With a plot as outlandish as the one that propelled this sci-fi series forward, it’s no wonder that it managed to become a cult classic, avoiding mainstream attention, earning some derision from genre elitists and critics, but still entertaining and enthralling a small subset of fans that would continue fighting for it to find more success. And now Netflix is the proud new home of the series, which has taken the #3 spot on the Top 10 Most Watched list.
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La Brea, which aired for three seasons from 2021 to 2024, never quite got critics or mainstream audiences on board with its wacky premise. The show centered around the events that follow a sinkhole erupting in the middle of LA, with one half of a family sucked in, alongside a group of strangers, and transported to a primeval world they don’t recognize. The other half, a daughter who nearly died in the accident, and her mentally ill father are left behind to pick up the pieces—and her father’s hallucinations may be the key to figuring out how to reunite them.
La Brea Makes No Sense—and It Doesn’t Pretend To
At no point does La Brea take itself remotely seriously, which is part of the joy of watching. To call it a great series would be a lie. But it’s got enough going for it to have landed cult classic status, with plenty of people feeling it’s overhated and underrated. “Honestly, this show is overhated. Is it the best show in the world? No. Is it the worst? Absolutely not! This show is epic!” said one fan. And while it does find itself mucking around in a tar pit of sci-fi tropes while never quite figuring out what it wants to be, that’s kind of the most fun thing about the show.
Critics, however, were hard-pressed to find a single thing to like about the series, tearing it down for its acting, CGI, and general plot messiness. Which, to be fair, they aren’t entirely wrong about—they just missed the whimsy. “If you’re happy with cheesy dialogue and characters having to run away from a CGI saber-toothed tiger after falling into a giant sinkhole that is a portal to a prehistoric dimension, then this is the show for you,” says critic Anita Singh. And honestly, that really is enough for some people.
Do you think that La Brea deserves the hate it gets? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to keep the conversation going with other sci-fi fans.
