American Soul - General Discussion

[MsTree]

This new show on BET follows Don Cornelius and how he made Soul Train a national TV show.  Kelly Rowland plays Gladys Knight. The first two episodes aired last night 9E/6P.

[Joimiaroxeu]

A few minor anachronisms with hair and clothing distracted me but for the most part I liked the first two episodes.

Hey, it's Pastor Jidenna from Greenleaf. Pretty much doing the same conked hair schtick too.

"Man is first destiny." Heh. That probably worked--and still works--for a lot of people.

Clearly the actors playing Don Cornelius and Gladys Knight were hired largely for their resemblance to the the real life people they're portraying. At least Sinqua Walls can act. Kelly Rowland, no. And she IMO doesn't do justice to Gladys' powerhouse singing voice. It's almost a dishonor, I think.

Edited February 9, 2019 by Joimiaroxeu

[Raja]

Since I can remember the period, even as a young kid at the time it was the  modern slang of calling little sister "fly, but not worth my liquor license" that stopped me.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

As long as we're talking anachronisms how about dance routine to You're The One That I Want taking place 7 years before movie was released?

[Raja]

Three episodes in and I am into the Don Cornelius home and office story. I think TPTB feared it wasn't enough so the revolutionary cell police murder and the father dying like Colonel Blake of MASH on his way home seems grafted on

[Joimiaroxeu]

On 2/12/2019 at 6:18 PM, PamelaMaeSnap said:

As long as we're talking anachronisms how about dance routine to You're The One That I Want taking place 7 years before movie was released?

Grease the movie began a stage musical that originally debuted in 1971. The timing fits but just barely.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

7 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Grease the movie began a stage musical that originally debuted in 1971. The timing fits but just barely.

But "You're The One That I Want" was not in the stage musical, only the movie! I believe it technically "replaced" the "All Choked Up" number from the stage show. Several songs were replaced from show to film ("Raining On Prom Night" was replaced by "Hopelessly Devoted To You," for example). "Grease" (the song) was not in the show either. Coincidentally or not (I suspect not), NONE of the "singles" released from the film were in the show itself.

[PsychoDrone]

With all the extra storylines (Vietnam dad/son draft, robberies in the name of revolution), it shows there isn't much to the Soul Train story.  Originally, I thought this would be about the trials and tribulations of Don Cornelius trying to make Soul Train the pop icon that it became.  From the first episode, I felt like I came in on the middle of a movie.  I thought I might have missed an episode because it immediately jumped to Soul Train already being on TV.  Not syndicated yet, but on TV.  From these episodes, it appears we will learn about Don from flashback.  Usually, when this technique is used, the flashbacks start at the beginning and progress from there.  That isn't happening here.

BET did a phenomenal job with the New Edition and Bobby Brown stories.  Those were 2-episode movies that told tight stories.  Doing Soul Train is a good idea, but making it a 10-episode maxi-series is not.  The other storylines just seem tacked on to pad out the length.  I guess this is the "creative license" or "based on true story" that is included when retelling real-life events.  The production values and acting are better than other shows (specifically Family Business, and to some degree, Boomerang), but it would have been better as a 2, maybe 3, episode show that focused on Don Cornelius.

[Popples]

I am struggling with this show. It's really difficult for me to care about some of the side plots. Like JT with the junkie mama who's now an unwitting member of the Crips. What the hell does he have to do with Soul Train? Sure his girlfriend Simone and her brother are dancers on it, but he is too many degrees separated from the show to be invested in his character. Since we're 40% of the way into this show, it's time for the rise to begin with Don successfully landing the acts that firmly squashed all the sponsors' and network executives' doubts. However, it seems like they are backloading the episodes with all the famous performances, hoping the sneak-peeks will keep the audience coming back.

[PsychoDrone]

1 hour ago, Popples said:

I am struggling with this show. It's really difficult for me to care about some of the side plots. Like JT with the junkie mama who's now an unwitting member of the Crips. What the hell does he have to do with Soul Train? Sure his girlfriend Simone and her brother are dancers on it, but he is too many degrees separated from the show to be invested in his character.

The executives were brainstorming and they're grand idea was to pad out the Soul Train story with pointless nonsense to get it to ten episodes.  The brother/sister/dead dad and JT storylines have no bearing on Soul Train at all.  The backbiting/jockeying for position among the dancers is interesting.  Don's family issues, getting sponsors, staying on the air, and showing different acts (Bobby Brown as Rufus was too crazy) is stuff we want to see.  Unfortunately, that is only enough material for a 2-episode show.  Soul Train is a good story, just bad execution in telling it.

Check YouTube for recordings of the original artists (Gladys Knight, Rufus) to what is shown on the show.  It is entertaining to watch.

Edited February 20, 2019 by PsychoDrone

[PsychoDrone]

I'm calling it.  This show is not good.  The side plots are pointless and have NOTHING to do with Soul Train.  Pure filler.  You can fast-forward, and I have, through them and nothing is missed.  Two episodes could have pushed this to the level of New Edition or Bobby Brown docudramas.  As it stands, it's a period piece about the early 70s with Soul Train thrown in to make it interesting.

[ForeverPluto]

I've been watching the show and yeah, I agree that there are too many storylines going on. Dare I say it, I have to wonder if that is because these other storylines serve as a distraction from the actor portraying Don. No disrespect to Sinqua Wells but I just don't feel like he's a strong enough actor to pull off "Don Cornelius". If anything, I am more intrigued by the nightclub owner. Don't know his name but I recognize him from Greenleaf. But even here, I am not sure how his character connects to Soul Train other than the fact that famous musicians occasionally come through his club.  Even the 3 teens, they seem to be focused more on launching singing careers rather than dancing on Soul Train. I did have a thought that these 3 teens or Encore as they call themselves might be based on the group Shalamar but I'm not sure??? 

I really want this show to succeed but at the rate it's going, I don't know if it will. I think it would have made a pretty good limited series or tv movie but a full on series? I just don't know...

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

No disrespect to Sinqua Wells but I just don't feel like he's a strong enough actor to pull off "Don Cornelius".

I agree. However, he has the physical presence. I think he pulls off those superfly suits, platform shoes, and the big afro quite well.

Most of the interpretations of famous people I'm finding lacking. You need more than a passing resemblance and a copy of the hairstyle, IMO. For example, I like Wayne Brady but think his playing Little Richard is a huge mistake. Brady might have been a better choice for the Don Cornelius role but he likely would've been more expensive. Clearly this production was trying to cut corners everywhere they could.

Speaking of possible anachronisms, were girls commonly wearing cornrows in the early 70s or was that an L.A. thing?

[Popples]

25 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Speaking of possible anachronisms, were girls commonly wearing cornrows in the early 70s or was that an L.A. thing?

Cicely Tyson on the cover of Jet Magazine, March 15, 1973. It's from a couple of years after these episodes take place, but I think it's a possibility they had started to come back in fashion at this time.

[ForeverPluto]

6 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

I agree. However, he has the physical presence. I think he pulls off those superfly suits, platform shoes, and the big afro quite well.

Most of the interpretations of famous people I'm finding lacking. You need more than a passing resemblance and a copy of the hairstyle, IMO. For example, I like Wayne Brady but think his playing Little Richard is a huge mistake. Brady might have been a better choice for the Don Cornelius role but he likely would've been more expensive. Clearly this production was trying to cut corners everywhere they could.

Speaking of possible anachronisms, were girls commonly wearing cornrows in the early 70s or was that an L.A. thing?

American Soul reminds me a lot of an older show called American Dreams, which oddly enough was loosely based on American Bandstand. Like American Soul, American Dreams had the same premise where there were multiple storylines going on at one time, some of which really had nothing to do with Bandstand. Then like American Soul, American Dreams featured current/semi-current stars portraying the musical acts of the time. For instance, Jennifer Love Hewitt performed as Nancy Sinatra. In another episode, Kelly Rowland played Martha of Martha and the Vandellas. It's been a while since I last saw American Dreams but the similarities in storytelling between the two shows is very similar. If American Soul is indeed following the American Dreams format, American Dreams had a short run which may not bode well for American Soul. 

[Raja]

On 3/8/2019 at 7:54 AM, ForeverPluto said:

Even the 3 teens, they seem to be focused more on launching singing careers rather than dancing on Soul Train. I did have a thought that these 3 teens or Encore as they call themselves might be based on the group Shalamar but I'm not sure??? 

If that is the intention Jody Watley would have been around 13 when Soul Train came to LA. In real life she started a little later and a disco producer just picked up two Soul Train dancers and added a singer, eventually Howard Hewitt to tour his mashed up disco hit.

[Raja]

It is a good thing a country bar band somewhere in the midwest knew the Motown song book plus.

[Joimiaroxeu]

It's not believable to me those kids weren't warned how to interact with the White locals in small out-of-the way towns, especially in the wilds of the South and Midwest. One of them could've easily gotten killed.

Lol, were they trying to put a wee bit of a country twang on a classic Motown song?

[CRT]

Quote

American Soul reminds me a lot of an older show called American Dreams, which oddly enough was loosely based on American Bandstand.

American Dreams was created by Jonathan Prince, who's a co-creator of this show.

[ForeverPluto]

2 hours ago, CRT said:

American Dreams was created by Jonathan Prince, who's a co-creator of this show.

Well that explains a lot of the similarities now!!! 

[Raja]

Did Dick Clark come off as  gangsterish with offers that shouldn't be refused in American Dreams? 

[ForeverPluto]

On 3/14/2019 at 5:32 PM, Raja said:

Did Dick Clark come off as  gangsterish with offers that shouldn't be refused in American Dreams? 

Not really. In fact, I don't remember a lot of scenes that really showcased Dick Clark in terms of the behind the scenes stuff with Bandstand. I do remember the few times Dick was shown, he was portrayed by Joey Lawrence. But again, not much emphasis was put on Dick Clark himself. As far as American Soul, I do know that Bandstand/Dick Clark was threatened enough by Soul Train's popularity that they put out this rival show to Soul Train called Soul Unlimited. Apparently, it was a bust because it ended as fast as it started!!! 

As for American Soul, again, I'm struggling with this show and why certain storylines are even portrayed on this show. Case in point: Flo inadvertently stopping the young man with the gun by making him dance with her. I doubt this happened so why even make it a part of the show? Also, I thought it was somewhat unrealistic that Simone and Kendall got left behind by the Soul Train bus and that they just happened to sing Motown tunes in a country western bar. 

Don is a real piece of work! I hate to say it but this show is not endearing me to Don at all. Don seemed like he was very difficult to work with and for! Not only that but he was a womanizer and not a very loving dad. I wish the show would focus more on Don himself and flesh his character out more. Maybe then I can get more an understanding of Don himself and the method in his madness! 

Speaking of Simone and Kendall, I'm not sure where the direction of this group is going. While the other two guys of Encore can sing, Simone is the one who seems to have more charisma and star power. Plus, there seems to be more episodes of her singing solo than it is of her singing with the group. The show needs to focus more on developing storylines that have more of a connection to Soul Train as opposed to some of the storylines like Briana and the soldier she moved into her home, Flo stopping the guy with the gun, JT's legal and family drama, etc. 

Finally, I wonder if this show does come back for Season 2 if they are going to flash forward to maybe much later in the 70s or even the 80s? 

[PsychoDrone]

The show reached the height of ridiculousness when it had Johnnie Cochran as the lawyer for the boy that was killed by the cops.  I practically rolled my eyes out of my head on that one.

[Raja]

3 hours ago, PsychoDrone said:

The show reached the height of ridiculousness when it had Johnnie Cochran as the lawyer for the boy that was killed by the cops.  I practically rolled my eyes out of my head on that one.

Who else would it be? ☺️. It does fit Johnnie Cochran's timeline working the Deadwyler vs LAPD case before becoming a Deputy DA.

[PsychoDrone]

On 3/22/2019 at 1:19 PM, Raja said:

Who else would it be? ☺️. It does fit Johnnie Cochran's timeline working the Deadwyler vs LAPD case before becoming a Deputy DA.

Literally, anyone else.  Actually, it should have been any no name lawyer.  Making it Johnnie Cochran was contrived to make the story more relevant.  Who cares?  Much like all the other extra pointless story lines on this show, it had nothing to do with Soul Train.  Backstory on Johnnie Cochran in the OJ miniseries made sense.  Shoehorning him into Soul Train, not so much.

Edited March 25, 2019 by PsychoDrone

[Popples]

I'm annoyed that it took 9 episodes for Kelly Price to sing and that I can't find the song that played when Gerald burned down the bar.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Okay, the woman playing Patti LaBelle had the look and some of the familiar body movements but no where near the voice.

Yeah, I'm not buying anybody calling Miss Patti a HBIC to her face in front of an audience and living to tell the tale.

The Italian mob with a Black woman as an enforcer? Yeah, no, that's not believable to me.

 Well, at least the second season is off to an eventful start.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Dick Clark personally scoping out talent in parking lots? Nah, not buying it.

Lol at Ruby saying Don's car purred. The Ferrari logo clearly has a horse, not a cat. Maybe he should've drven a Jag. 🐱

Tower of Power. Now that was a great call back. One of the best classic bands from that era.

I wonder if Don actually slept with a 16-year old. If so, it's a wonder she didn't have him arrested after the way he allegedly treated her.

Merv Griffin owned Trader Vic's? Mind. Blown. (Oh wait, that's not a fact, according to Wikipedia. Some guy named Victor created the chain. I think maybe Griffin owned the hotels many Trader Vic's were located in/adjacent to.)

OMG, that Elton John impersonator was HORRIBLE! I could do a better British accent than that clown. Seriously?

[Raja]

10 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

 

OMG, that Elton John impersonator was HORRIBLE! I could do a better British accent than that clown. Seriously?

Just about my earliest and lasting memory of Soul Train was watching the dancers trying to find a beat to dance to when Elton John sang Bennie and the Jets on the show.

[Joimiaroxeu]

As many times as I've heard that chick on the side song the irony of it never hit me until I saw this episode. How you gonna call somebody out for having a sidepiece when YOU'RE the sidepiece?  🤗

I'm glad BET added that card in memory of Bonnie Pointer's death this week. They've at least got more class than the CW who to my awareness didn't honor anything on their Dynasty retread when Diahann Carroll died last fall. She played played Dominique Deveraux, TV's original Black rich bitch. I think Characters like Cookie Lyon and Olivia Pope largely owed their existence and acceptance to Carroll's having forged the way back in the 80s.

[Raja]

With limited gangster nonsense being shown the Sly and the Family Stone episode and backstage managing was fun

[ForeverPluto]

Overall, not a bad episode! I thought DC YoungFly did a good job playing Sly. It also made me smile to see Don going down the Soul Train line with Mary Wilson. When Don can loosen up, he seems like fun!

I must say though: I'm not liking Gerald this season, mainly because I don't like what he's doing to JT. From my view, he is using that kid. He's setting JT up all the while keeping his hands clean. I know that JT is supposedly taking the bald guy (sorry I forgot his name but he was the one stabbed by that Ruby woman some episodes back) place as Gerald's enforcer but from Season One, Gerald did most of his own dirty work while the bald guy was there as backup. I think Gerald saw JT as an eager kid who was down on his luck and used that to his advantage. Much like that casino Gerald was running in the back of Don's club. 

Finally, as much as I love the 70s Soul Train, I hope at some point they can flash forward to the 80s and ultimately the 90s when Don had to step down as host of Soul Train. I would love to see how Don navigates through the changes in music, the dancers, etc all the while still dealing with his health issues. 

[Popples]

This was my favorite episode so far. I agree with Tessa, let "Happy Don" out more often.

Major props to the costume department, those outfits were on point.

Original Sly
DCYOUNGFLY as Sly

Original Elton John
Hudson Thames as Elton

Original video of Mary Wilson and Don Cornelius going down the Soul Train Line
Marquita Goings as Mary

Edited June 18, 2020 by Popples
Hit enter too soon

[Joimiaroxeu]

Oh boy, that Sly and the Family Stone depiction was the best one I think this show has done so far. The guy portraying Sly not so much, at least not when he wasn't singing. (Also, now I'm wondering if Lil Nas X took some inspiration from Sly with his look.)

Those multicolor patchwork suede boots Tessa had on probably did cost $100 back then. They were gorgeous.

I have the vinyl album Thank You was on. The violin was not featured as prominently in the song as they made it seem in the cover on this episode. Wonder why the show made a big deal about it?

Big boneded feet.

It's hard for me to believe Don didn't know about the casino but had been trying to look the other way. However, once a celebrity like Sly was stumbling around in public babbling about it the gig was up, or soon would be.

Edited June 20, 2020 by Joimiaroxeu

[The Ringo Kidd]

The energy and style of the Sly performance was really great. I especially liked how it lead off the episode. I wish they would start every episode with a full performance. That would really be fan service!

[Joimiaroxeu]

I don't know what that dancer at the top of the episode was dancing to but it wasn't the song being played unless she has no rhythm. Maybe they added the music after the scene was taped.

That James Brown impersonator had the voice down pat but the overall look and body were off IMO. He seemed too sloppy to me. I wish they had let Wayne Brady do James Brown instead of Little Richard. (Or convinced Eddie Murphy to do it for scale instead of his usual price tag, hah, hah.)

I think the guy playing Don's partner Gerald acts circles around Sinqua. Sometimes it's hard for me to watch them in scenes together.

Don was a straight a-hole, expecting the dancers to work for free. Fame doesn't pay the bills unless you're getting money as a result of that fame. I wonder if the IRS ever came after Don Cornelius due to the shenanigans he was pulling.

Meh, the George Clinton impersonation was not great to me. Sorry Big Boi, acting might not be your thing. Also, I didn't realize Bootsy Collins had worked for James Brown.

Edited July 1, 2020 by Joimiaroxeu

[Raja]

1 hour ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

 

Meh, the George Clinton impersonation was not great to me. Sorry Big Boi, acting might not be your thing. Also, I didn't realize Bootsy Collins had worked for James Brown.

It was sort of the same situation shown here. The band had mutinied against Mr. Brown and Bootsy and his brother Catfish was called up. He spent almost a year recording Sex Machine among others as James Brown really moved from Soul to Funk music 

[ForeverPluto]

7 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

I don't know what that dancer at the top of the episode was dancing to but it wasn't the song being played unless she has no rhythm. Maybe they added the music after the scene was taped.

That James Brown impersonator had the voice down pat but the overall look and body were off IMO. He seemed too sloppy to me. I wish they had let Wayne Brady do James Brown instead of Little Richard. (Or convinced Eddie Murphy to do it for scale instead of his usual price tag, hah, hah.)

I think the guy playing Don's partner Gerald acts circles around Sinqua. Sometimes it's hard for me to watch them in scenes together.

Don was a straight a-hole, expecting the dancers to work for free. Fame doesn't pay the bills unless you're getting money as a result of that fame. I wonder if the IRS ever came after Don Cornelius due to the shenanigans he was pulling.

Meh, the George Clinton impersonation was not great to me. Sorry Big Boi, acting might not be your thing. Also, I didn't realize Bootsy Collins had worked for James Brown.

True. Jason Dirden does act circles around Sinqua. At the same time, I just hope when American Soul ends, he doesn't end up typecast because I've noticed that there isn't much difference in this role he's playing and the last role he had (Basie Skanks from Greenleaf). He seems to play the villain quite well. But back to Sinqua, my biggest complaint with him is that I just don't feel like he's that strong of an actor to play someone as dynamic as Don Cornelius was. I assumed this was part of the reason why the show focuses more sometimes on the supporting characters as a way to distract from Sinqua. 

I thought Darius McCrary did a pretty decent job as James Brown. I would have loved to have seen a James Brown performance because I know he performed on Soul Train but I'm not if Darius could have pulled that off. The whole JT/Simone thing is getting tiresome. Simone is too childish and selfish acting at times. JT just has too much going on in terms of the drama in his life. Since he is in so deep with Gerald now, there is just no way he can be with Simone without putting her indirectly in some type of danger. I also didn't like the fact that he and Simone are trying to get JT's sister back. They need to leave her where she is, which is in a stable home with two stable parents. Neither JT nor Simone can offer that child anything. 

 

 

 

[The Ringo Kidd]

They really cheated us on the performances this week except for the music video dream sequence that I could do without.

[Raja]

The label, which was not Motown,  was pissed about The Chi-Lites. So Motown's Commodores won't show up? The way they play fast and loose with history makes the show mostly good for short music videos.

One thing about Kool and the Gang is while they had the music chops most of the other Funk bands were more dynamic visually. And then they had a second life as a Disco act when their JT joined.

[Joimiaroxeu]

That Kool and the Gang impersonation was too bland, IMO. They had the look but those guys seemed to me like they were just going through the motions. Which they probably were as actors but I'd think the director would've told them to put some feeling into it.

Joe Tex. Yeah, baby, drinking red soda water on the 19th of June.

I bet JT and Simone will end up having to get married so they can adopt his little sister. Wow did Simone come through for him clutch.

Don, you are the frog. Gerald is definitely not the frog. 😒

Looks like Gerald has the right cop on the payroll.

I'm glad Don and Gerald shut down Ruby. She was annoying to me. And it still wasn't believable to me that the Chicago mob would use a Black woman as a fixer or hit woman or whatever.

Edited July 6, 2020 by Joimiaroxeu

[Raja]

10 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

That Kool and the Gang impersonation was too bland, IMO. They had the look but those guys seemed to me like they were just going through the motions. Which they probably were as actors but I'd think the director would've told them to put some feeling into it.

Joe Tex. Yeah, baby, drinking red soda water on the 19th of June.

I bet JT and Simone will end up having to get married so they can adopt his little sister. Wow did Simone come through for him clutch.

Don, you are the frog. Gerald is definitely not the frog. 😒

Looks like Gerald has the right cop on the payroll.

 

I went back to the actual Kool and the Gang appearance and the actors  looked accurate to me. Since they name dropped the Commodores who had not really hit big when Hollywood Swinging was out I would use Machinegun as the 1974 model and compare.

A Deputy Chief of Police,  that was some plot armor.

[Joimiaroxeu]

I can't imagine how doing cocaine helped Don's migraines.

Stabbed with a hatpin. Now that's old school.

Ugh, that was awful the way Don mindfcuked his sons about coming to LA to stay with him. He knew they wouldn't want to leave their mother alone. Empty gesture.

Heh, Ruby is like a Bond supervillain. She has to find the most insane way to try to kill someone instead of just doing it.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Okay, I though the Chaka Khan impersonator had the overall bohemian look but definitely not the voice or the body movements. Chaka had some trademark dance moves that were not evident here, and I think she was a bit darker-skinned than that actress too.

Now if the show hadn't said that character was Richard Pryor I would never have guessed. Utter sacrilege to have presented such a poor imitation of a comedy god. The actor didn't look like Richard, talk like Richard, or move like Richard, IMO. He could've been anybody.

There is no way the LA cops wouldn't have shot Gerald on the spot. The guy was waving a gun in broad daylight on a public street and they watched him shoot Ruby dead. GMAFB.

That was a nice cover of Slipping into Darkness at the end.

I wish they could've figured out a way to build the show around the Gerald character. I think Jason Dirden is 100 times more a compelling and skilled actor than Sinqua. It probably doesn't matter though since there's unlikely to be a third season.

[MsTree]

14 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

wish they could've figured out a way to build the show around the Gerald character. I think Jason Dirden is 100 times more a compelling and skilled actor than Sinqua. It probably doesn't matter though since there's unlikely to be a third season.

I agree Jason has more of everything compared to Sinqua. But, Gerald who? ...we all know Don.

Why do you say it's unlikely we'll get a 3rd season?  I'm actually enjoying this season a lot more than last.

[ForeverPluto]

On 7/18/2020 at 12:11 PM, Joimiaroxeu said:

 

I wish they could've figured out a way to build the show around the Gerald character. I think Jason Dirden is 100 times more a compelling and skilled actor than Sinqua. It probably doesn't matter though since there's unlikely to be a third season.

In a way, they did just this with Ruby all season. While the character herself became a bit of a nuisance after a while, Ruby's storyline tied more into Gerald's which, imo, made this season more about Gerald at times than it was about Don. I'm not complaining at all because as you said, Jason Dirden is a very good actor. He's so good in fact that he outshines many of his co-stars including the supposed lead, Sinqua Wells. 

As for the season coming back, I hope it does but as you mentioned, it wouldn't be surprising if it doesn't. I noticed there was not a lot of promotion for this season as opposed to Season One. I know the Covid-19 played a part in that but still, some of the cast could have done some Skype interviews on some of the morning/afternoon talk shows, etc. And if the show does come back, are we looking at yet another time jump? The pacing of this show gets weird at times. We're still in the 70s and while I like the 70s, I would love it if American Soul could cover Soul Train in the 80s and even the 90s when Don had to step down as host. I know the show's inevitable would be Don's death but at this rate, I don't feel like we'll ever get that far. If it is cancelled, I at least hope we get some kind of tv movie that ties everything up. 

Edited July 20, 2020 by ForeverPluto

[michelec]

I finally got a chance to binge season 2 this weekend. I agree with the previous posts about Gerald being more fleshed out as a character compared to Don. There's only so many ways you can work the Don is a controlling tyrant that gets in his own way angle before it becomes one note.

I loved the opening sequence of each episode with the TV being tuned to Soul Train. Using pliers to turn the channel, Saturday morning house cleaning, getting my hair straightened with the hot comb...I swear the writers got a hold of my childhood.

Speaking of the writers, I really appreciate them having the foresight of tying up as many loose ends as possible in the last episode in the event it was a series finale instead of a season finale (as it now appears to be the former). Nothing more frustrating than shows overreaching and piling on a bunch of cliffhangers when there's no guarantee of a renewal (waves hi to Ambitions and Sanditon).