7.6 /10 1 Votes
73% Rotten Tomatoes Genre Period dramaMusical Country of origin United States First episode date 12 August 2016 | 8.5/10 IMDb 69% Metacritic Original language(s) English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Created by Baz LuhrmannStephen Adly Guirgis Starring Justice SmithShameik MooreHerizen F. GuardiolaSkylan BrooksTremaine Brown Jr.Yahya Abdul-Mateen IIJimmy Smits Cast Profiles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Get Down is an American musical drama television series set in the New York City section of the South Bronx in 1977. Created by Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis, the series premiered its first six episodes globally on August 12, 2016 on Netflix. The first part of its first season consists of six 53–93 minute episodes produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show's title refers to parts of disco and R&B records that could be repeated using multiple turntables and were enjoyed most by dancers.
Contents
Cast and crew have stated the second half of the season will be released on April 7, 2017.
Premise
The series is set in The Bronx, New York City in the 1970s and follows the rise of hip-hop and disco music through the eyes of a group of teenagers. The first episode is introduced in 1996 as a famous artist named Zeke raps his story to a large crowd. Each episode begins at this concert with Zeke performing a short rap which serves to both recap the previous episodes and set up the events of the next.
Series One begins in 1977 with Zeke; a young poet who lives with his aunt following the death of his parents who meets Shaolin Fantastic, a graffiti artist and aspiring DJ. Together the two band together with Zeke's friends to become "The Fantastic Four Plus One" with a dream to become successful music artists and take over the city. Mylene, Zeke's long time love, dreams of becoming a disco singer and leaving the Bronx, but faces obstacles such as her religious father.
Alongside this, the show depicts the various gangs and gangsters, in particular Fat Annie and her son Cadillac, as well as observing the poverty and violence faced by those living in the Bronx. Each episode is inter-cut with real footage and newscasts from the 1970s.
Main
Recurring
Guest
Production
The series was announced in February 2015, after Luhrmann had spent over ten years developing the concept. The series is described as "a mythic saga of how New York at the brink of bankruptcy gave birth to hip-hop, punk and disco". The Sony Pictures Television show takes place in Bronx tenements, the SoHo art scene, CBGB, Studio 54 and the just-built World Trade Center. On April 9, 2015, it was announced that Justice Smith, Shameik Moore, Skylan Brooks and Tremaine Brown Jr. would play the show's lead male roles. On April 16, 2015 it was announced that newcomer Herizen Guardiola would play the show's female lead.
Rap legends Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow and Nas hosted a Hip-Hop boot camp to educate the young actors. The production crew used the Eisner Award-winning comic series Hip Hop Family Tree by Ed Piskor as a reference point.
The trailer for part two was released in February 2017 with episodes scheduled to be available on Netflix on April 7, 2017. The series will pick up a year later in 1978 The accompanying soundtrack will be released on April 14.
Reception
Part One has been positively reviewed with a 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with the critic consensus reading "The Get Down's vibrant music and energetic young cast help to elevate its meandering narrative." The show has score of 7.6 based on 106 reviews on Metacritic which is classified as "generally favorable reviews". The show has been well received by Netflix users earning a five star rating.
Many critics have praised the uptempo musical numbers and soundtrack as well as the performances from the main cast and cinematography of the show. Whilst more negative reviews have criticized Luhrmann's input into an overly dramatic love story and sometimes "cartoonish" violence which detract from the darker, authentic feel of the show and its setting. Reviews improved with later episodes as critics felt that the series had toned down its more outlandish and over the top elements in favour of a more cohesive and balanced episode structure.