Time is one resource that once wasted, can never be recovered, but we can still try to make the best use of past time in one of the best ways we know now, which is a television show. Even if you were born before the 90s, you only know what goes on outside your hometown from personal experience and the rest either you wait for news to give you a clue or the gossip mill in the salon or barbershop. Therefore for some of the most aggravated crimes back in the day, we can only understand how and it was by watching it through the eyes of a person who had the unfortunate luck of living in the thick of it all.
City on Hill premiered June 16, 2019, on Showtime, although it already premiered online on June 7, 2019. The series takes us back to Boston in the 1990s, and while we had watched series like “Narcos” that feature drug cartels from back in the day, you might wonder what makes this series so unique that you should watch it. Maybe these few reasons should convince you to give it a chance.
The cast
“Leverage” is one series that never gets old although it might have given us ideas on how to become thieves and for anyone who feared to get close to computers Alec Hardison made it look so easy that anyone can hack a computer. Aldis Hodge, who played Alec Hardison in “Leverage” and is now Decourcy Ward on” City on a Hill” is a compelling character and no matter the role he plays, he gives it his best. Aldis is a district attorney who is determined to bring change to a city where there is nothing good, and by starting with a family of car robbers, he somehow manages to achieve his goal.
Kevin Bacon is also a main character on this upcoming series, and since he has the bad boy look, he always seems to get the characters that have a darkness about them. On “City on a Hill,” Kevin still gets to play a corrupt FBI veteran but who does his part in fighting crime despite wanting to let things remain the same. Kevin, playing Rohr, therefore, is conflicted between teaming up with the District Attorney and maintaining his corrupt ways. Other characters cast in the series include Jonathan Tucker, Kevin Dunn, Kevin Chapman and many more. With that kind of talented cast, you sure must give the series a try.
The producers
“City on a Hill” brings forth some of the best writers and producers in the film industry. One of the showrunners Tom Fontana began writing plays when he was nine so by now you can imagine how he has honed the skill. For Tom, it seems like it was never about the money but utilizing his gift because his playwriting never earned him much, but he continued doing it. We all know that there is a difference between God-given talent and acquired skills and since Tom was born with his, it is no wonder that he has won several Emmy awards and with “City on A Hill,” he does not shy away from giving it the best he can as he always does.
Matt Damon has gained recognition all over the world from playing Jason Bourne in the Bourne franchise. However, his excellent acting skills are not all that Matt is blessed with; matter of fact is he came to be known after writing “Good Will Hunting” in which he also starred. Matt was nominated for various awards and won some, which goes to show that on “City on A Hill,” he will not disappoint. Besides, since he has collaborated with Ben Affleck in previous works and they have been in theaters since their teenage years, it is no surprise that when Ben Affleck rendered his creativity through providing an idea, Matt became an obvious choice for running the show.
Only the wearer of the shoe knows where it pinches and on “City on a Hill,” the person best suited to tell us its story is one who grew up in Boston. In this case, Chuck MacLean grew up in Boston and maybe having had the experience whether firsthand or not of the immoralities, he decided to tell us his story through this series. Most of the best shows we watch are usually fictional, but once you learn that somehow they relate to certain people not hypothetically, but from a real stand, it gives the show a more authentic feel.
The plot
Boston has always been portrayed as lacking moral values even with the series we keep watching. Take, for instance, “Boston Legal” where the lawyers keep bending the rules to win their cases and one particular attorney who believes his name is all it takes to sway anyone’s opinion. Also, “Boston Public” was set in high school that was filled with troubled youth and determined teachers trying their best to insist on an education in a place where books were not taken seriously.
That said, “City on a Hill” is set in the early 90s in Boston when crime was the order of the day, and maybe that is something we expected; from the mobsters to families that are being torn apart. While that would have made the series a little outdated, bringing in a black man to a city full of whites gave it a twist.
Relevance to current society
Further, in this day when corruption has become rooted in our society, and the wheels of justice seem to turn a little faster when greased with some money, the series relates to the everyday realities of the community. “City on a Hill” gives us the much-needed awakening that while we may boast of living in modern times, we have not departed from the evils of the decadent society that plagued us in the 90s. If anything, the corruption has become worse, and maybe all we need is someone ready to rise and be the change that revolutionizes the justice system as well as the society at large.
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