As a fan of (most of) Damien Chazelle's previous work and the main actors involved, I was really looking forward to this. Unfortunately, while it does have great moments, I was ultimately left disappointed.
Where this show does not disappoint is with the acting and music. All of the actors commit to the script and do an excellent job (for the most part). With all of his films, Chazelle has a way of drawing you further into the setting and characters' lives through flawlessly edited musical sequences that also provide as subtle exposition. The last episode especially is extremely well-crafted and entertaining. If I were to rate the whole show based on the final episode, I would give this an 8 out of 10.
Where this show does disappoint is with some major tonal inconsistencies, pacing issues, and two separate storylines that are meshed together in a very jarring and messy way. I wish that the show would commit fully to either the mafia storyline or just the club band players' lives. Having those two very different storylines alongisde one another didn't work for me. The first four episodes are definitely too long; in fact, all of the episodes (except for the last two) could've been trimmed down a little in post-production. Most of the time, the humor in this feels out of place, but this is just a minor issue. Another minor issue is that Joanna Kulig, who I love, does leave a bit to be desired in terms of her acting. This isn't really her fault, since English isn't her first language and about half of her dialogue is in English.
Overall, this is a flawed and tonally inconsistent show that does have great music, acting, and emotional moments. This definitely isn't going to be for everyone, but some will really enjoy this. I don't think I'll ever watch this again, but I don't regret seeing this.
