with each episode. The ensemble cast & their dialogue sparkled. It's about alchemy, economics, & the friends we made along the way. I was pleasantly surprised it wasn't cancelled after its inaugural season. The second season was even more superlative, featuring a dumpling eating contest between Sonya Cassidy & Paul Giamatti! Apparently AMC only wants to be The Walking Dead Channel now. Please join me in campaigning alternate outlets to pick up Lodge 49 for a third season! I won't let the cancellation bear deprive the world of its idiosyncrasy!

It's hard to describe Lodge 49 without giving too much away. There are no scary monsters or much in the way of violence or action scenes.Just a really good slow burn 'alternative' drama with decent acting and characters that really makes you want to find out what happens next, both in terms of plot and also character development. I found myself liking and caring about all the main characters in the story. The description makes the show look like science fiction or fantasy, but the fantasy elements are quite subdued. Something weird may or may not be going on in the background but the show is mostly about the characters and what happens in their lives. I wouldn't have expected to like it as much as I did based on the description. Now I'm waiting for season 2.

There are a lot of TV shows, an overwhelming amount, really. But some of them... well, some of them tell a deeper tale than most. Lodge 49 is one of those shows. If you haven't already given it a chance; please consider watching the first 3 episodes and allowing them to wash over you, to draw you in. I think you'll see why this show is so special. Stellar writing and nuanced performances make Lodge 49 one of a kind, and just gets better from the first to second season.

I've been thinking about the TV shows that have resonated the most with me this year: Russian Doll would be one, and Lodge 49 would be the other. On the surface they may seem very different, but both of them operate in mysteries, and both of them have a basic message of the importance of human connection, that we are in this together and that we need each other. It may seem like a simple and obvious thing, but this non-sappy, non-manipulative, genuine heart is missing from much of what's out there, and it's why Lodge 49 has inspired such a passionate fan community.

This was such a lovely show with gentle soul. It's such s shame to have been cancelled after an outstanding second season.

I'm hoping that hulu will pick it up for two / three more seasons.

If not Hulu, then Amazon or NetFlix. Somebody needs to pick this up.

Watching this show pulls you into a world of drab mediocrity. It's characters are funny and complex. There is an element of suspense and mystery that keeps up interest. But the characters are the story. It has the kind of humor that makes you feel you are there with the characters when they crack you up without doing anything particularly outrageous. Great timing. Good gags. Subtle absurdity. The dingy atmosphere of many scenes enhances the profundity of some of the dialogue. Great writing and delivery by the cast.