A detail on “Raising Dion,” Netflix’s new family drama about a boy with remarkable abilities, signals quite how far the streamer’s ambitions for this show might extend. Jason Ritter’s character Pat…
’s new family drama about a boy with remarkable abilities, signals quite how far the streamer’s ambitions for this show might extend. Jason Ritter’s character Pat, a geek immersed in comic book lore and thus the person on this show best able to understand the story he finds himself in, has a cell phone ring tone that sounds awfully familiar. By the third time you hear it, you’ll recognize it: It’s the music from the opening credits of “Stranger Things.
But Dion doesn’t always need help in this regard, which is what makes “Raising Dion” a clever and easily watchable spin on its genre. He’s young enough to accept his powers as simply a part of himself, leaving others to do both the wondering about where they came from and fulminating about the ethics of superheroics.
The show has a clear sense of itself and the story it wants to tell, one whose ideas, which eventually come to encompass, and to artfully express in a teacherly way, such seemingly difficult-to-convey notions as bodily autonomy and toxic masculinity. . The show’s telling of its story, on the other hand, shares “Stranger Things’s” feeling of innocent adventurism and kid’s-eye perspective but lacks some of its crispness.
A mass adult audience may flock to “Raising Dion” and resonate with Nicole’s story, which can seem at times disconnected from and somewhat irrelevant to his. But, unlike “Stranger Things,” I suspect that not merely will this series serve its core audience well but be somewhat limited by it.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Mixed-ish': TV ReviewThanks to a strong cast, ABC's '80s-set 'Black-ish' spinoff suggests the unlikely franchise has more to say about racial identity.
Read more »
TV Review: ‘Carol’s Second Act’“Carol’s Second Act” is aiming to be Patricia Heaton’s third, a defining hit series for a performer who’s previously had defining roles in “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle.” But compared t…
Read more »
TV Review: ‘Perfect Harmony’ Starring Bradley WhitfordWith fewer than 25 minutes to introduce a compelling story and cast of characters, the makers of broadcast-network comedy pilots have one of the hardest jobs in television. It’s no wonder, th…
Read more »
TV Review: ‘The Unicorn’“The Unicorn’s” first very smart move is to begin well into the situation it depicts. Its central character, Walton Goggins’s Wade Felton, has been mourning his wife for a year; he and his daughter…
Read more »
TV Review: ‘Sunnyside’Kal Penn is an appealing actor whose airy, loose charisma has lately exceeded his luck: On TV in recent years, Penn has appeared on vexed series including “We Are Men,” “Battle Creek,” and “Designa…
Read more »
Céline Dion Adds New Dates to Courage World Tour, Rocks High-Fashion Lewks in 'Imperfections' VideoCeline Dion premiered the fashion-forward video for her new single “Imperfections” on Thursday (Sept. 26), simultaneously revealing dates for a massive international tour.
Read more »