AMC‘s four-part period drama is one of the best TV shows ever made, but its lack of viewership means it’s become mostly forgotten. AMC’s TV shows include many critically acclaimed and well-remembered titles. This includes Breaking Bad, arguably the best crime drama series of all time, and the ongoing Walking Dead franchise.
However, the network also has a number of TV shows that never earned as big a spotlight as they should have, since becoming forgotten releases among the sea of series produced every year. While some, like The Terror season 1, earn their place among some of the best TV shows ever made, others are not so lucky despite their quality.
AMC’s Halt And Catch Fire Is One Of The Best Shows Of The 21st Century
One such series that falls into this category is Halt and Catch Fire, a period drama created by Christopher Cantwell and Christopher C. Rogers. Set in the 1980s and 1990s, the show is a fictionalized rendition of the boom of personal computer use and subsequent early years of the World Wide Web, told through the eyes of a fictional tech company.
The series stars Lee Pace, Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Davis, Kerry Bishé, and Toby Huss, with Aleksa Palladino joining in season 2. The show follows the cast as members of Cardiff Electric, a small company trying to reverse engineer the IBM PC. This leads to strife, conflict, and evolution as everyone finds their footing amidst the technological landscape.
Reviews for Halt and Catch Fire grew more positive with every new season, particularly for its character depth and unique filming style. While there were initially unfavorable comparisons to other AMC shows with antiheroes at the forefront, it later became considered by critics to be one of the best, unsung series of the 21st century.
Halt And Catch Fire Doesn’t Get The Same Respect As Other AMC Shows
Unfortunately, Halt and Catch Fire doesn’t have the same reputation as other acclaimed AMC TV shows. While seasons of Mad Men and Breaking Bad continue to be talked about to this day, the tech-focused period drama doesn’t have the same level of love behind it.
This is somewhat because of its viewership, which was notably low throughout its run. However, AMC still allowed the series to play out across four seasons, reaching a definitive conclusion. Even though other shows got the spotlight over it, Halt and Catch Fire still offered a fantastic display of morally ambiguous characters doing anything to reach the top.
Why Halt And Catch Fire Is Still Worth Watching Nearly 10 Years Later
Even after Halt and Catch Fire ended in October 2017, it’s still worth giving the series a watch. Lee Pace’s role as entrepreneur Joe MacMillan is reminiscent of Jon Hamm’s Dom Draper in Mad Men, with an antihero take of someone doing anything for power. Its realism and ties to the real-world PC revolution also makes it entertaining from a historical perspective.
Although Halt and Catch Fire isn’t as well-remembered as other AMC dramas, the show has a compelling narrative that’s tied to real history, even if the drama is a fictionalized rendition. Interesting characters, strong storytelling, and a high regard from critics make the series worthwhile even almost a decade after it ended.
All episodes of Halt and Catch Fire are streaming on AMC+.
- Release Date
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2014 – 2017-00-00
- Directors
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Juan José Campanella, Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Karyn Kusama, Michael Morris, Phil Abraham, Kimberly Peirce, Larysa Kondracki, Terry McDonough, Meera Menon, Reed Morano, Tricia Brock, Andrew McCarthy, So Yong Kim, Craig Zisk, Jon Amiel, Johan Renck, Jake Paltrow, Ed Bianchi
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Scoot McNairy
Senior Attorney