The Get Down

In 1977 New York City, the talented and soulful youth of the South Bronx chase dreams and breakneck beats to transform music history.

The Get Down (2016-2017) is a Netflix period music drama created by Baz Luhrmann, a single-season limited run of eleven hour-long episodes that was canceled before its story was finished. Set in 1977 New York City, it follows Ezekiel Figuero (Justice Smith), a gifted, soulful teenage poet from the South Bronx who dreams of breaking into the music world, alongside his friend Shaolin Fantastic (Shameik Moore), a charismatic young DJ determined to become a legend of the turntables. Jimmy Smits plays Francisco 'Papa Fuerte' Cruz, the Bronx preacher whose ties to the neighborhood shape the young men's choices, while Herizen F. Guardiola plays Mylene Cruz, the girl Ezekiel is drawn to. The engine of the show is the push and pull between artistic ambition and the blocks of a city in decline, where blackouts, arson, gang pressure and the lure of the disco club drive each episode forward. Stylized, heightened and saturated with music, the series carries a restless, hopeful and gritty energy, with a rhythm that feels like the very beats it celebrates. Fans of Vinyl, Empire and Fame will find real kinship in its mix of youthful ambition and backroom music business ambition.

Critics and audiences widely admired its vibrant recreation of 1970s Bronx hip-hop culture, its music, and its ambitious stylized direction, though the uneven pacing and single cancelled season left it short of full resolution.

• Vinylshared music origin story, 1970s new york energy, rags to riches ambition
• Empirestylized period musical drama with bold heightened visuals and youth ambition
• Famecoming of age youth in a tough city chasing creative dreams with grit and warmth

Created by

Baz Luhrmann

Release Date

2016-08-12

Episode runtime

58 min

Rating

8.2 / 10 (196)

What is The Get Down about?

In 1977 New York, a group of South Bronx teens chase music fame as hip hop is born amid a crumbling city.

What is The Get Down like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Get Down as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is The Get Down violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Get Down as moderate.

What did critics think of The Get Down?

Critics and audiences widely admired its vibrant recreation of 1970s Bronx hip-hop culture, its music, and its ambitious stylized direction, though the uneven pacing and single cancelled season left it short of full resolution.

Which shows are like The Get Down?

Shows with a similar feel include Vinyl, Empire, and Fame.

How long is The Get Down?

The Get Down: 1 season, 11 episodes.

Is The Get Down still running?

No, The Get Down was canceled.

Where can I watch The Get Down?

In United States, The Get Down streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.