Prime Video Original Series Presents Paper Girls Season 1 Review by Ryan Balkwill

Genre: Science fiction, Drama

Created by Stephany Folsom

Based on Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Cliff Chiang

Starring: Camryn Jones, Riley Lai Nelet, Sofia Rosinsky, Fina Strazza&Adina Porter.

Music by Bobby Krlic

Executive Producers: Stephany Folsom, Christopher C. Rogers, Christopher Cantwell, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Christina Oh, Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Steve Prinz

Producer: Vail Romeyn

Cinematography: Zachary Galler, Tarin Anderson

Editors: Robert Komatsu, Ivan Victor, Emily E. Greene, Jennifer Barbot

Production Company: Future Investigations, Sorry Dave Productions, Sic Semper Tyrannis, Plan B Entertainment, Legendary Television, Amazon Studios

Distributor: Amazon Studios

Plot: Paper Girls follows four young girls who, while out delivering papers during the dark morning hours after Halloween in 1988, become unwittingly caught in a conflict between warring factions of time-travelers, sending them on an adventure through time that will save the world.

I was looking forward to this show.

Season 1 of Paper Girls was Alright to Pretty Good.

Pros: This does remind me of Stranger Things, Meets Back to the Future. What does work is the four main leads having various time-traveling adventures through all 8 episodes?

Cons: I wish there were more conversations with the adult versions of the kids. I find the storyline quite difficult to understand in parts and didn’t feel the story was explained enough. My level of concentration dwindled at times.  I feel this show is trying too hard to catch the same magic that Stranger Things had, & the evil organization was pretty boring.      

Casts & Crew:

Main:

  • Camryn Jones as Tiff Quilkin, an African American girl with a high intellect
  • Riley Lai Nelet as Erin Tieng, a Chinese American girl on her first day delivering newspapers
  • Sofia Rosinsky as Mac Coyle, a Caucasian tomboy who lives on the outskirts of Stony Stream
  • Fina Strazza as KJ Brandman, a Jewish American girl whose family owns several businesses in Stony Stream
  • Adina Porter as Prioress, a high-ranking officer of the Old Watch

Recurring:

  • Ali Wong as adult Erin Teing, a struggling paralegal in 2019
  • Nate Corddry as Larry, a farmer, and member of the STF Underground
  • Sekai Abenì as adult Tiffany Quilkin, a DJ in 1999

Guest:

  • Kai Young as Heck, a teenage STF Underground soldier who encounters the paper girls in 1988
  • William Bennett as Naldo, Heck’s comrade
  • Celeste Arias as Juniper, a female STF Underground soldier
  • Cliff Chamberlain as Dylan Coyle, Mac’s elder brother who is a successful surgeon in 2019
  • Jessika Van as Missy Tieng, Erin’s younger sister who works as a pilot in 2019
  • Jason Mantzoukas as Grand Father, leader of the Old Watch
  • Delia Cunningham as adult KJ Brandman, who becomes a film school student in 1999
  • Maren Lord as Lauren, adult KJ’s classmate and lover

I recommend people to watch this show, and maybe someone will like it more than me.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10 Stars

Ryan Balkwill:

Resident TV reviewer,

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *