With Netflix releasing new original shows left and right, it can be hard to tell the good from the bad. The new Netflix original show, “Daybreak” is one of the good ones — one of the really good ones.
The show is a post-apocalyptic comedy/drama that takes place in Glendale, Calif. and centers around a social outcast named Josh Wheeler who is searching for his missing girlfriend Sam Dean. Josh teams up with a few other outcasts, including a 10-year-old pyromaniac named Angelica and Wesley, Josh’s former high school bully now turned pacifist samurai.
Throughout the show, the group attempts to stay alive amongst the horde of “Mad Max”-meets-“Lord of the Flies”-style gangs, Amazon warrior cheerleaders, evil jocks, zombie-like creatures called Ghoulies and a slew of other apocalypse world obstacles.
Despite the show being set in the debatably outdone post-apocalyptic world, what makes it so entertaining is the way it’s done. The main character, Josh breaks the fourth wall and tells the audience the story from his point of view after the nuclear bombs drop. The show also takes place in flashbacks before the bombs hit, showing Josh’s relationship with Sam Dean as well as the life he came from.
What makes this show stand out amongst the rest of the Netflix original shows is just how outrageous it is. Its snappy dialogue, mixed with a killer soundtrack and sprinkled with just the right amount of pop culture references make it almost too good to be true.
The soundtrack features a wide array of artists and genres, playing to every viewers taste. From “Free Spirit” by Khalid to “Teenagers” by My Chemical Romance, it really has something for everyone. Not only does the soundtrack have iconic songs, but it also implements them in the right place, making each scene resonate, especially “Baba O’Riley” by The Who playing at one of the most pivotal points of the show. No spoilers here though.
No great show survives on just the dialogue and soundtrack alone, the cast also makes up a huge part of a shows success. While the cast isn’t unbelievably star-studded, there are a few familiar faces amongst the fresh faced cast. The first being Colin Ford who plays Josh Wheeler. Depending on the demographic, he is well known for both his portrayal of young Sam on the CW show “Supernatural” and as Dylan in “We Bought a Zoo.”
The other familiar face is for those fans of the 80s classic movie, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Matthew Broderick, who played the iconic Ferris Bueller now plays Principal Burr in “Daybreak.”
This show is not for those with unstable stomachs. Fake blood, samurai swords, zombie-like creatures and loss of limbs are things to be expected in a post-apocalyptic show, especially one as fun and outrageous as “Daybreak.”
