Hand of God (TV series)
| Hand of God | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Ben Watkins |
| Written by | Ben Watkins |
| Directed by | Marc Forster |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45–66 min.[1] |
| Production company(s) |
|
| Distributor | Amazon Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network | Amazon Video |
| Original release | August 28, 2014 – present |
Hand of God is an American drama web television series created by Ben Watkins. Along with Hysteria, the premiere episode is one of two drama pilots Amazon streamed online in August 2014. Viewers were allowed to offer their opinions about the pilot before the studio decided whether or not to place an order for the entire series.[2] In October 2014, Hand of God was ordered to full series by Amazon Studios.[3] The series officially premiered on September 4, 2015. A second season was ordered in December 2015, to air in 2016.[4] On September 15, 2016, Amazon Studios announced that the series will come to an end after the upcoming second season.[5]
Plot
Hand of God follows Pernell Harris (Ron Perlman), a corrupt judge who suffers a breakdown and believes God is compelling him onto a path of vigilante justice.
Cast
- Ron Perlman as Pernell Harris
- Dana Delany as Crystal Harris
- Andre Royo as Robert 'Bobo' Boston
- Garret Dillahunt as KD
- Alona Tal as Jocelyn Harris
- Julian Morris as Paul Curtis
- Emayatzy Corinealdi as Tessie Graham
- Johnny Ferro as PJ Harris (Pernell Jr.)
- Elizabeth McLaughlin as Alicia Hopkins
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Marc Forster | Ben Watkins | August 28, 2014 |
| 2 | "Your Inside Voice" | Marc Forster | Ben Watkins & Daniel Tuch | September 4, 2015 |
| 3 | "Contemplating the Body" | Richard J. Lewis | Ben Watkins & Daniel Tuch | September 4, 2015 |
| 4 | "He So Loved" | Sarah Pia Anderson | Becky Hartman Edwards & Daniel Tuch | September 4, 2015 |
| 5 | "Welcome the Stranger" | Ernest R. Dickerson | Sam Forman & Daniel Tuch | September 4, 2015 |
| 6 | "For the Rain to Gather" | Andrew Bernstein | Deborah Schoeneman & Daniel Tuch | September 4, 2015 |
| 7 | "A Bird in Hand" | Peter Medak | Ali Garfinkel & Mark Hudis & Daniel Tuch | September 4, 2015 |
| 8 | "One Saved Message" | Mario Van Peebles | Benjamin Jones & Daniel Tuch & Ben Watkins | September 4, 2015 |
| 9 | "A Flower That Bees Prefer" | Stephen Williams | Theresa Rebeck & Daniel Tuch | September 4, 2015 |
| 10 | "The Tie That Binds" | Brad Anderson | Daniel Tuch | September 4, 2015 |
Reception
The series has received mixed reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the first season has a metascore of 44 out of 100 based on 19 critics reviews but has a user score of 6.9 out of 10 based on 32 ratings,[6] while receiving a 7.5 out of 10 on IMDb,[7] and an 8.2/10 from IGN.[8]
Todd VanDerWerff of Vox called the show "mind-boggling bad".[9] Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote that it "loses its focus" and that it feels "attenuated and static".[10] Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times gave the series a negative review, writing that it had great acting but "little else".[11] David Sims of The Atlantic wrote that the climax of the series didn't "justify 10 depressing hours of television".[12] Alternately, Robert Rorke of the NY Post called the show "oddly compelling",[13] while Tirdad Derakhshani of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, "It's such an engaging, original, quirky, and thought-provoking drama, it should be seen."[14]
References
- ↑ "Hand of God". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ↑ Jarvey, Natalie (August 11, 2014). "Amazon Studios Sets August Premiere for Third Group of Pilots". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
- ↑ Lewis, Hilary (October 3, 2014). "Amazon Picks Up Full Series of 'Hand of God' and Steven Soderbergh's 'Red Oaks'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (December 18, 2015). "Amazon Picks Up 5 New Primetime Series & 3 Kids Series, Renews 'Red Oaks' & 'Hand Of God'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
- ↑ Petski, Denise (September 15, 2016). "Amazon's 'Hand Of God' To End After Season 2". Retrieved September 17, 2016.
- ↑ "Hand of God : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
- ↑ "IMDB Hand of God rating page". IMDB. October 13, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
- ↑ Nicholson, Max (September 4, 2015). "Hand of God: Season 1 Review". IGN. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
- ↑ VanDerWerff, Todd (September 6, 2015). "Amazon's new series Hand of God is excruciatingly terrible television". Vox. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ↑ Hale, Mike (September 3, 2015). "Review: 'Hand of God,' on Amazon, Is a California Neo-Noir Thriller". The New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ↑ McNamara, Mary (September 3, 2015). "Amazon's 'Hand of God' features miraculous acting, but little else". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ↑ Sims, David (September 4, 2015). "Hand of God: A Dark, Violent, Vigilante Drama About Religion". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ↑ Rorke, Robert (September 2, 2015). "Far-fetched 'Hand of God' is Oddly Compelling". New York Post. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
- ↑ Derakhshani, Tirdad (September 4, 2015). "Amazon's 'Hand of God' a fascinating, if uneven religious satire". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved October 13, 2015.