'George & Tammy' Finishes Incredible Run As A Criminally Underrated Show
"George & Tammy" is officially in the books after this past weekend, and it was an absolutely outstanding show.
The limited Showtime series shines a light on the tumultuous and troubled relationship between country music icons George Jones (Michael Shannon) and Tammy Wynette (Jessica Chastain).
Individually, each was a star in their own right, but their short-lived marriage took things to an entirely new level.
"George & Tammy" is an outstanding series. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of SHOWTIME)
"George & Tammy" is a troubling but outstanding series.
Anyone who knows country music history knows the roles George Jones and Tammy Wynette played. You can't tell the story of country music without either of them. Both were absolute titans and perhaps America's first true power couple in the music industry.
It'd be the equivalent of Michael Jackson and Taylor Swift getting married or something similar. We're talking about two individual powerhouses teaming up to dominate the music industry.
"George & Tammy" tells the story of George Jones and Tammy Wynette. (Photo credit: Dana Hawley/Courtesy of SHOWTIME)
However, their marriage was brutally tough, and substance abuse issues played damaging roles on both of them. Ultimately, Tammy Wynette struggled most of her adult life through her death at the age of 55 in 1998.
George Jones, to his credit, eventually got sober and died in his 80s in 2013.
Michael Shannon stars as George Jones in "George & Tammy." (Photo credit: Dana Hawley/Courtesy of SHOWTIME)
The show pulls absolutely no punches when it comes to what the pair was like behind closed doors. Chastain and Shannon are both incredible in the show's darkest moments.
Let's be crystal clear, there aren't too many happy moments in the six episodes of "George & Tammy." In fact, you can probably count them all on one hand.
The series does an incredible job of framing their relationship as a pair of people who, while deep in love, were likely each other's worst enemy. There are some very difficult scenes to stomach, but it's all part of the journey.
Jessica Chastain stars as Tammy Wynette in "George & Tammy." (Photo credit: Dana Hawley/Courtesy of SHOWTIME)
My only major knock on the series is that Walton Goggins was criminally underutilized as Earl "Peanutt" Montgomery.
You can't have Goggins in a show only reduce him to just a few scenes. Were the scenes of Montgomery trying to get George Jones sober powerful? Yes, but it still wasn't enough.
Other than that one complaint, I have nothing bad to say about "George & Tammy." I loved it, and I can't recommend it enough. If you want to take a dark walk down the greatest relationship in country music history, then it's a must-watch.