As you all know I love the noir genre. A few months back I found about the American Author Joe R. Lansdale. This article (mostly) focuses on pulp TV series based in Texas. They are pulp because of the characters, themes and settings.

I had seen an adaptation of his called Bubba Ho-Top which starred Bruce Campbell as Sebastian Haff a Elvis impersonator who believes he’s actually Elvis and Ossie Davis as Jack who believes he’s JFK who live in a retirement home in Texas. Which comes under attack from a 2000 year old Mummy, who feeds on the souls of the barely living. It’s up to Elvis and JFK to fight for the souls of their friends.

It’s an excellent film which has a healthy mix of comedy, drama and horror. Campbell and Davies give fantastic performances as the aged icons. At the time that I watched it I never knew it was based on a book. I then found the author through research.

Earlier this year, looking through Twitter and came across an article on Film School Rejects about a TV series called Hap and Leonard which are based upon a series of novels featuring the characters Hap and Leonard which are written by Lansdale.  I know Lansdale to come from East Texas of which were his Hap and Leonard novels are based

Hap and Leonard is a neo noir set in the late 1980’s in East Texas. It focuses on Hap Collins (James Purefoy) a white straight former ex-con and former hippy and his best friend Leonard Pine (Michael Kenneth Williams) a openly gay black Vietnam war veteran. Who get involved with all sorts of femme fatales, gangsters, revolutionaries,  hitmen and such like.

I’ve only been able to see two thirds of the first series because it’s only available on BT TV here in the UK and it’s no longer available. Though what I watched I absolutely loved. The story  is based on a H&L novel called Savage Season. I loved the action from all the actors in the series I couldn’t fault one of them. Though the best element to me is the friendship between Hap and Leonard. Their bickering is brilliant as well. I don’t think anyone could play these roles better.

I hope to pick up the series so I can watch the rest of it. I know there’s a second series and it’s been renewed for a third series.

The other series is Preacher. Preacher is based on a comic book series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillion. The plot is about a Preacher called Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper) who has a criminal past and is losing his faith. A mysterious entity enters his body which gives him the power to command others to do what he says. His one true love Tulip O’Hare (Ruth Negga)  who’s from Custer’s criminal past and wants him to revert back to his old life. Then there’s Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) a 150-something year old Vampire from Dublin, Ireland who’s on the lam who becomes Jesse’s friend and aide to find the origins of his power.

The series slowly drip feeds you more information on the background on the characters, the town and Jesse’s powers and the supernatural forces after him. Of course this isn’t a typical pulp due to the supernatural elements. But it’s there with the town and the corrupt and evil residents.  It’s a very well acted, written, paced and shot. It mixes comedy and drama very well with some fantastic action set pieces.

I haven’t finished series 1 yet and I can tell already that it’s one of my favourite TV series. You can expect a full review of it once I am done with Series 1. Series 2 starts later this month in the States.

I love the pulpy/noir genre and these two shows fit the bill nicely. This is the beginning of my research and articles  into the southern pulp sub-genre.