Four Amazon Prime originals you must binge

Homecoming

Though fans feel the second season of the Amazon series isn’t as good as the first, both seasons are still worth a watch.  Based on the Gimlet Media’s podcast, Season 1 of Homecoming starred Julia Roberts as caseworker Heidi Bergman at Homecoming Transitional Support Center.  Bergman helps soldiers adapt to nonmilitary life, not knowing it’s really an experimental drug program. After realizing her favorite patient Walter Cruz (Stephan James) may be getting deployed soon, she gives Walter an extra dose of the drug which disables him.

The series jumps from 2018 when Heidi still works at the facility to 2022 where she’s a waitress.  In 2022 Department of Defense auditor Thomas Carrasco (Shea Whigham) approaches her asking why she left Homecoming Transitional Support Center.  Having no memory of her time there, Heidi must figure out what really happens at the support center.

Season 2 takes a complete turn and has a new leading lady Janelle Monae.  Monae plays Alex/Jackie who wakes up in a rowboat and, like Julia Robert’s character, is suffering from memory loss.  After visiting the hospital Jackie is aided by Buddy (John Billingsley) who helps her put the pieces together in finding out who she is.

While the acting is great some fans and critics aren’t happy about the route Season 2 took, because it’s not a continuation of Season 1.  Co-creator Sam Esmail told The Hollywood Reporter:

"“We’ve deviated from very much of the podcast, so [Season 2 of] the podcast doesn’t really have anything to do with the way the show is going. We’re working on a second season, but we have a very different trajectory for our show.”"

The series has yet to be renewed for Season 3.