Disney+ Primetime series review – SerieTotaal
In this witty Mexican telenovela with a suspenseful dust jacket, stupid choices and a predictable plot rule.
Based on the trailer you expect Primetime a gripping crime thriller about a successful host who tries to cover up his involvement in a scandal with his own TV show and thus finds himself increasingly in trouble, all against the backdrop of corrupt modern Mexico City. But the reality turns out to be different. After just one episode you wonder how you suddenly ended up on a Mexican soap opera.
Ramiro del Solar has done well. He has a charismatic appearance with a beautiful wife, a smart daughter who follows in his footsteps, an expensive apartment and his own TV show. In it, corruption and abuses within the judiciary, the business world and national politics are exposed, although the presenter sometimes turns a blind eye to the benefit of his career when it seems that his own channel boss has contacts doubtful
Despite the fact that Ramiro seems to have it all, he begins a romance with the young Alexia, his daughter’s best friend (and flame) and therefore a girl in the Solar family’s house. Since the presenter does everything possible to maintain his impeccable reputation, the relationship must remain a secret, even when he finds himself embroiled in a complicated police case. Therefore, the irony is great that the man who says he is always looking for “the whole truth” in the public eye, suddenly piles on one lie after another to save his own skin.
looks like paper Primetime promising, but the series often turns out to be agonizing to watch. The plot, predictable and implausible, is full of plots that do not add value or are well developed, but make the series last twice as long as the story demands. Moreover, not only lies accumulate, but also stupid choices. You shouldn’t have to explain to a smart man that throwing a white plastic bag into a foot-deep stream isn’t the best way to make evidence disappear.
Another point of frustration is the style, which may work well for a Mexican audience but is downright confusing for the average Dutch viewer. One minute you think you’re watching a thriller, the next Ramiro turns into a Mexican Ludo Sanders. Every anticipated exciting moment is accompanied by over-the-top music, dramatic looks, or a slowed-down image. The characters talk to themselves out loud to express how they feel. Apparently all this is necessary to reinforce the lackluster acting performances. The many non-detailed characters and mutual relationships and intrigues also have a soapy feel.
It appears that there was a large budget available, although it was probably not spent on the writers’ salaries, but was mainly invested in the production itself. The sets and actors are photogenic, the lighting is beautiful, and the episodes look flawless. It’s quite refreshing to see Mexico in a different way than the typical approach of warm colors, poor towns, bustling cities and dusty streets full of ‘narcos’. Primetime it’s about the upper class of Mexico City, so we see modern architecture and fashion, fresh colors and a different kind of nature.
Primetime it’s a barrel full of contradictions: from a beautiful decoration and a strong trailer to the long agony to the inevitable ending that also fades away. The series leaves you with a feeling of dissatisfaction. The presenter always closes his program with the words: “I am Ramiro del Solar and this was the whole truth… whoever it affects.” Only this series probably won’t touch anyone at all.
Primetime can be seen in Disney+.