Ro's Recz

As you can see in the photo credit link, the Last Tycoon was cancelled by Amazon Prime Video after one season. I did not really understand why it was cancelled, as I thought it was a really entertaining show (and so did many other people I know). The show ratings also confuse me (it has 4.5 stars with 7000 reviews on Amazon, but only 46% on Rotten Tomatoes). I think this just shows that it is probably a show for a certain group of viewers, which I just happen to fall into.

The Last Tycoon stars Matt Bomer, Lily Collins, Kelsey Grammer, and several other big names. It is based on the last, unfinished novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. However, unlike The Great Gatsby, this book is set during the Great Depression.

The main character, Monroe Stahr, is an up and coming studio executive. Unfortunately, it comes at a time where budgets are tight and not as many people have extra money to spend on watching movies. Stahr is loosely based on the real life movie producer Irving Thalberg.

I thought that it was really interesting to see how the film industry operated during the Great Depression. Obviously, it was a lot harder to produce movies, and a lot harder to convince people to watch the movies; still, this just made extremely talented movie people such as Monroe Stahr even more valuable during this time. Stahr’s boss, Pat Brady, knew this in the show, but he also knew that he had to keep Stahr in check and manage his ego. There is an interesting power struggle that takes place throughout the show.

I really enjoyed the dynamic of the show, and I was definitely expecting it to come back for a second season. Like many other viewers, I was stunned when Amazon did not decide to renew the show. Still, this does not mean that you should not watch the show since there is only one season; instead, I think viewers will enjoy watching the 9 episodes that were produced.

The Last Tycoon Recommendation Rating: 3.5

1: Something worth checking out if you have time

2: Something that is a hit for some people, but not a must for everyone

3: Something worth prioritizing if interested

4: Something worth making time to check out

5: An absolute home run, worth going out of your way for