Why i'm on my second watch of "the Offer"

When The Offer, the limited series based on the making of The Godfather, first premiered, I wasn't sure it was something I wanted to watch. I made it through thirty minutes of the first episode then stopped. Maybe I was too distracted or I just wasn't feeling it that night. Three weeks later, I came back and had several episodes to binge. And once I started, I didn't want to stop. 

I'm used to watching action movies or fantasy and paranormal. Rarely do I watch movies because I've been hooked by the actors. But that is exactly what happened with The Offer. 

Matthew Goode (A Discovery of Witches and Downton Abbey) and Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar) were two of the stand out actors in this series for me. Goode is a British actor who had to step outside his comfort zone to portray the Senior Vice President of Paramount Pictures, Robert Evans. And he did it. His voice, his look, and even his walk were vastly different than anything I'd ever seen him in, and his acting kept me riveted to the screen. 
 
Giovanni Ribisi portrayed Joe Columbo, the gangster who was the head of a crime family. Ribisi had to gain forty-five pounds for the part and shave his head so he could wear a thinning hair piece. He had to change his voice as well, and had I not looked up who all the actors were, I wouldn't have known which part Ribisi was playing. I could not tell who he was, and that's a good thing. 

This isn't a series that you have playing in the background while you're doing something else. It's the type that grabs you and won't let go. A lot like The West Wing did so many years ago. The Offer is engrossing, and I'm going to be sad when I've finished watching it for the second time because I'll know there's no more goodness to return to. 

The Emmy nominations will be announced next month, and I can only hope that this series and its many characters make the list. It would be a shame not to see all of this creation go unrewarded. 

If you haven't watched it yet, do yourself a favor and add this series to your must-be-seen list. You won't regret it! 

Just a note: The Offer does contain explicit language and violence.