I watched the first few shows and they were OK but the second offering of new shows (one season) was very weak. In addition, the cartoon adaptations completely threw the show off. For those of us who know the music, radio and even dj industry, the show did fare better with more realistic industry references than other shows but the show still lacked that “edge” that made you anticipate the next segment or a character that had the potential to develop.
The show’s creator Baz Luhrmann stated he will now focus on film. The Get Down’s production price was said to be the highest in Netflix’s original programming history and the company indicated that the show just didn’t catch on with viewers. Several people also commented that the show’s concept of Hip-Hop’s origins was poorly whitewashed and a poor adaptation of those times.
There were some interesting historic music industry references, however, such as the club owner Fat Annie (played by Lillias White) showing interest in hip-hop music and signing the group to a bad record deal and having original musicians play the session. This was probably an indirect reference to Sylvia Robinson and The Sugar Hill Gang. Overall the show did lack the wow factor and was very predictable.
On a lighter note, Jimmy Smits did a great job in his role as Francisco “Papa Fuerte” Cruz.
