Y: The Last Man (TV Series 2021) Poster

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6/10
Alas poor Yorick.
southdavid17 February 2022
I'm going to assume that nobody is going to swoop in and save "Y - The Last Man" from its cancellation and put my review here, rather than against the last episode of the season. Apologies to any future readers if I'm left looking foolish. Truth be told, it's covid and the expense as well as the lukewarm response that has done for the series, but I can't help but feel that it's refusal to stick with the one aspect of it's three pronged story I was most interested in, means I'm not too sad to not have to watch any more.

At one moment, every creature on earth with a Y chromosome dies, save for Yorick Brown (Ben Schnetzer) and his pet capuchin monkey. His mother, Jennifer (Diane Lane) was the highest-ranking Government official in the country so is elevated to President. On discovering her son is alive, and acknowledging the danger he's in, she assigns Agent 355 (Ashley Romans) to get Yorick to a geneticist and to begin working out how he's survived.

There ends up being three plot strands to the series, Yorick and Agent 355 try to get across the country as undetected as possible. The President tries to maintain some level of organisation with a distrustful and angry population and political enemies forming against her. Meanwhile her daughter and a former government employee, played by Olivia Thirlby and Marin Ireland respectively, fall in with militant group led by Roxanne, played by Missi Pyle. My problem was, all three of these plot strands play equally in terms of time, but I was only really interested in one of them - that being the Yorick one. I'm aware that is essentially me (a man) saying that in a show that is literally 95% actresses I only care about the one other male in it, but I don't think it's that I can't relate to the other two aspects, it's more than the intrigue of the show, why has everyone with a Y chromosome died, is most likely to be resolved in that one.

I also struggled to accept the level of devastation caused by around 50% of the population disappearing. I accept that there's big issues to deal with, such as the grief of the loss of loved ones and the engulfing realisation that life is essentially going to come to an end within the next generation but I don't understand why cars are just abandoned in the streets, why houses are left empty - why, essentially, it's a post-apocalyptic world just weeks after the event. I get that there would be supply struggles, but demand has just halved too... still.

I can't help but think that the decision to replace the original showrunners, led to a different and less interesting show, and if this is the only adaptation of "Y - The Last Man" we get, that is very disappointing.
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5/10
A good start, but then...
david-889-61057617 September 2021
With perhaps some minor exceptions, I thought the first episode was pretty solid - a very promising introduction with decent exposition and good acting. Was really looking forward to the next episodes.

Unfortunately episodes 2 and 3 were extremely disappointing. It's as if the writers suddenly lost their minds. Characters started acting with a complete lack of any common sense, and the plot devolved into a miasma of scenes that are at best puzzling and at worst nonsensical.

Very disappointing that they could transform such a great comic into such a poor show.
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6/10
Show already cancelled
adrive-14 October 2021
Not sure who is smarter - the monkey or the presidents son aka i just want to find beth. He gets himself into trouble because he is always running away like a child, chasing after something, beth, the monkey, cars, god..., I wanted to like the show, sadly too many scenes are irrelevant, especially if you consider what the show is about and how long it will run, its too slow or stupid. The story offers unlimited playground for the writers, so its confusing why is what we see kinda lame?!
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6/10
YORICK IS A COMPLETE MORON !!
jennfinn8 October 2021
It's almost impossible to care enough to watch a ushow when the main character is absolutely horrible.

The premise of Y: The Last Man sounded very interesting and I was excited to watch it. Unfortunately as good as Diane Lane is she can't carry the whole show. Diane Lane, Amber Tamblyn and Agent 355 are the only redeeming qualities of this production.

When there's only one man left alive on earth and he happens to be the most entitled, delusional man baby ever it's hard for viewers to care enough to watch. Yorick is a complete moron and I have to wonder how he's even been able to make it to whatever age he is.

Hopefully they were able to salvage all the sperm from banks because a bunch of Yoricks running around is a scary future. I get the impression the writers are women with all the men are evil or dumb that's going on.
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3/10
Yorick who?
jegd-847-63140729 September 2021
Nothing really to add. I read the graphic novel, and it had some flaws, but this series is a complete bastardization of the book. The books followed Yorick, Ampersand, Hero, and 355 through a United States now devoid of all men (except one). This show is basically the same plot but devoid of entertainment. It's incredibly boring. The sole focus is on Diane Lane's character (which I should have seen coming) and how our first woman President is handling this scenario ... It's a completely different story than the novel, as Yorick sits in the background while all the female characters take center stage. They should have called it 'Mom: The First Female President' ... and the amazing women helping her idiot son.
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The main character or "protagonist" is the most annoying selfish character
ashdsteele28 September 2021
No redeemable qualities here. Pilot episode ok but the main character Yorick is so disrespectful, a complete moron, childish, selfish and never does as he's told, even if it's for his own safety. The world has literally exploded and all he does is think about himself.

I'd thought Diane Lane would save it but her presence alone can't make up for bad writing and character development. I'm done watching but if Yorick ends up dying, I may come back just to watch natural selection do it's job!
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7/10
Thoughtful adaptation of the graphic novel
packsbucks24 September 2021
This is certainly different to the original material but then, sonwhat? A TV show is not a graphic novel. It feels like the writers and producers have leant into and remained true to what's really important - the source material's big ideas and deep themes.

It's interesting that so many reviewers have issues with Yorick's character, saying that he's whiney, unlikeable and not manly enough. That's kind of the point in both versions - that the world has changed utterly and inexplicably and the old iterations of gender types - masculinity and femininity - don't work any more. He spends the story learning what being a man means in this strange new world.

What some reviewers have criticised as the show's "soapy" elements strike me as the writers leaning into the emotional impact of half the mammalian population dying overnight, and not just being obsessed with action at all costs. The show is really a character study in an incredibly imaginative "what if" situation. If that means some scenes built on emotion rather than action, that feels real and is ok with me.
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2/10
3rd Episode & The Last Man in the World
dwillson-9-37934516 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Is still chasing his monkey around like a 4 year old idiot.

I hope the monkey turns out to be the mastermind of the whole event - then maybe this level of stupidity might be explained.

Although, months lingering in NYC, searching for the woman who rejected him, but making no contact with his family - not even the monkey can explain that level of stupidity.

Great premise, rendered unwatchable.
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8/10
I don't understand the hate
Tahnie13 November 2021
This was actually a good show. I really got into it. It sucks that it was cancelled. I honestly don't understand the hate for it. It was an interesting concept and I really wanted to see where it was going to go. I hope it gets picked up by another platform but seems like a long shot. Bummer!
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7/10
Sorry for all the bad reviews. But I'm enjoying this series.
gtejoseph21 September 2021
Yeah maybe it could of had a little bit more. But I'm hooked for each episode.
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1/10
Second Review - even more damning
SAJK00728 January 2022
Well, for some reason, my first review of this show didn't pass the censors. I must have said something a little too controversial (I don't remember what). In this my second attempt, I will try to explain how my problem with this show has nothing to so with its subject matter. Indeed it is an intriguing premise which would have been interesting to watch if it hadn't been then put into the sausage making machine that is genre TV. For some reason, everything even vaguely apocalyptic ends up looking like Mad Max. Characters become caricatures. Storylines become a series of situations while characters are on a quest. This show does not examine what would happen if men disappeared. It's just a hokey premise from which to thrust us into the generic script land of a hundred other similar shows or films. They all have a different jumping off point, but then they just apply the same scripts and cross out character names to replace with the ones they have thought up for this show. They even hire similar actors to fill the roles from one show to the next. This is bland, dull and boring TV at its worst. I cannot tell you just how tired all this crap makes me.
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8/10
Very surprised at all the bad reviews! It's quite good so far
Zoeymdavies17 September 2021
To be fair, I have not read the graphic novels, and didn't know it existed until reading the reviews..but IMO the majority of criticisms were way too harsh! Some of them are angry with how much "girl power" there is..and the other half thinks it portrays women badly...which if you ask me, that means feminism it's pretty moderately displayed.

With the episodes I've watched, I too have wondered why everything is going downhill FAST when there's still half the population left. But after some deeper thought, it makes sense to me. It's not like people just disappeared into thin air, the men were in the middle of doing regular things so there's bound to be a lot of destruction taking place everywhere at one time. It'd be literally impossible to get things back and moving in a month (or whatever the timeline is, I'm pretty sure it's just a couple weeks so far). Not to mention literally everyone on earth is grieving, and most likely traumatized if they saw a loved one's organs liquify in front of them.

I do wish the presidents son was a better known actor..the audience should be more bonded to him. But it's def not stupid of him to "follow a monkey around"...he's terrified, alone and his pet is his only comfort. That being said, if he was played by Joeseph Gordon Levitt or similar, that part wouldn't be under so much scrutiny.

To the point someone made about the show being too "woke"..."left good, right bad" etc..I completely disagree. I am quite liberal and I found the (ex) presidents daughter to be a very likable and relatable role, she stood up for herself and others...and I don't think it's far fetched, or political to say that a super right wing politician who (from what we've seen) isn't nearly as productive and pragmatic as Diane lanes character, shouldn't be in charge. IMO this show is just displaying the actual polarization of Americans...not necessarily good or bad.

Anyways, give it a chance because it's definitely not bad...I'm still looking forward to see where it goes for the rest of the season, and crossing my fingers that it's not a "Manifest" situation.
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6/10
What could have been.
AfricanBro21 September 2021
It's starting off great, really amazing concept that's showing so much potential but some of the decision making done by the characters is so illogical. I get that some people can be selfish and childish but after an apocalyptic level event you should change right, a bit? Just a little? The show's doing everything right-ish by me so far, four episodes in, but yorick's character is doing enough to put you off of it. They just need to show us, just once at the least, that he's capable of comprehending the gravity of the situation he's in, sure they can keep his personality traits, being selfish, childish and all they just need to dial it down a bit.

I think it's okay for a show to have a character that'll make you wanna shout at or break the screen but don't center the entire thing around him if that's the case. The show reveals how much the world's dependent on one gender, that's a debate we can have elsewhere, but the problem is the one man left surviving is a blithering idiot with no useful skills whatsoever.

This could be great but it isn't so far, they need to fix a few minor flaws to make everything a little more believable for viewers. It has a good start and I hope they don't ruin such a great concept 'cause I'm such a big fan of dystopian future tv series/movies and they have a potential gem in their hands.

At episode 7 now: In the past two episodes, I see improvements from the previous couple which were aching to watch, however the show's still pretty far off the potential it had in the first episode. The characters still lack depth and the story is still clear as mud so it's hard to tell where they're taking the series or what exactly is going on. It just feels all over the place especially considering how few episodes there is left to change that. Unfortunately this is the last episode I watched but it really was getting better.
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2/10
Fans of graphic novel can pass on it.
sgiles-416 September 2021
I know, I know...everyone always says "the book is better". Well in this case the graphic novel was a whole different story. Spent two hours watching something that in no way resembled the books I read years ago. It's as if the writers/producers tried to tell the same story without the humor, fun or excitement that made the original so good. If you are adapting a graphic novel for a show just film it scene for scene and you've got a hit. Doesn't make any sense!!!
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7/10
A bit slow but pretty decent.
jonaslse14 September 2021
Reading other reviews i thought it would be garbage but i think the current political climate seeps in some peoples minds a bit much

I have seen 3 episodes and i have not read the comics.

Yes there is a little political correctness but not much but i guess that depends on where youre coming from.

The show is bit slow sometimes but i don't really mind that and Yorick is not the classic Hero we usually see but i personally like that, it gives the character room to grow.

Diane Lane is good as almost always and most of the cast does a vary good job but the stand out so far is absolutely Ashley Romans as agent 355, she kills it

Pretty good so far with potential to get better going forward.
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1/10
The Last complete idiot on earth
Xavier_Stone22 September 2021
The main actor runs around looking for his ex,(which I'm sure he'll find) and chasing after his monkey. Zero clue that he is important and needs to be protected and help with the research. Instead he just meanders around like a chicken with his head cut off.

I think all the writers must be women, and purposely making this guy into the biggest idiot of all time. So many bizarre scenes it's unwatchable. I made it into eps 3 and had to call it quits. When the last male on earth starts arguing with a female combat fighter about how she is protecting him, well this guy is just the world's biggest simp.
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We the People
jackbaumel4 October 2021
We the people are sick and tired of series first episodes that try to introduce every continuing character rather than deal with the plot and relevant protagonists. We do not care or want to know or care for the other characters yet. We want a sense of the challenges ahead. Will the story be action oriented or cerebral or emotional or a combination? If all that happens is that we meet a bunch of people, what is going to bring us back?

We the people are also sick and tired of episodes where the story is frozen, nothing plot wise happens.

We the people are also sick and tired of this show.
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6/10
The graphic novel requires patience, and so does this show.
austinaylwin127 September 2021
I, like many of the viewers, am a huge fan of the graphic novel and have wanted a live-action series for years. And I have always thought that a TV series is a better format for this IP than a movie because the original series is a long and winding adventure that does not truly get going until roughly a quarter of the way through. What we've seen so far is good albeit a little slow, but I am going to be patient because this series really pays off the further you get.
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4/10
Ruined a great book
edwardeggers18 February 2022
Who ever wrote the screen play should never be allowed to work in entertainment again. This book was phenomenal. This show was garbage. Stick to the book!!
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9/10
The Last Scripted Show to be Mad
heykateforever10 November 2021
So, another entertaining series bites the dust (see Clarice as I make my case), because so many of you have the attention span of a flea these days. As idiot reality shows and so-called adult cartoons encroach on the scripted shows of the past, we keep losing the entertainment and the STORIES that used to prevail on the media platforms. Scream at me all you want, but I stand by my opinion. Many people I know are no longer watching new shows due to the morons who downrate perfectly great shows just because SOME of them are "too slow," or "too complicated with choppy stories," and most of the great ones are getting cancelled (also see The Prodigal Son). They have stopped watching ANY new shows because they are sick and tired of watching most of the best shows get cancelled on a cliffhanger after one season because of the upcoming instant gratification generation who are so immersed in Twitter or Instagram no longer have the ability to let a story grow and flourish.

Lost would never have made it through the first season if it was launched in today's short attention span society! I watched all 10 episodes of Y and while it seemed to stall in places (like Lost), it also left us with a stunning cliffhanger which most of you who wrote about this show, because you watched one or two shows setting up the story and decided to flip over to a faster moving reality mess or cartoon which suits your IQs and ADD better, ruined it for the rest of us who are mourning the loss of simple entertaining stories anywhere on TV or internet apps. Thank you, idiots of the world, for taking yet another decent scripted show away from the rest of us. Grow up, PLEASE???

(Downrate me all you want, I don't come back in and check my status because I know most of the people who review today, mostly review negatively unless it suits their political or generational requirements. We have become a seriously dumbed down society due to this criteria. It makes me more sad than any of you can imagine!)
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7/10
One of my fav comic book series and a fun watch
ereedtwenty115 September 2021
Honestly I'm guessing all the low scores are angry men. Typical. Other than that they did a great job of making this into a show. Remember TWD was a comic too and they changed a lot so people could be surprised and not predict every little thing. And no movie or show is every gonna follow a book scene by scene so chill out. Go in with no expectations and just watch it. Yea some of the writing is meh but overall it's an enjoyable watch.
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4/10
Very slow moving!
roxmewild3 October 2021
I am not a comic reader so have no idea how this compares.

I like the idea of the story as it is different but it is so painfully slow in action and story that I am on episode 5 and have little idea of how and why all the males died and to be honest not much has happened since they did which am not sure if that's a reflection on the writers conception of what a women only universe can achieve or they are just bad at writing progressive stories?

The only Male lead is an over privileged selfish childish idiot which makes it hard to watch and his sister is not much better In honesty the story so far has zero going for it and it will take a mammoth change in writing to rescue it.
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8/10
Very interesting!
Tahnie122 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I don't understand the poor reviews. This show is intriguing. I find it comical that the last man is 27 year old immature guy with a pet monkey. It's hilarious and adds spice to the show. Also, 355 is badass and the actress playing her is really good! For the reviews saying the acting is bad, I would like to know what they are comparing to. I'm very interested in where this show will go. In all honesty though, the world would suck without men! As a woman, being stuck with other women would drive me insane!
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7/10
Why ask Y?
TruView14 September 2021
Would the world be better off without us men, or would that initiate a slow descent into madness?

The beginning drags. It's like siting in an overcrowded airport long past the scheduled take off. Geeesh! Dialogue is ho-hum. So far, most of the performances are lackluster, uninspiring, and even counterintuitive given the context. However, I urge patience on behalf of the viewership - if only for what a finished product of this kind might tell us about ourselves.

By the way, this is NOT new territory. Books like Frank Herbert's, The White Plague, and Ursula K. LeGuin's, The Left Hand of Darkness spring to mind. Hollywood is only now catching up with movies like Chaos Walking 2021; which, toyed with the idea of nurturing strained and lasting divisions between the sexes. Ultimately, the science is already good enough to treat patients and manipulate their life code overwriting it @the genomic level, using a process called Homologous Recombination. Clearly, sex-based drugs and other gender-specific delivery systems for either single or mass deployment aren't a far cry from reality. I do hope the creators take full advantage of this show's potential and give us something truly spectacular. Rooting for its success!!!
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5/10
The show focuses on all the boring aspects of the comic ignoring what made it interesting.
WinterEcho15 September 2021
The comic was great and had the perfect plot/story for a show or movie series. The comic follows Yorick the last living man on earth and his travels seeing how much society broke down and changed.

This show puts Yorick, what the story is based on, and basically puts him in the backseat to follow politics and people that are nowhere near as interesting or anywhere near as important.

Such a simple concept to follow, yet this feels so lost.

It's depressing, but not because of the story, but because of what they did with the story,
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