True to its creator’s established themes, the first full look at “The Get Down” appears to be a wild, passionate and ambitious blend of music, romance and rebellious stands against systemic adversity. Baz Luhrmann’s first foray into television appears to be just as grand as his cinematic efforts, and Netflix will undoubtedly look to capitalize on that in a big way.
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One way might be found at the end of the trailer, in the addendum to the series’ title. “The Get Down” is apparently a story told in parts, and “Part 1” is what we’ll get in 2016. How many parts we can expect over the course of the series wasn’t clarified in the accompanying release, nor was whether or not this affects the standing order for 13 episodes constituting Season 1 (which could be exactly what Part 1 stands for, after all).
What we do know is the series stars Shameik Moore, Justice Smith, Herizen Guardiola, Jaden Smith, Skylan Brooks, Tremaine Browne, Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jimmy Smits and Giancarlo Esposito. Luhrmann is attached to direct the first two episodes as well as the finale, all while producing the entire series alongside TV veteran Shawn Ryan.
The official Netflix synopsis reads: “‘The Get Down’ focuses on 1970s New York — broken down and beaten up, violent, cash-strapped — dying. Consigned to rubble, a rag-tag crew of South Bronx teenagers are nothings and nobodies with no one to shelter them — except each other, armed only with verbal games, improvised dance steps, some magic markers and spray cans. From Bronx tenements, to the SoHo art scene; from CBGB to Studio 54 and even the glass towers of the just-built World Trade Center, The Get Down is a mythic saga of how New York at the brink of bankruptcy gave birth to hip-hop, punk and disco — as told through the lives and music of the South Bronx kids who changed the city and the world…forever.”
The premiere date has yet to be announced, but Netflix confirmed the series will be released “later in 2016.”
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