Banshee

Banshee is an American Crime Drama Television Series created by David Schickler and Jonathan Tropper that aired between 2013 to 2016, produced by HBO and broadcast by CineMax. The series starred Anthony Starr in the lead role as an Ex-Con masquerading as the sheriff of the corrupt town of Banshee, Pennsylvania.

## Plot

After being released from a 15-year stint in prison, an unnamed Ex-Con travels to the town of Banshee, Pennsylvania to reconnect with his old love and claim his stolen fortune, only to find neither option is feasible anymore. When he comes to a bar, he encounters the new would-be Sheriff, Lucas Hood, and collectors working for the town crime lord, Kai Proctor, leading to a violent confrontation in which Sheriff Hood is killed. Seeing opportunity, he takes the identity of Sheriff Lucas Hood to pull off one more good heist while coming into conflict with Proctor and his criminal empire, and finding old wounds opened up again.

## Why it Rocks

1. A very interesting and creative concept that comes with a lot of interesting themes being explored, such as whether or not people can really change themselves and find redemption, and whether or not the ends justify the means in plenty of cases and how the troubles faced by a small town often get ignored by larger authorities.
2. A very well-written story that grows in complexity as the series goes on and eventually forgoes an episodic storytelling style following the first season for larger scale, consistent conflicts.
3. Lots of great and likeable characters and well-done villains, such as "Lucas Hood" himself, though a crook, somewhat turning a new leaf as sheriff as he actually does try to enforce the law, justice, and help his fellow man rather than give into the corruption previous sheriffs succumbed to.
4. Awesome action scenes, with great gun fights and brutal hand to hand fights throughout.
5. Great opening, with a rather simple song and style executed very well to make it all very engaging.
6. Awesome acting from all cast members, especially from Anthony Starr before his later role as Homelander in The Boys.
7. The town and conflicts have plenty of diversity in them, such as the Amish community, which Proctor himself was formerly a part of, and plenty of characters in those groups playing major parts of the story.
8. The town of Banshee is brought to life with tons of lore and detail put into it, with areas like the aforementioned Amish community being explored and the darker underbelly of something as unassuming as a small town. The town has plenty of history to it and a lot of diversity in the people who live there.
9. The series gets exponentially better as it goes along, with each season building in plenty of rising conflicts, some of which Hood himself isn't directly involved in and have years in the making.
10. A very well-done series finale that breaks many expectations, leaving the storyline open but not with a cliffhanger and with plenty of emotional weight and satisfying plot points put into the series.

## Bad Qualities

1. The first season arguably wasn't the best way to start the show, especially in the first half, with plenty of slow pacing and episodic storylines that could feel like padding.
2. The sexual content of the series, while not as bad as some other HBO series (namely Game of Thrones), was nonetheless often seen as a bit excessive and out of place at times, especially within the first season.
3. Some of the depictions of Amish people could be considered stereotyping, as could some aspects of Job himself towards the transgender community.
4. Some behind-the-scenes safety issues, with Anthony Starr himself almost getting a disfiguring scar while filming a fight scene, though you won't see and trace of it because it was edited out in post.

## Trivia

* Despite the sex scenes in the series, actor Anthony Starr of a self-proclaimed "prude".
* Sheriff "Lucas Hood's" real name is never revealed, though in a scene where Anthony Starr whispers it in a character's ear, the actress reported that he said "Gaaaary".
* The safe combination in the opening of season one resemble, as follows, the 43 deaths in the season, the 15 years "Hood" spent in prison, and Revelations 6:8.