Transparent (TV Series) Pilot (2014) User Reviews

Beautiful and Heartfelt

[americanman-244-585778 · 8/10 · 20 February 2015]

The strength of this show is the vivid and realistic characters who are perfectly flawed. Watching an episode is like taking a roller-coaster ride on the Emotional Express. There's so many heartfelt moments usually followed by a comedic moment that might range from a smile to a sincere laugh.

The subject is hard to watch at times but that's what makes great viewing! It's extremely relevant to today's world and watching an episode educates, empathizes and entertains in a tasteful, non-campy way. Having a man who is over 70 with three grown children and (gasp!) grandchildren adds a dimension to the show beyond those of younger trans people. I'm so glad I discovered this show.

Excellent, intelligent, brilliantly acted and written

[cfriverdog · 10/10 · 9 February 2014]

This half hour comedy pilot is excellent. It's intelligent and -- at times -- brilliantly acted and written. Quirky and adult. Not for prudes.

The show explores the tragicomic dynamics of a sort of family that's never seen on prime time, broadcast media. I applaud Amazon for providing a real alternative to the bland diet of most media. The consistently excellent Jeffry Tambor heads a marvelous cast that includes indie writer-director Jay Duplass and Gaby Hoffman. The narrative arcs in the pilot are full of surprises and the show has one of e best last lines one could ask for. Please pick this on up, Amazon, it would be a mitzvah!

Well written, excellent acting

[alisonhastings28 · 10/10 · 13 November 2014]

I love the unique characters and the complex yet very genuine and real lives. entertaining and thought provoking. The dialogue is clever and emotionally dynamic. Wonderful acting. Insightful look at gender, family and relationships in general. Identity, the connection between early life experiences and future choices in addition to everyday obstacles are covered. You can feel the pain and joy of each character very intensely. Why people stay in relationships and the sacrifices people make in addition to wondering how well people really know themselves and each other is so interesting. Tolerance, compassion, empathy, confusion, anger and love are immersed in a novel and fun show.

Dreadful Woody Allen inspired tripe

[eugene-mcnamee · 2/10 · 8 February 2014]

Please, oh please Amazon, don't air this drivel. I don't like Woody Allen. I don't think he's a genius. I don't even think he's a good film maker. This show just seems to be an awful awful Allenesque family drama that was painful to watch.

It tries way to hard to be "real". In doing so it comes across as contrived, pretentious nonsense.

I've watched the other 5 Amazon pilots and this is by far the worst of the bunch. The After and Bosch are well filmed, engaging and entertaining. This however was a half hour of waiting until it was over. And when it was I wished I hadn't watched it at all.

AVOID...

Horrible Beyond Belief

[arfdawg-1 · 1/10 · 27 September 2014]

I want to give this show a negative number.

It's the worst garbage I have ever seen in u life.

The pace s so slow it's annoying. The background music is disgusting and doesn't even fit.

The acting sucks.

But WORST OF ALL, the writing and directing is atrocious.

And the concept is idiotic.

IT had to be developed by someone who has never had to interact with real people. The great Larry Gelbert said recently the problem with TV today is that its made by people who never played stick ball in the street.

This is the most perfect example of that statement.

Not one of the characters are real or relate-bale. They are just weird for weird sake.

I cannot underscore enough how bad this show is. It's so bad, it's insulting.

It really needs to be canceled now. Stop wasting our Prime money on this junk.

I wish I could give it a NEGATIVE TEN, that's how bad it is.

A waste of time

[i-am-203-301300 · 1/10 · 3 January 2015]

I was sent this by my son and have struggled to watch all 10 episodes. I found the family members foul mouthed, immoral and promiscuous as parts of a dysfunctional family. The lead actor was difficult to understand as he tended to mumble his lines. I also wondered why he was directed to dress as he did; I could not make up my mind whether he was portraying a gender incongruent, a transvestite or a cross dresser. If he were supposed to be acting out life as a gender incongruent, there was no sense that he had visited any Gender Identity specialist or psychosexual therapists which surely would have made the programme more true to life. As a 71 year old currently transitioning, I found the lead actor's portrayal of a transwoman less than authentic, but I felt sympathy with him when he (she) was trying to explain to his children what he was going through and they did not even listen to him, too tied up in their own lives. I informed my own family before I started the Real Life Experience so family members were aware of the situation early. I do not think this programme helped any understanding of issues that us gender incongruents face which is a pity.

How the Hell did this get made?!?!

[lotus_j · 1/10 · 7 February 2014]

I love Jeffrey Tambor, and I was hoping for the best. I thought the show from some writer of Six Feet Under and United States of Tara might be interesting. It's more United States of Tara than Six Feet Under. The show lacks punch. The big kick of the dad not being sick but being a trans gendered individual was done poorly.

How does this writer get work? I can see her pitches: "So it's this family that has tons of normal problems but they're magnified massively by having to deal with a parent who is ______" They just keep filling in the blank with things until a studio goes "Hey that sounds interesting!" I wonder what ideas were shot down besides multiple personality and trans gender? Eating disorder? Gay black Republican politician?