The entertainment “biz” trade mag, Variety reports that the Strange Angel series has been cancelled, following the conclusion of season two. I for one have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, having national exposure of Thelema and Ordo Templi Orientis’ history to a mainstream audience was basically a cool thing. The fact that there was so little factual basis in the narrative, the characters featured or actual Thelemic principles or history, was very disappointing. What’s highly ironic is the CBS All Access exec’s statement: “The series brought new meaning to the idea that the truth is stranger than fiction.” On one hand, in the case of Jack Parsons, Wilfred T. Smith and the United States’ first community of Thelemites the historical truth WAS indeed than the fiction that the production team behind this series confected. Anyway – the Variety article starts:
“’Strange Angel’ has been canceled at CBS All Access.
“The drama, about rocketry pioneer and occultist Jack Parsons, ended its second season in July.
“Strange Angel’ starred Jack Raynor as Parsons, one of the founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Aerojet, who became a follower of cult leader Aleister Crowley. It also starred Rupert Friend, Bella Heathcote, Peter Mark Kendall, Michael Gaston, Greg Wise, Rade Šerbedžija, Zack Pearlman and Keye Chen.
“’The series brought new meaning to the idea that the truth is stranger than fiction and we are incredibly thankful to the creative team of Mark Heyman, David DiGilio, Ridley Scott and David W. Zucker for their vision, as well as the fantastic cast for bringing the bizarre story of Jack Parsons to life,’ said Julie McNamara, executive vice president of original content at CBS All Access in a statement.”
Sadly, one suspects that the mainstream TV and film industries will view this cancellation as an indication of public disinterest in this basic topic than the bungling of the presentation by the producers. Sigh.
https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/strange-angel-canceled-cbs-all-access-1203416816/.
Given that S2 ended with LRH at the door of the Parsonage, one can’t help but wonder if CoS Legal Affairs had a thumb on the scales as the studio execs weighed their options.
I was thinking the same thing about CoS Legal as a possible reason why so much of this “truth” was so fictionalized (seeing as the younger Northrop sister is in it from the 1st season). I still have to finish watching S2 — having actually read Strange Angel (as well as Sex & Rockets), I have too many issues with the fictionalization to “binge” it.
Nobody in the real OTO looks so good as the people in SA. Not enough speed and opioids to be believable. Should’ve had at least one drunk dude trying to feel up an unwilling girl a third his size in the corner of a room in the lodge. THAT would’ve been OTO, yo.
Well SA is not about the contemporary OTO – it’s fictionalizing the goings on at Agape Lodge in the 1930’s and ’40’s. It is, finally, a typical, Hollywood treatment of the actual people and events.