I would suggest that you go into this show thinking of it as more of an SF "cartoon" than a high concept SF show. There is some ok stuff going on in this show here and there, but its not Black Mirror, and unfortunately, it seems like the writers for this show are more like "professional" writers than they are genuinely imaginative. The successful pieces only happen occasionally, and even then, it's never quite as compelling, or even as weird, as it should be.I have nothing against pop SF that is more candy than science, but with this in mind, this could have been a better show if they had perhaps found better writing. The ideas behind most of these episodes don't feel fleshed out or well constructed. In fact, many episodes feel like they are padding out the stories in order to fill the time requirements. Sometimes the show does hit a cool note, but if you compare this to other SF shows doing a similar thing (Black Mirror, Electric Dreams, or even Dimension 404) this seems the least inspired, which might seem perplexing to some, because the writers for this show are supposed to be some of "the best" comic book writers in the industry. Well, this is misleading. Most of these writers are well known comic book writers, but rarely does that equate to being the most inspired or creative, unfortunately. They are just names that everybody knows because they have been around for so long.Metal Hurlant was originally a hugely successful adult comic book/magazine that hit its height of popularity in the late 70s and through the 80s. The magazine has managed to stay around in one form or another, and most of these episodes are taken from material that is relatively new. Originally Metal Hurlant was never really a high concept venue as much as it was an experimental venue. It thrived on trying new ideas and had a huge span of variety in style and substance. It was punk rock and edgy, entirely unconcerned with PC politics or standards of professionalism. It thrived because of it's willingness to explore. The rebel spirit that was a pervasive part of the independent comic scene in those days is really all but dead, across the industry as a whole, which is much more focused upon the abstract concepts of professionalism and sell-ability than being motivated by compelling creativity. You would think that this should essentially be the same thing, but in fact it isn't, and its a mindset that produces different results. This show sometimes peeks through the window of the past and find some of that original glory, but it too often feels more sterile than it should. I get the sense that the producers of the show wanted to capture something of the old days for a new generation, but the material just doesn't pull out enough mystery or surprises.My recommendation is to at least try it, and skip the weaker episodes. There is some ok stuff here and there, especially if you like SF, but don't expect the cutting edge.

Back in the 80s this would have been heralded as something quite special, and possibly even, cutting edge. Unfortunately, although still entertaining, this is poorly executed and a real missed opportunity. I've been a fan of the Heavy Metal magazine ever since the early 80s, and although it could be regarded as sexist, misogynistic, puerile and overly graphic, especially today, it still has been the spawning ground for some pretty state-of-the-art stories and artists. The late great Jean (Moebius) Giraud being one of many that were ported over from Metal Hurlant to Heavy Metal.This is why I find it sad that the Metal Hurlant Chronicles is so bad. The stories are hit and miss, some a lot better than others, the acting verges on laughable and the special effect.... well, some of those are not too bad to be fair.To be totally honest, the first season was not too bad, and did have some pretty good stories. But the second season.... what the hell happened...!?!?!?!?!? The stories and acting took a nosedive. At the end of most the episodes I sit there thinking "Is that it????!!!!???" No clever twist or sting in the tail. Just a dull end to a dull story. I watched the episode "The Second Son" last night. Truly awful.So my advice would be: > Switch your mind back to 80s thinking. > Maybe have a beer or 2. > And only watch the first season.For the sake of nostalgia and that the first season is passable, I'll give it 4 stars.

My wife and I tore through these episodes pretty quickly. They were quite enjoyable and we made a game of trying to guess the "twist" endings. Most of the time, the twists had twists! In one episode, the twist was there wasn't a twist! Being a half-hour show also also eliminated the padding that you would have gotten with hour-long episodes. I also thought the series had pretty good special effects for a low budget effort. It succeeded in capturing the flavor of Heavy Metal magazine and it looked quite different than anything else on TV. I hope SyFi or some other network picks it up. It's great news that the producers are making a second season.

The Metal Hurlant Chronicles is a good series. It is similar to The Twilight Zone telling six different stories. After seeing all six, I like the series very much. The stories have different themes and are good. Each one makes a person think. The producers hope to make more episodes telling new stories. I personally enjoyed Joe Flanigan's episode. The story was really good and Joe's acting was great. Hopefully, the series will be seen in the US. Right now, it can be seen in Europe on different networks and different channels. The series has been released on DVD and Blu-Ray in France. The producers are working on releasing the series in Australia on DVD and Blu-Ray