Bates Motel (2013) TV series

Creators: Carlton Cruse, Kerry Ehrin

Writers: Anthony Cipriano, Carlton Cruse, Kerry Ehrin

Composer: Chris Bacon

Starring: Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke, Nestor Carbonell

More info: IMDb

Tagline: A boy's best friend is his mother.

Plot: A contemporary prequel to Psycho, giving a portrayal of how Norman Bates' psyche unravels through his teenage years, and how deeply intricate his relationship with his mother, Norma, truly is.

My rating: 8/10

Will I watch it again?  Yes.

I was very skeptical upon hearing they were making a TV show based on my favorite horror movie.  I was wrong.  It's excellent.  Norman and his mother (superbly played by Highmore and Farmiga) have been turned into two very engaging characters.  By the end of the first episode I acclimated to the old look of the show set in modern day.  It was strange at first but they've made it work so well.  Just about everything works for me from the actors, writing, score and so on.  It can be a little frustrating at how long the show is being dragged out but I'm mostly fine with that.  It's great fucking drama with a cast of characters I really dig.  There's a moment at the end of the last episode of season two (I think it's that one) where in seconds you see Norman from the show transform into the Norman from the Hitchcock picture and it made my skin tingle with glee.  It's so subtle and so brilliantly executed.  I'm made my way through season 3 and I need to plow through 4 with 5 hitting Netflix in hopefully a month or two.  I'm truly marveled with how good television has become over the past few years.  In that regard, it's a remarkable time to be alive.