Banshee-Cinemax

Banshee is an hour long Cinemax original action/drama program currently showing new episodes on Friday nights at 10pm EST. The show premiered on January 11, 2013. Banshee was created by Jonathan Trooper and David Schickler. The series is set in the fictional small town of Banshee, PA. Currently in it's second season. Cinemax picked the show up for a third season in January, 2014.

The Setup- After serving fifteen years in prison for a diamond heist a master thief assumes the identity of the towns new and recently murdered sheriff, Lucas Hood (Antony Starr). Hood quickly bonds with a former boxing champ and ex con named Sugar (Frankie Faison) who owns a local watering hole. Hood is in search of his former lover and partner Ana/Carrie Hopewell (Ivana Milicevic). Ana living under the name Carrie Hopewell is now married to the local DA (Rus Blackwell) and a mother of two. Carrie has left her criminal past behind while hiding from the ruthless Ukrainian crime lord named Rabbit (Ben Cross) that she and Hood double crossed fifteen years earlier. Rounding out the criminal reunion is Job (Hoon Lee), an Asian cross dressing computer hacker who helped plan the heist. Job gives Hood the necessary credentials to assume the identity of the dead sheriff before anyone in town had a chance to meet him.

Hood assumes control of the small sheriff department bringing him into conflict with Brock (Matt Servitto) the departments longest tenured officer who was passed up for advancement in favor of the outsider Hood.

Siobhan Kelly (Trieste Dunn Kelly) and Emmet Yawners (Demetrius Grosse) round out the other officers on small force.

Hood also finds himself at odds with Kai Proctor (Ulrich Thomsen), the ruthless businessman and shunned Amish power monger who controls the towns underworld. With an Indian reservation, large Amish community, crime lords, and various miscreants in Banshee County Hood has his hands full trying to do a job he is ill equipped for while trying to rekindle his old romance and cash in on the stolen diamonds.

What I Love About It- The best way to sum this show up is Grand Theft Auto meets Shakespeare. Graphic violence, nudity, sexual situations,and profanity are laced into a gripping story that involves themes of love, honor, duty,and destiny not to mention the violent nature of man. Banshee covers it all. The combination of great writing, visually stunning direction, top notch acting, and special effects more likely to be found in a summer blockbuster make Banshee one of the most complete shows on TV. 

Banshee lets it's characters shine with deep emotional back stories and moral decisions that challenge the core of who they are.

 Rebecca (Lili Simmons), Proctor's niece, is one of the shows more compelling characters as she grapples with her Amish upbringing and a desire for the carnal pleasures of the outside world. Banshee's female characters are one of the show's major strengths. Women are not portrayed as victims or sex objects they are a viable ass kicking force to be reckoned with.

 It's the shows treatment of it's characters that gives it such depth. Banshee also does something else remarkable. It gets better and better every week. By season 2 Banshee has gone from a quick jog to a full sprint and it's a joy to watch the writers stretch their legs.

I held back more than usual on the details of the show because part of the joy of Banshee is the way the story unfolds for the viewer. Banshee is much more than it seems and that's what elevates it from guilty pleasure status to Emmy buzzworthy.

What I Hate About- This show is certainly not for everyone but neither are Masters of Sex or Boardwalk Empire. There is a lot of sex and violence but never just for the sake of showing it. I had to be pretty picky to find something to dislike but Brock and Sugar are maybe the only two characters that seemed a little forced. Of course you need a cop who distrusts Hood's unorthodox style and you also need someone to be the wise old sage who helps him soothe his inner demons. I have faith though that given time these characters will catch up with the others.

10 out of 10 Couch Potatoes- My first perfect 10 is simply because Banshee earned it .A lot of time we praise shows because we think we should. Banshee does the opposite. It takes a show that critics usually hate and blows you away. When was the last time you were counting down the days until the next new episode of anything? Where shows like Homeland faded fast Banshee rewarded fans with more of the things they loved but even better. Banshee gives us the sex and violence without sacrificing the integrity of the characters or the story.I'm happy to see Cinemax is finally challenging the other premium networks with first rate original programming. You may not want a house in Banshee but certainly grab a seat in a local park and enjoy the view.

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http://www.cinemax.com/banshee/

Antony Starr as Lucas Hood

Trieste Kelly Dunn as Deputy Siobhan Kelly

Ulrich Thomsen as Kai Proctor