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On May 14, Netflix dropped "Nemesis," a new crime thriller from Courtney A. Kemp, the creator of Starz's "Power" series, and as of the time of writing, this new arrival has climbed to the very top spot in the streaming service's charts — but it hasn't been universally loved.
Yes, while this cat-and-mouse thriller has risen through the Netflix charts, "Nemesis" has split opinions. Overall, critics who reviewed the series ahead of its release generally seemed to enjoy the new show, and it's earned a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes... but viewers don't seem to be as impressed.
What is 'Nemesis' about?
"Nemesis" is pitched by Netflix as a series that "aims to subvert the heist genre at every turn" and a series that's "amped with thrilling life-or-death stakes, family dynamics and explosive action [that] actually gives birth to an exploration of what drives us, sustains us, and ultimately destroys us."
Ultimately, the show is a story of two men on the opposite sides of the law who are locked in a power play for the ages: criminal mastermind Coltrane Wilder (Y'lan Noel), and Detective Isaiah Stiles (Matthew Law), a brilliant police detective.
In addition to Law and Noel, "Nemesis" also stars Gabrielle Dennis, Cleopatra Coleman, Cedric Joe, Moe Irvin, Ariana Guerra, Stephanie Sigman, Mike O'Malley, Sophina Brown, Tre Hale, Jonnie "Dumbfoundead" Park and Quincy Isaiah (among others).
Okay, so what are people saying about 'Nemesis?'
As I mentioned above, on the whole, critics seemed to agree that "Nemesis" was a watchlist-worthy show. On the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, the show has earned a 90% approval rating (though that is derived from only 10 accredited reviews).
Case in point, The Guardian's Jack Seale gave the show a four-star rating and called the show "ridiculously entertaining," adding: "It gets better and better as it goes on, layering on the betrayals, the unexpected alliances, the strained or switched loyalties, the risks taken and stakes raised."
RogerEbert.com's Clint Worthington offered a more measured review, acknowledging its flaws, but also conceding the following: "When it pops off, it’s entertaining, and your patience will ultimately be rewarded. It’s closer to “Den of Thieves” than “Heat” for sheer ridiculousness, but if you’re tired of rewatching those, it’ll do in a pinch."
Netflix viewers, on the other hand, are way more divided. The Popcornmeter score is sitting at 49% (from a total of 50 ratings), at the time of writing. If you take a look at the audience reactions, you can see a decent split of five-star and one-star reviews.
Some viewers left comments proclaiming the series had "a very authentic catchy story line [sic]," that it was "very well made," or saying they'd "binge watched twice."
On the other hand, some of the other reactions said the show was "such a slog to watch," "an exhausting exercise in recycled storytelling that brings absolutely nothing new to the table," or that the show was "stupid" or "just gets progressively worse."
These reactions align more with NME's take on the show (which is not registered on RT just yet). Their critic, Vicky Jessop, gave the show a two-star review, writing: "This opening act is everything a crime thriller should be: tense, witty, action-packed. It’s just a pity that the rest of the show fails to maintain this strong start."
Perhaps this divisive reaction is why the show's managed to climb to the top spot on Netflix? And if your interest has been piqued, you can find the full season of "Nemesis" on Netflix now.
Watch "Nemesis" on Netflix now
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