The Old Man - Season 1

Finally, we get to see Jeff Bridges star in a series for the first time. Unfortunately, The Old Man itself shines a lot less and it turns out to be more of a rough diamond that needs a lot of polishing.

The Old Man is based on the novel of the same name written by Thomas Perry. The series is about Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges), someone who escaped the CIA decades ago and has been living a secluded life ever since. When an assassin tries to take down Chase, the old cop learns that to secure his future, he must make peace with his past. Harold Harper (John Lithgow, Perry Mason), the FBI's assistant director of counterintelligence, is called in to find Chase due to his complicated past with the fugitive.

If you as a viewer do not realize that you are dealing with an older man, this will be shown in the first episode. Chase gets out of bed rather rickety every two hours to make a nightly pee. In addition, he lives with two faithful four-legged friends named Dave and Carol. The two dogs listen to Chase exceptionally well. The moment Chase is burgled, you as a viewer get to see that you are not just dealing with an old man. The intruders are caught by the two dogs and one of the two puts his mouth around the intruder's neck. At Chase's command, the dog leaves and then cold-bloodedly deals with him himself.

All ingredients are present to make this a top series

All ingredients are present to make this a top series. The first episode also gives an indication that it has a lot of potential and makes you curious about the character Dan Chase. Unfortunately, the further progression of this series can be called somewhat disappointing. The writers quickly provide endless dialogues that are by no means all of added value, but they do ensure that the momentum is taken out of the series. Dan Chase is portrayed as someone with ruthless qualities, but you don't get to see much of this in practice. The series is labeled as an action series, but actually, only the first episode contains some action-packed moments. This isn't enough if you consider what you could have done with the character.

What is done very well is the acting performances of mainly the two main characters. Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow put in great performances and the connection between their characters makes it interesting to watch. You notice that both gentlemen already have a lot of experience in the profession and with their charisma, it remains fascinating to keep watching. Without their presence, I dare to say that it would have become no more than a mediocre series. It is a pity that the creators have not let them do more with the possibilities that Jeff Bridge's character has to offer. This will partly have to do with his frail health that played tricks on him during the production of this series. Finally, during flashbacks, you see a younger version of Chase and the similarities with Jeff Bridges are terrifyingly good.



Even the finale doesn't head toward a big climax. It does set the stage for the already-announced second season. All in all, I'm slightly disappointed with the first season. It may also be that my expectations were too high beforehand. I feel there is much more to be gained from this series. Hopefully, the creators manage to live up to this in the second season and take the criticisms that were delivered during the first season to heart. If you are planning to watch this series I would recommend it mainly because of the excellent cast. Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow have made me rate this series slightly higher than any other mediocre series.