John From Cincinnati (HBO series)
Backcover summary: Just north of the border, in the tired coastal town of Imperial Beach, CA, live three generations of Yosts: surfing royalty turned society misfits. The Yosts' reign and reputation, once defined in the curl of a perfect wave, has been eroded by years of bad luck, addiction and hubris. But just as things are looking like they can't get worse, a stranger named John arrives – and the Yosts' banal existence is lifted into something profound, miraculous and, possibly, universal.
When I first read that David Milch was moving on from Deadwood to make a series about a surfer family, my initial reaction was along the lines of: Dude? Baywatch?? Not interested.
Luckily, I didn't stay that ignorant.
The series combines the rich and floral language of Deadwood with the magic and wonderment of Carnivale to portrait a family that is even more dysfunctional than the Fishers of Six Feet Under. That's not to say the series is derivative - I'm just using shortcuts, because I'm to lazy to write a real review. And if you liked those series, you will probably like this one, too.
The first six episodes are absolutely amazing, after that, the series falters a bit, and the ending, while satisfying, feels a bit rushed. That's mainly because HBO not only cancelled the series, but also shortened the season from the originally planned and ordered 12 episodes to only 10.
