Transparent

:

Season 1
Season #: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 254 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 195 out of 254
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 254
  3. Negative: 44 out of 254
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User Reviews

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  1. dylan111
    Oct 8, 2014
    4
    This show started out well with a very good pilot. Unfortunately, it got worse as the story unfolded. It's not that the characters are unlikeable, because many of them are likeable. It's that they behave in the way the screenwriters decide they should for maximum drama effect to shock the audience and not the way human beings really behave.
  2. metabad
    Dec 31, 2014
    6
    It's a good thing, that there are shows that deal with controversial issues, like this one.
    And I like the sensitive way it portrays a man that dresses in women's clothes, because he'd rather be a woman.
    So the man has a lesbian daughter, granted. Two plot lines about how to deal with yourself being not part of the mainstream. But then we get her brother and sister with real personal    It's a good thing, that there are shows that deal with controversial issues, like this one.
    And I like the sensitive way it portrays a man that dresses in women's clothes, because he'd rather be a woman.
    So the man has a lesbian daughter, granted. Two plot lines about how to deal with yourself being not part of the mainstream.
    But then we get her brother and sister with real personal problems. Or you can simply call them screwed-up.
    The brother has attachment issues and always picks the wrong woman who he thinks he's in love with.
    The sister likes to have casual sex with more than one man. So what?
    It's only a couple of episodes, so why can't we focus on a transsexual man and his lesbian daughter and follow their stories? Aren't these enough issues to tackle?
    Do we have to stack neurotic people on top of each other just to have enough problems to throw at the audience?
    Why do we need to add two people having problems that show in their sexual behavior when the show can't give us a hint about what's really going on with them or what went wrong with them?
    It's just problems for problems' sake.
    I liked the series early on but the makers of the show didn't seem to trust their initial concept
    and added more to the formula, especially sex, just to be safe.
    I was disappointed in this overrated show, sadly.    … Expand
  3. Whadafug
    Dec 14, 2015
    6
    Season 1 started out strong, more than deserving of the praise and accolades it won. Characters followed a progressive and, more importantly, realistic development through the overall arch, with each characters reactions to the main pivot in the series being tasteful and well executed. Season 1 won praise for its originality, and its heavy-handed approach to dealing with "hot pocket"Season 1 started out strong, more than deserving of the praise and accolades it won. Characters followed a progressive and, more importantly, realistic development through the overall arch, with each characters reactions to the main pivot in the series being tasteful and well executed. Season 1 won praise for its originality, and its heavy-handed approach to dealing with "hot pocket" topics of the media elite. This was never a show made for "you or me", and more a show made for "them", a self-reflection on the difficulties and tribulations that a small and largely ignored sub-section of the upper echelons of American society. This however was not a problem; with strong writing, simple arch progression and a raft of likeable characters (that all left your routing for them, even when they came into conflict with one and other), Transparent seemed to hit the ground running and by the tenth episode of season 10 was definitely breaking a sweat as it sprinted across the finish line...

    And then season 2 happened.

    In one fell swoop, it seems, the writers - at the behest of the "ongoing series" desires of their Amazon paymasters - took every character almost 100 steps backwards. Forgotten was the initial excitement of discovering "transparency" in the show's chosen context. Gone were the likeable characters, their difficulties and trials that inspired empathy and understanding from the audience. In their place previously engaging and morish characters became mundane and boorish, as the show switched pivot from "modern masterpiece" to "modern drama guff". To offset this mundane practice in media creation comes a torrent of unrealistic settings, characters and story archs that simply lead the viewer on a journey from the potent exploration of the people and topics at the heart of the show to something more resembling a depressing light-scifi fantasy drama set in an alternate reality to the first season.

    Coming in for particularly potent criticism is the character of Josh, who simply seems to meander from revelation to revelation with the ignorance of a boy. Just when you think the character cannot sink any further, cannot make a worse decision, or speak words so far removed from any of the lessons he had learned through season 1, he lets us all down bit by bit. And whilst I personally reserve particular scorn for this aborted child of a man, the rest of the cast hardly comes out smelling of roses. The ensemble works not to engage you in the family drama at the heart of the show but to almost entirely remove you from the family drama and vogue issues at the core of the series. This can be seen in the acting from the stars as well, with season 2 offering performances far and away from the award-winning outings in season 1.

    Quite simply, Transparent was a superb single run outing... and it should have been left there. With the impetus to keep the story going, the show has lost much of what gave it merit, and as it has removed itself further from the strong themes at the heart of season 1 it has blindly meandered into the dull world of boring family drama, its only saving grace being a man in a dress.    … Expand
  4. shavenwookie
    Feb 9, 2015
    6
    The problem with this show is that its labeled as a comedy when its never really funny. It is a decent piece of dramatic story telling however. It follows three self centered siblings and there father who do very little growing during the course of the first season. The show doest really keep up the momentum of the first few episodes and begins to stretch its premise a little thin by theThe problem with this show is that its labeled as a comedy when its never really funny. It is a decent piece of dramatic story telling however. It follows three self centered siblings and there father who do very little growing during the course of the first season. The show doest really keep up the momentum of the first few episodes and begins to stretch its premise a little thin by the end of it. It is well filmed and the acting is great through out the season, even if the characters decisions feel forced at times for drama. If your a fan of Jill Soloway you will most likely enjoy this.… Expand
  5. Electricchic
    Feb 28, 2017
    4
    The acting is fabulous, which is why this show is almost unbearable. The protagonists are monstrously selfish with only a rare glimmer of generosity toward others, but I can't stop watching because of all the wonderful supporting characters they draw into their web of self-absorbtion and betrayal. Almost any non-Pfefferman character is someone I'd choose as a friend, and none of theThe acting is fabulous, which is why this show is almost unbearable. The protagonists are monstrously selfish with only a rare glimmer of generosity toward others, but I can't stop watching because of all the wonderful supporting characters they draw into their web of self-absorbtion and betrayal. Almost any non-Pfefferman character is someone I'd choose as a friend, and none of the Pfeffermans would make the cut. I can't help but wonder whether the cruel narcissism of the main characters is the point of the show, or whether the creator is so like her characters that she considers them heroes. Maybe it's because of the current political climate, but a main cast of characters dominated by their exceptionalism, snobbery and Id feels like an assault.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best TV Season of 2014
31
#31 Most Discussed TV Season of 2014
13
#13 Most Shared TV Season of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
92

Universal acclaim - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. The Atlantic
    Reviewed by: Spencer Kornhaber
    Sep 23, 2016
    100
    The show creator Jill Soloway’s deeply empathetic filmmaking style and her writers’ penchant for fine, funny details give the series soul and prevent the characters from tipping over into full monstrousness. The performances are more precise than ever, naturalistically portraying people who are neither wholly good nor wholly bad. Most impressive is how Soloway’s team keeps finding fresh angles on the same characters navigating the same big existential questions.
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  2. RogerEbert.com
    Reviewed by: Brian Tallerico
    Dec 10, 2015
    90
    There are times when “Transparent” will run into a narrative convenience that it often seems too good for--someone stopping by a party at just the right time, someone running into someone in public, etc. Or a character will express something that seems just a bit too self-aware in an argument. I like these characters so much that I really just want to sit around and listen to them talk naturally to each other, examining the dynamics between one of the most fascinating families on TV.
    Read full review
  3. Uncle Barky
    Reviewed by: Ed Bark
    Sep 30, 2014
    91
    This is the series that puts Amazon Prime on the map, if not yet on the same level with competing streamer Netflix.
    Read full review
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