Tubegazing: Notable TV this week

HBO's 'John from Cincinnati,' a drama about a family of surfers, is far out, man.

from the June 8, 2007 edition

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John from Cincinnati

(HBO; June 10, 10 p.m.): This strange confabulation about a dysfunctional surfing clan living on the border between the US and Mexico – and just possibly sanity – comes from veteran David Milch ("NYPD Blue," "Deadwood"). Milch is normally associated with hyper-real dramas full of grounded, gritty guys. So when one of the actors routinely begins to levitate a few inches off the earth, it's clear Milch is now interested in more than geographical border issues. Characters shape-shift, spontaneously heal themselves, and take unexplained excursions to see God. And no, the stranger named John definitely is not from Cincinnati. Grade: A–