This past Friday there were 3 shows debuting and I wanted to see them all so I decided to alternate each episode as if I was watching regular network shows--BAD DECISION!! I started off with watching episode 1 of the 5 part series "Halston", then went to the first episode of "Pride" which would have a total of 6 episodes with 3 this week and 3 next week and finally episode 1 of the 10 part series "The Underground Railroad". By the time I got to the second episode of each I knew I made a big mistake. All 3 were so different in themes, productions and approaches it started to become a big jumble so I went another way!

I watched the 5 episodes of Halston on Friday, the rest of Pride on Saturday along with 2 episodes of Railroad and will watch the rest of Pride & Railroad next weekend so you will be getting my impressions of the latter 2 based on what I saw so far.


1) "Halston"--Netflix--limited series--5 episodes--4 hours--I am a big fan of Ryan Murphy's productions--especially those based on real people--they are mostly 'high camp', trash, fun, first rate productions with good casts and almost immediately forgettable-- there is usually a gay element which is handled in a positive way though I must admit I was 'offended', didn't need to see, the gay orgy scene(s) he showed in this one--FUN (CHECK), CAMP (CHECK), FIRST RATE PRODUCTION (CHECK) FORGETTABLE (CHECK)!


2) "Pride"--FX on HULU--documentary--2 parts with 3 episodes in each--maybe, because it is the one I most identified with, it was the most interesting to me--what got my attention immediately was that for the first time I saw gay life in the 1950s presented as a time of fun, a time to make and meet friends and, in some cases, lifelong relationships--yes there was the arrests, the harassments, the names printed in papers, bar raids, undercover entrapment but as a teenager and young adult I have many great memories from that time in my life--each episode has a different narrator and looks at a different aspect of the gay movement--the last 3 episodes will be shown on FX, Friday May 21 at 8 PM and then on HULU--I am still moved when I see the current battles for Rights that we shouldn't still have to be fighting for--A MUST SEE FOR ALL PEOPLE INCLUDING THOSE WHO AREN'T GAY WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE PEOPLE FIGHTING FOR CHANGE AND UNDERSTANDING WHY.


3) "The Underground Railroad"--Amazon Prime--series--10 episodes, most running over an hour--it is not an easy watch but certainly worth your time--we follow Cora and Caesar from the antebellum times as slaves in Georgia to their escape up north and their trials and tribulations--with each kindness there are atrocities--some episodes are too long just as some scenes are but there is no escaping the IMPORTANT JOURNEY THROUGH HISTORY ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW AND SEE--POWER OF PICTURES, MOVIES, TELEVISON THAT IS A MUST SEE!