How do you adapt a beloved comic series featuring God, Jesus, a centuries-old vampire and an alcoholic preacher into one of the most watchable series in the past 10 years?
Ask Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the writing team behind “Preacher,” an AMC original series based on the comic book by Garth Ennis, which is sadly leaving Netflix on August 19. Super-sprint, don’t just run, to take in this violent, hilarious and unique four-season series filled with loveable protagonists, engaging villains and cliffhangers you’ll want to binge through ASAP.
What is ‘Preacher’ about?
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“Preacher,” which ran from 2016 to 2019, follows Texas preacher Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper) after he gets possessed by Genesis, a powerful, half-angel, half-demon offspring of an illicit union in Heaven. This force gives Custer the ability to make people do anything he says, even when he doesn’t mean it literally (What do you think happens when he tells someone to “Go to hell”?).
Joined by his vampire buddy Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) and ex-girlfriend Tulip (Ruth Negga), Custer seeks to literally find God, who has abandoned Heaven, and hold Him accountable and give the preacher some answers to burning questions he has about religion, this new force and his role in it all.
Along the way, Custer and his gang are tracked down by a slew of villains, from the demonic gunslinger known as the Saint of Killers to a secret cult organization dedicated to protecting the bloodline of Jesus Christ. Their leader, the cynical and disfigured Herr Starr (Pip Torrens). contends Custer is an ideal role for the messiah and dedicates his life to “breaking” the preacher and molding him to his will.
If all this sounds a bit confusing, it can be, but the showrunners ensure each season is tightly focused on one main mission, such as the first season’s battle between Custer and two angels sent to retrieve this unique force, known as Genesis, from Custer’s spirit.
A showcase of powerhouse performances
You wouldn’t think this kind of show would have gut-busting, hilarious moments, but almost every episode gives us some laughs, largely thanks to the sardonic wit of the vampire, Cassidy. He loves a bar fight and any bottle of booze, leading to raucous violence that often ends with Cassidy getting “killed,” but he survives, of course. He engages in the kind of reckless behaviour that would leave any normal man six feet under, but Cassidy’s immortality allows viewers to witness an impressive buffet of savage fights that are more slapstick than harrowing.
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Ruth Negga does an impressive job of bringing romance and sarcasm to her Tulip character, offering us a light-hearted look at her past relationship with Custer when they both were committing petty crimes before Genesis invaded the preacher’s body. Negga’s face-acting is especially evocative, as an arched eyebrow often says volumes.
Cooper flew under my radar as an actor to watch in the 2010s, but he carries the show on his disillusioned shoulders when we learn more about his backstory in Texas, and the pain he endured at the hands of a cruel grandmother and her henchmen. The British actor crafts a Texan accent that could’ve been born in the backwoods of Harris County. Also, the way he allows Genesis to take over his, well, everything is uncanny and compelling, so much so that I practically wished for every scene to include more of these moments.
And where has Torrens been all my life? His take on the evil but dry-witted Herr Starr has turned me into a lifelong fan, and his scenes are so rewatchable, it’s hard not to relive his most memorable scenes with his underlings or during his pursuit of Custer and company.
If there’s any criticism of “Preacher,” it’s how the second season drags in both pace and plot points before picking up steam in the later seasons. But that’s a small complaint amid the gold stars this series achieves in giving us a comic-book adaptation brimming with strong performances, pitch-perfect writing and nuanced messages on religion and the duality between good and evil.
Watch “Preacher” on Netflix until Aug. 19