The Back Pages (2017– ) User Reviews

OK, a bit amateurish, but give it a shot

[schneiderdick · 6/10 · 30 July 2018]

There are moments.

What I liked most about this anthology series was...

THAT THE FOLKS BEHIND IT DID IT!

It's called gumption. These are Indie producers, probably Indie actors, Indie directors, and Indie writers.

And I could find them on Amazon Prime...not in some obscure little theater buried on some college campus somewhere in the West for a one-night showing, then release to DVD.

No, it's not what we're used to, but with this series of episodes behind them, they've learned a little. And maybe if there is another season, the directing will be a little tighter (the shooting and editing is not bad at all), the acting a bit crisper.

There stories are better than the negative reviews indicate.

Worth watching

[nicolecolee · 6/10 · 5 July 2018]

I'd say this is probably the first review I have put up on IMDB! So, Backpages is an anthology series where each episode is a standalone show and it has a sci-fi. I am a huge fan of the classics like Twilight Zone and Outer Limits (the 90s version), so these kinds of shows always appeal to me. The first episode in this didn't make sense, although I desperately wanted it to (I re-watched the ending several times). And the second episode had a creepy mysterious feel of a young woman in a coma and parents tormented with the idea of pulling the plug. I enjoy the creepy atmosphere of the two episodes I've seen so far, even it takes me a bit to piece together what's going on. It's really well produced I thought, and I love the music too. I think it's a series with a lot of potential.

Acting is atrocious

[Heather_adams96 · 2/10 · 28 February 2020]

Terrible acting, boring stories. The best part of this show is the intro sequence.

Yawn!

[queenondi · 2/10 · 28 June 2018]

Low budget, terrible acting and predictable and very corny plots. Do yourself a favor and watch Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams and/or Black Mirror.

Utter garbage

[RandomTard · 1/10 · 8 May 2021]

This would of been bad in the 90's, now it's just trash. There is nothing good to say about this rubbish.

Give it a chance

[jmd09 · 7/10 · 17 September 2018]

Found this on Amazon. I love anthology shows, I've found alot on of indie ones amazon that have only a few episodes, this one is not bad. I'm sure they didnt have a big budget but it doesn't look cheap like alot of other indie ones I've seen. The stories could be a little better, but it's a good start. Hope they get the chance to do another season.

All fiction no science

[jacqikill · 1/10 · 21 May 2020]

I love the rooted in fact aspect of sci-fi and this is seriously lacking. All the stories come off very random and lack solid endings. The acting at times is just so terrible and with no interesting story line it's not very entertaining. One thing I will say, is they budgeted well and sets and costumes they used resources where they really needed them.

A good quality sci-fi series

[johnapplebee-95947 · 7/10 · 18 January 2019]

A good quality sci-fi series that reminds me of the twilight zone series. The 1st and the 5th series was my favorite. I hope u guys do a second season.

Not for film buffs

[anastasiag-79839 · 2/10 · 12 August 2018]

The idea for the show is interesting, but it doesn't deliver. The acting is poor but the audio is fine. The angels just felt...off. If you like a high quality show, this isn't for you but it has potential.

Give a Chance

[elainericher · 10/10 · 6 January 2019]

Short episodes, very entertaining. I am sure they were working with very low budget and still managed to make highly enjoyable for the entire family.

Smart Idea

[lebam-15027 · 7/10 · 18 March 2020]

The Back Pages, Season one: I watched the first 5 episodes. The length of each episode varied between 10 -13 minutes. The topics vary from comedy, science fiction, western, love, and a hairy werewolf. All with a tongue in cheek approach. A very smart idea. With some tweaking, this series could become very addictive.

Atrocious

[roumensp · 2/10 · 21 September 2020]

Incredibly low quality and terrible acting. I stopped watching it after the 4th episode. The positive reviews should be from relatives.

Thank God for brevity. This is someones project for Film class, right?

[bramstayer · 2/10 · 31 January 2022]

Grading on a curve this is D minus, right when I have had too much, its LITERALLY over. So keep that 13 minute run time AND I'm still watching the first 4, and were too low budget to show us more than shadow puppets. I mean this is not exactly Prime content . The endings dont make any sense. Remimds me a kids tv show called Mr. Dressup, but it's missing the talent.

Gosh what a bore.

Childish Stories

[Dolphchiarino123 · 2/10 · 21 July 2018]

This show is nothing like "The Twilight Zone" or "Outer Limits" at all. This is childish amature writing with amature actors. It's 7 different episodes that are each 25 minutes (way too) long and a waste of time. Turn on another movie or show and stay clear of this one.

Nope

[becafresh · 1/10 · 18 August 2018]

I agree with the previous reviewer that suggested that we watch black mirror and electric dreams. Those were awesome. I watched two episodes and a half because I wanted to give it a chance. The first episode had the best concept but the delivery at the end was not very well done. This show is like a film project that I was assigned to do the first year of college. The budget is low but there are many other low budgets that were more thought out. I think that they did a good job for a first project. They need more practice though.

An Excellent Web Series

[maxapritchard · 7/10 · 27 January 2018]

The Back Pages is a Sci-Fi anthology series, and it is (as the title suggests) a very good one. The show isn't perfect, but the good far outweighs the bad. The sets and props in this series are excellent, especially considering the relatively low budget this series has. There are a lot of very good performances from the cast, although there are a few bland and dull performances too. Most episodes have strange endings that either surprise you or leave you intrigued as to what they mean. This was a very interesting part of the series which I feel helps it stand out. The editing and cinematography was also top notch, and the music selected was good too. Episodes 2, 4, and 5 were incredible in my opinion, and given that the episodes aren't connected, I'd recommend you watch those at least. Episode 2 wasn't that great and episode 6 wasn't excellent either, but they were still decent and worth watching. The episodes had a great mixture of suspense, drama, and some humor that made this a very enjoyable show. On a side note, the title sequence of the show is amazing, and I hope it gets an episode about it in Season 2.

Read a review not done by their mother...

[moorek · 2/10 · 19 April 2020]

There are 37 reviews for this series at this time and only one is negative. That is not normal for a show of this quality. Yes this is an anthology series and such is similar in format to the Twilight Zone, Black Mirror and the Outer Limits but that is the only comparison. It is like comparing your child's school band's Christmas performance to your local symphony - yes they are are both playing music on a stage but that's about it. And that comparison was made because this web-series feels like a high school play level but with adults. Community theatre.

THEMES. The themes are weak and ones we've seen before if you've watched any sci-fi or anthology series. Nothing new here.

SCREEN-PLAY. The dialogue is stilted and often stereotypical. In a few, the outcome is televised in the first few minutes so no suspense.

ACTING. Sadly this is the worst part. There isn't a good actor in any of the episodes. Now I hate to criticize local actors doing community theatre but when you go to those performances, you expect that. Just as when you go to your child's school productions. But you don't expect to turn on a TV series and see that level of acting. I guess I wouldn't be so hard if there were not so many 7-9 levels of reviews when clearly this doesn't deserve that. Someone has to be honest about that. You will cringe with some of the acting.

LOCATIONS. I found this the most interesting. There were some unusual locations picked that didn't seem common place. I was wondering where this was recorded which was the main reason I came to IMDb to find out. I'd never have thought it was in California.

PROPS/SETS. Since several episodes were outside then the location appeal was good. Some of the interiors were okay but some, like the "bar" in the western one was bad. Someone's barn's loft? And in that period piece, one of the buildings used, has plywood and what looks like particle board on it. Should have used a different building. The props look like those borrowed from a local community theatre supply house.

LENGTH. Each episode is 20 minutes or less which means you can get through it fairly quickly. Sadly I still found myself fast-forwarding through some episodes as the core of the episode was clearly not needed for the conclusion.

If you are going to watch this then it wouldn't take too much time to watch them all but if you are curious enough to watch one then I would suggest The Woman From the Water. It's not much better but the main male lead is likely one of the better actors and possibly the only one in the whole series that might go on with an acting career. The theme is a little different. However it is oddly disjointed but makes you wonder about some things like why his buddy turned on him so quickly, why security is holding him, why the trucker doesn't pick her up etc. With a better script, those disconnects would be planned - here they obviously were not.

You would be better off watching re-runs of any other anthology series although if you fast forward, you can likely get through all 7 of these in an hour.

A classic series in the making

[Phil_Chester · 25 January 2019]

Entertainment for those of us who really miss the classic Twilight Zone or Tales of the Unexpected series. Just like those series, the stories are variable in believability and impact, but the ones that work really do so very well. There's a real range of milieux here, so there's something for everyone. Definitely worth a look.

A fresh series

[cbax123 · 7/10 · 11 April 2020]

I've enjoyed this web series so far. I'm currently on episode 4. It's very reminiscent of Black Mirror. I think some people will like it and others will not but I enjoyed it and will keep watching. Would be neat to see this as a full-blown series.

Yawn

[burgerman93 · 2/10 · 20 September 2022]

These actors are all like caricatures - the stories are also uninventive, short, and confusing. For a quality anthology series with excitement, strong acting, and innovation, stick to The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror. I only watched three episodes of this, but I can imagine the rest of the series also feels like a low budget acting school production.

It's times like this I wish I could quit my desk job and screen-write. I also wish I had read the reviews before trying this; I assume many of the high ratings are illegitimate reviews. Watch at your own risk, and be prepared to be bored to death.

Well done Sci-Fi Indie Series

[kisiel-1 · 8/10 · 23 January 2019]

Classic science fiction stories with a creative concept. The film was entertaining and well executed.

For anthology lovers...

[KimmyTKA · 7/10 · 10 April 2020]

Big fan of anthologies, and really glad to have stumbled on this. I've watched a few of the episodes, and each are distinct but a good overall tone. I actually like the indie feel (a lot of other anthologies I've been watching feel overproduced). Definitely give a go. Short episodes too (in a good way!) so easy to take a chance on. What else are you doing during quarantine? lol

Gave it a shot, but just couldn't watch it to the end...

[sharphead · 2/10 · 1 November 2022]

I get that this is shot, written and directed by indy everything, making a show isn't easy. However, the acting and storyline is just cringy. I'm in S1E3, the the old guy just can't stop overacting - his lines make me cringe. Not only that, the whole dialogue seem entirely scripted. There are people who have probably never acted before.

I'm sure the storylines are great, but I can't waste any more of my time trying to get through this. I guess i'm not a fan of indy projects. TV shorts like Love, Sex, and Robots and Black Mirror are more my speed. The Back Pages suffers more from everyone with a lack of experience in all their roles, including the director.

So much potential

[divelucaya · 3/10 · 22 May 2023]

The plots are interesting. The dialogue is horrible. The actors are atrocious. They are just really, really, really bad. Their movements are robotic and their facial expressions are ridiculous. When they're supposed to be sad you want to laugh. When they're emoting anger you want to laugh. When they're supposed to be funny (like the ridiculous old man in episode 3) you want to vomit. The show could have been so much better if they hired actual actors instead of pulling people in from the streets. Did the director have any experience or did he just ignore the ridiculousness in front of the cameras for the sake of a quick paycheck?

I've been looking for something like this!

[bgianci · 9/10 · 15 February 2019]

As a huge fan of the Twilight Zone, I have been looking for similar shows and I am so glad I found this! Great stories with very interesting concepts and plots that are equal parts creepy, mysterious, intriguing and thought provoking. I hope there will be more episodes coming soon!!