Vinyl, the latest period-drama produced by HBO, was created as the result of a collaboration between Martin Scorsese, Terrence Winter, Mick Jagger, and Rich Cohen. Although the show did not have anything fresh to offer in terms of its plot, Vinyl managed to keep the viewers engaged with its entertaining direction and a power packed performance from Bobby Cannavale.
Vinyl is set in New York City in the 1970s and explores the renaissance of the music industry as seen through the eyes of the show’s fictional lead, Richie Finestra. The show’s plot revolves around Richie and the record label company he owns, American Century. Vinyl’s pilot finds a desperate Richie who is on the verge of unwillingly selling his company due to his professional failures. However, the night before the sale was supposed to happen, Richie attends a rock concert by chance, changes his mind about the sale and decides to revamp his company by helping create new music. The show then deals with the ordeals Richie and his friends have to face in their personal and professional lives while trying to save their company.
Main and Supporting cast of Vinyl
The one drawback Vinyl had throughout its first season was its plot. A distraught protagonist who tries to redeem his life from destroying himself and the people around him by holding onto his dreams is a story that has been told over and over in different settings and contexts in a variety of movies and TV shows. Interestingly enough, it has also been proven that this concept could still work if done right. With Vinyl, the creators aimed at apply the successful HBO formula by throwing in this generic plotline with the 70s music industry, but stumbled with a few elements.
Vinyl’s goal as a period drama was to explore the rise of rock, disco, and hip hop in the 70s through the eyes of a set of characters belonging to the various rungs of the music industry. The show attempted to do so by giving personal arcs and subplots to each of the characters that ultimately traced back to American Century. However, none of these characters succeeded in being interesting, save for Finestra himself and a handful of others, as opposed to the relatively larger roster Vinyl has. The show introduced almost all of its characters and story threads in the first episode itself. But many of them were highly predictable such as the drama in Richie’s personal life with his wife, Devon, and some underdogs trying to make a name for themselves.
Ato Essandoh as Lester Grimes
Even with all the demerits Vinyl had with its plot, it never failed to be entertaining by virtue of its excellent direction and the never ending playlist of the 70s music that constituted the show’s soundtrack. Although Scorsese did not direct any episodes other than the show’s premiere, his craftsmanship could be felt in the show at many places, without which Vinyl would not have made for such a fun watch.
The show made good use of the soundtrack as all the songs used in the show were excellent and complemented the scene which played out on screen while helping to create the vintage vibe the show needed.
Bobby Cannavale as Richie Finestra
But the most important factor that contributed in making the show appealing was the energy and vigor Bobby Cannavale brought about in his portrayal of Richie Finestra. Vinyl is also testament to Cannavale’s range as an actor since he had previously appeared as an Italian mobster named Gyp Rosetti in Scorsese’s former project with HBO –Boardwalk Empire. From his introduction in the first episode to his monologue in the finale, Bobby Cannavale did complete justice to Richie’s character. Whether it was arrogance, desperation, or just pure charisma, Richie’s role was safe in Cannavale’s hands. There were two other performances in Vinyl that are worth mentioning – Ato Essandoh as Lester Grimes and Annie Parisse as Andrea Zito. Unfortunately, the show did not provide enough material to either of these actors to utilize their full caliber.
All facts considered, Vinyl will make a great watch for viewers who are fans of 70s rock music and period-dramas but may not be impressive to those who are looking for something a bit more serious and has to offer more in terms of plot-content. Vinyl has already been renewed for a second season with Scott Z. Burns replacing Terrence Winter as the showrunner.
Hopefully, the second season will be able to rectify the mistakes of season 1 and provide Vinyl with a more compelling story focused around American Century and not waste time on the uneventful personal lives of its supporting characters.
Tags: Bobby Cannavale New York City Season 1 Vinyl
