The review covers the first four sections of a total of eight.
Caden Finch (Billy Howle) is the editor-in-chief of The National Reporter, whose bright fresh and glazed office indicates that this is a serious news broker. Caden, on the other hand, radiates "I-got-this-job.of-dad" and seems to be the most snorty cocaine in the office and devote himself to loveless sex (of the different kind) with hired sex partners.
Dad Max (Richard Gere), who does not seem to harbor any warm feelings for his low-achieving wealthy son, is all the more productive. The media mogul goes to meetings with the prime minister, looking for new power hungry politicians to support and explains to the employees at their television houses how to spearhead the debate programs. "Neutral is worthless," he gasps, adjusting the chairs so that the debaters must sit aggressively forward lean.
At the same time there is a Crimean track . Two of the newspaper's reporters are investigating major irregularities within their own organization.
In 2011, the Occupy wall street movement in the US began, which made "one percent" a common expression of the elite of society. In the same year, News of the world scandal in the UK culminates. It turns out that the newspaper intercepted a missing teenager's phone, which eventually leads to the 168-year-old newspaper's closure. 2016 begins to talk about fake news - a concept that can mean different things depending on who you ask.
Then it was delayed, but in 2018, the fiction came in the form of Succession about a family consisting of completely unscrupulous siblings who quarrel about who should take over the father's media conglomerate when the aged patriarch rolls out of stick. Last summer, Russel Crowe then became unrecognizable to portray Fox News founder Roger Ailes in The Loudest Voice. Now it is time for Britain to keel over a Rupert Murdoch-like powerhouse with the aforementioned News of the World scandal as inspiration.
The dialogue in Motherfatherson is not as sharp on long roads as in Succession. Steady replies like "this is what we take all the way to the top" and strangers who suddenly look each other deep in the eyes and ask "but are you happy" you can really live without. Motherfather Kathryn (Helen McCrory) in Motherfatherson also feels drawn from a nearby past when she couldn't dare write multidimensional women roles: she is kind and worried about her son, but not much more.
When a top player in the news organization is hit by a stroke that affects "the ability to be discreet" while the reporters are trying to innovate in eventual interception, it feels about as obvious what will happen as when two people talk about secrets in a parrot's presence.
At the same time, the series is more human than both Succession and The loudest voice. The intended empire-seeker Caden - a thoroughly broken and ever-increasing confirmation seeker instills more empathy in the viewer than the more downright power-mad media people in the other magnate dramas.
In recent years, several of the major movie stars of the 1990s : Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant and Jim Carrey have had the opportunity to blossom in the TV series format. All have portrayed something a little narrower and more unflattering than during their cinematic days and have done some of their best roles. The same does not apply to Richard Gere. He is the one he has always been in the role of the immoral, but charismatic, Max Finch: Charming and collected, but not particularly interesting. Best is Billy Howle as Caden, but he's also got the most interesting character.
I have had a little trouble rating Motherfatherson. The first two sections offer some surprises and provide added flavor while the next two drop in pace and feel more predictable. It may land on a third in hope of improvement in the four remaining sections.
Motherfatherson premieres on Cmore October 8 and TV4 October 19.