Teenage Bounty Hunters Season 1 Review

August 14, 2020 at 1:42am
By Jason Stettner

This is a Netflix Original series that follows two girls as they work towards becoming bounty hunters while also balancing their school life. This situation happens sort of randomly, and it’s generally quite hilarious in regards to the sequences that cause them to get into this line of work. With that, the show in general is actually very funny and an enjoyable time.

We have Sterling (Maddie Phillips) and Blair (Anjelica Bette Fellini) Wesley that are sisters and very connected. That connection provides a sort of special interaction, and they have fun little conversations in some sort of weird stopped time space which is always humorous to see in action. It’s not a super power, but sort of just a play on the twin telepathy cliché. It works well here.

The former sister, Sterling is more of what you’d consider to be a really good, by the book sort of student. The latter, Blair is the more intense badass of the two. It’s neat however that they play around with the idea of the role each of them takes throughout the series. It’s certainly interesting as it not only gets swapped around, but in that change you also get to see some character development take place. I definitely enjoyed the first half of the season more than the latter.
Overall I had a great time watching, and can’t wait for more. It’s just that the initial episodes were better structured and far more hilarious. They have fun situations trying to deal with bounty missions, while balancing a school life that continues to get harder. It’s fun as that school life is ultra religious, and there are a lot of hilarious questions that are pondering about what god might do in some situations. There’s certainly a mature level of content here, just so you are aware. Lots of sexual based material in terms of visual content, and also what’s stated throughout.

These segments were largely funny, and fit in well with the particular setting they were showcasing. I felt this aspect was worth mentioning, as that might adjust the particular audience that’s in mind for watching this. It’s definitely leaning towards older, and perhaps later aged teenagers if they’re ok with the material being presented. Anyways, it flows very well as they’re learning the trade they happen to be good at.

I liked that sense of them being far too young for the job, and just winging it. They had to dodge their parents, friends and also their mentor Bowser (Kadeem Hardison) to a degree since they are technically too young. The latter episodes move away from the bounty hunting, and focus more on the emotional relationships that have developed. I felt those dramatic points; while handled well, sort of bogged down the great pace that was present out of the gate.

They had good set story moments, and then started sprawling outwards. There were so many dangling narrative bits left open by the end, that it came across as slightly overwhelming. The last episode, while setup also felt a bit rushed in terms of what ended up happening. That portion made things feel almost slightly silly, which was disappointing I suppose. Still, it came together for a great time and I was more than pleased by what I had watched here over this season.

I was very pleased with the performance by the two lead characters. They were charming, connected well and had a great chemistry. That’s very important when you’re heavily relying on two individuals to carry the show.

You’re spending most of your screen time with them and then also having to deal with elongated segments when they’re split apart. Those times when they’re apart work well, and you don’t necessarily feel as though you’re missing either until they’re right back together again. It just works well, and helps push along the story. I also quite liked April (Devon Hales) as they have some fun with that character.

There’s a neat shift there, and while sudden it does work out for an interesting story. I also must give another mention to Hardison’s Bowser, a very entertaining character. I loved the mix of this older guy trying to understand some of the crazy things the girls are saying. It worked here, despite feeling awkward in most situations where series do that sort of thing. This show was well shot, and had a decent sense of scale to it.

There were a number of topical moments, and also some well set intimate times which mattered for setting the atmosphere. It does have some crazy action, and again it’s just quite fun. I had some good laughs throughout, I liked the characters and it’s a sort of situation that just works well in this format. I do hope that future seasons; assuming that happens, focus more on the job as that was the strength of the show.

I liked seeing the sisters figure out how to handle things. Whether that was using their community influence, getting creative or just blasting away since they had some skills with weaponry. That’s not to say that their school life wasn’t interesting, it’s just that some of the dramatic elements took away from the comedy and action. It became somewhat less funny and action packed as it went on despite ending with a bit of a spark.

The Conclusion

Teenage Bounty Hunters is a great show, this first season was largely hilarious and full of action with two strong leads carrying the momentum. They had fun with the setting, and brought in a rather unique look at a particular culture within the United States. It brings intense religious schooling, and mixes that with the art of learning how to bounty hunt. That should somewhat help you understand the setting, and some of the plot points as they live in a high level of luxury.

The way they stumble into this line of work is rather random, and it kick starts things in a very strong way. It’s a bit over the top at times, but that works well for it. It’s got a strong cast, strange moments to showcase and some surprises along the way. The twists will definitely arrive, and it should be something different from what you’re used to seeing.

I did again, find the first half to be far stronger than the latter half. Not to say I didn’t like those episodes, it just tonally feels a bit different. Almost like they were doing too much setup, instead of focusing on what was already rolling. There still were some great moments littered throughout the season, and I’m sure many will enjoy the whole ride through. This brings the laughs, the action and the intensity you might expect from the title of this show.

It sort of came out of nowhere and I’m more than pleasantly surprised by it. There were a tad too many dangling story lines set up in the latter half, and I’m anxious to see where those head. I think this one has potential, and I feel it fits well with the audience that it’s attempting to target. Get ready for some wild times, two girls that want to have it all and of course a series of caught criminals since they need to get their mark to get paid. .

Teenage Bounty Hunters Season 1 Review at Home with Streamed Viewing
Screening was Provided by Netflix

Rating Overall: 8.0