This is a cable station that doesn’t even exist in Australia, but one of its finest gems is a fave of mine. Banshee. Best fights scenes ever recorded for TV. (And probably for cinema too). I loved it so much I straight-up bought all four seasons on iTunes.
What I didn’t know, until I followed the link in Beeso’s text message, was that Banshee grew out of an entire oeuvre. I’ll let the Stone explain.
For the last decade, “just the usual” on Cinemax on Friday nights has involved fists, knives, pistols, rifles, and the occasional flamethrower or explosive ordnance. It has been one of the most consistently underrated pleasures on TV since 2011 — a time when people thought of Cinemax as HBO’s cheaper, porn-ier little brother, more often referred to as “Skinemax” than by its actual name.
Back then, the executives running the pay-cable channel knew they couldn’t compete with their corporate sibling in prestige, ambition, or even budgets, so they opted to attack the original series game from a different angle. HBO would have its lofty dramas on Sunday nights (Game of Thrones had premiered that spring), while Cinemax would lean into its pulpy-bordering-on-trashy reputation with a collection of Friday-night action series. The blueprint for these shows would be B- and C-movie thrillers starring the likes of Jason Statham that had long been a Cinemax staple, right along with the gratuitously nude ones. (And don’t worry. There would be plenty of nudity here, too.)
The essay goes on to giddy heights about other Cinemax shows I’d never heard of. Warrior, the martial arts epic which just wrapped up. Strike Back, a ridonkulously OTT drama about a globe trotting British special forces unit. Hunted, a Bourne-ish spy thriller. And Jett, a hard boiled crime drama.
Never heard of any of them, but if I can’t find them on the streamers I am totally going to iTunes, surely on the basis of this essay and my enjoyment of Banshee.
This is off topic but there appears to be a new show on Netflix that is basically the French Revolution meets zombies called La Revolution. I'm only one episode in but the first episode was very good. It's in French with subtitles, not sure if Netflix is offering a dubbed version or not
Strike back rocks! Based on a novel called strangely enough "Strike Back" by an ex UK SAS dude called Chris Ryan. The main protagonists Stonebridge and Scott are unstable and unstoppable.
You can score yourself some Strike Back on Stan if you have it. Otherwise the torrents can sort you. It's a 'splodey delight and has two Australian leads. Alin Sumarwata's Gracie Novin is a give no fucks delight.
This is off topic but there appears to be a new show on Netflix that is basically the French Revolution meets zombies called La Revolution. I'm only one episode in but the first episode was very good. It's in French with subtitles, not sure if Netflix is offering a dubbed version or not
Warrior is awesome, written by Bruce Lee back in the day.
Strike back rocks! Based on a novel called strangely enough "Strike Back" by an ex UK SAS dude called Chris Ryan. The main protagonists Stonebridge and Scott are unstable and unstoppable.
You had me at 'HBO’s cheaper, porn-ier little brother"
You can score yourself some Strike Back on Stan if you have it. Otherwise the torrents can sort you. It's a 'splodey delight and has two Australian leads. Alin Sumarwata's Gracie Novin is a give no fucks delight.