Kevin Bacon gets a new lease on life in the Amazon Prime Video original series, The Bondsman.
In the drama series, which quickly rose to become the No. 2 show on the platform, Bacon plays Hub Halloran, a bail bondsman who is killed on a job and resurrected by the devil. Now an agent of Hell itself, he works with his handler Midge (Jolene Purdy, Donnie Darko) and his mother Kitty (Beth Grant, The Mindy Project) to hunt down escaped demons and return them to Satan’s custody.
In a strange move, Amazon Prime Video has already decided not to renew the series, even though it was ranked highly on the platform and earned a solid 83 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. But even though there’s no second season coming, you should still watch it. Here’s why.
Kevin Bacon Exudes Star Power
As always, Footloose heartthrob Kevin Bacon is magnetic onscreen as Hub. The bounty hunter is flawed yet likable, and as he tracks down evil demons, he also tries to make up for the sins of his past to avoid being sent to Hell when he dies. This means reconciling with his ex, Maryanne (Jennifer Nettles of the band Sugarland), and their son, Cade (Maxwell Jenkins, Reacher).
Bacon shows every facet of his considerable talents in the series, from action hero to singer. Yes, that’s right, Bacon sings a few tunes because Hub was an aspiring musician before he turned to bounty — and then demon — hunting.) The actor’s natural charm and his chemistry with Nettles make the show addicting.
It Comes From a Horror Mastermind
The Bondsman is a production of Blumhouse, Jason Blum’s production company, which brought us horror hits like Get Out, Paranormal Activity and The Black Phone, among others.
The expertise shows in The Bondsman, which combines bone-chilling visual effects with great action and smart storytelling.
The World Building Is Devilishly Good
The Bondsman portrays the state of affairs between Heaven and Hell in a really interesting way, with Midge serving as an employee of the Pot O’Gold corporation, “Satan’s front company on Earth.” Each escaped demon, she explains, presents a risk to the fragile truce between Hell and Heaven.
Each episode showcases a different kind of demon, creating opportunities for fun visuals and creepy stories.
The premise of The Bondsman isn’t completely unique by any means — shows like Supernatural, Lucifer and Buffy the Vampire Slayer have all done the “demon hunter” thing to great success — but placing it in the context of a day job puts an interesting spin on it. If you think you have a hard time maintaining work-life balance, try walking in Hub’s shoes for a day or two. It’s not fun, but it sure is fun to watch.
So, Should You Stream ‘The Bondsman’?
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Even though it’s been prematurely slain, The Bondsman is a fun and engaging series packed with action and great performances. And, let’s be honest, it’s just always a pleasure to watch Kevin Bacon do his thing.
(And FYI, although the season finale does feel like it’s setting up a season 2, it’s not an unbearable cliffhanger. So you won’t be feeling totally bereft once the last episode ends.)
Stream The Bondsman on Amazon Prime Video now.
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