FX's new "X-Men" drama "Legion" is at a level of complication that was expected. After all, this is the story of an immensely powerful mutant who spent his growing years believing he was crazy, later diagnosed with schizophrenia and then told that the voices he's hearing and the visions he's seeing are mere manifestations of his larger than life powers.
The pilot episode of "Legion" opened to rave reviews from critics but so-so ratings from viewers. It debuted with an 82/100 on Metacritic, putting it on the same level as 2016 heavy-hitting debuts such as "The Night Manager" and "The Crown." But the viewer rating was not at the same level. The show only managed to draw in 1.6 million viewers and a 0.8 in adults for the 18-49 series premiere. According to Screen Rant, although the numbers were decent, the show had the lowest total same day viewership for an FX drama in recent time.
For the most part, "Legion" lived up to its promise of not being like any "X-Men" show or movie fans have seen so far. It doesn't not have explosive apocalyptic scenes and nor do the mutants sport all-black goth outfits or colorful spandex.
The first episode was shot beautifully and coherently, but the core of the film lies in the story-telling which was flawlessly executed. The show shows the darkness of a person just recently understanding his superpower and its extent. It also presents a more difficult picture of humanity and its desire for power.
The show features several other mutants, including one that has the ability to swap bodies with a person who comes into contact with her skin. This leads to one question: will show feature other mutants in the "X-Men" universe? It appears unlikely.
"With the X-Men comics, there are a lot of alt universes, so that has allowed me some leeway," showrunner Noah Hawley tells Variety. "And obviously it's a sort of origin story for David, but none of the other characters that I've surrounded him with are from the comics. It's sort of an invented world."
Such may be the case for now, but Hawley teases that there's a possibility to have the TV show and the movies collide at some point in the future. And now, even Wolverine, who's been in every "X-Men" project that's ever been released, will not make a cameo appearance in "Legion."