the production of the show works. the look, the music work for me. overall i think that the show is shot beautifully. very parts unknown no doubt.

what doesn't work for me is the writing. for a show that said in the first episode that "this isn't a show about fighting, this is a show about PEOPLE who fight" i don't really feel like we get to know much at all about the characters he showcases in each episode or much really about the culture around them. a big part of it is due to, for me, the weakest link in the show...frank grillo himself.

first, he's not particularly charismatic. i don't find him interesting to watch at all. second, and more to the point i mentioned above, he never really says anything of interest. when walking around or sitting with the different people he doesn't really converse naturally to find out about them, he instead just asks these very surface level questions, or often times just repeats the same thing.

also, i'm not sure if i particularly like them showing him training so much. i'd also like to see him tone down the fanboy a bit.

anyway, its a decent show and i'll watch the rest of the season, but definitely it can be improved with better writing and some editing.