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Giancarlo Esposito has stuck around at AMC by starring in an all-new series for the network following the end of Better Call Saul, and its debut Rotten Tomatoes scores have been revealed.
Consisting of six episodes, the first episode of Parish premiered on AMC and AMC+ on March 31. To kick off the series, the show drew a Rotten Tomatoes score of 33% with early screenings of the series, as the critics were not very kind to the show. However, viewers were a lot more appreciative, as the audience score is much higher at 80%. However, the audience score notably only applies to the first episode, while critics have been able to watch all six installments of the season.
"Parish fumbles all its themes, barely scratching the surface of them, and delivers a show that feels generic, soulless, and ultimately forgettable," Collider critic Erick Massoto said in a review. The Pittsburgh Tribune's Rob Owen also said, "Bad choices naturally lead to worse outcomes in this anti-hero series that would have been innovative in 2005 but today feels like a dull relic."
Giancarlo Esposito Has Been Getting Praise
While the reviews are largely negative, many critics are praising Giancarlo Esposito for his work on the show, even if they're unsatisfied with most everything else about Parish. As Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com stated, "The show suffers from a problem that sometimes arises when such a strong personality anchors it—everything else struggles to keep up." Slant Magazine critic Ross McIndoe added, "It's shame that the series doesn’t give star Giancarlo Esposito more opportunities to put his action-oriented skills to use."
The series stars Giancarlo Esposito as Gray Parish, a former criminal who's attempted to move on and live a normal life as a family man. Unfortunately, old habits return after Gray's son is tragically killed, putting him on a quest for payback. Parish is inspired by The Driver by Danny Brocklehurst and Jim Poyser, and Brocklehurts developed the TV series with Sunu Gonera. Along with Esposito, the show also stars Arica Himmel, Paula Malcomson, Ivan Mbakop, Bonnie Mbuli, Zackary Momoh, Dax Rey, and Skeet Ulrich.
On AMC, Esposito previously starred as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. He has been teasing his desire to see more of Gus Fring's story told in a potential prequel series. The actor can also be seen in the upcoming Netflix series The Residence, which also stars Uzo Aduba, Jason Lee, and Randall Park.
Parish premiered on AMC on March 31 and the premiere episode is streaming on AMC+. New episodes are released on Sundays.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes