A solid candidate for weirdest series of the year, "I'm a Virgo" represents an outlandish concept from writer-director Boots Riley ("Sorry to Bother You"), contemplating how the world would respond to a 13-foot-tall young Black man. As metaphorically intriguing as that sounds -- and indeed, is at the start -- the first season ultimately feels a bit too scattered and chaotic to match the stature of its premise.
Poor Cootie (Jharrel Jerome, an Emmy winner for "When They See Us") has grown up in hiding, under the watchful protection of his adoptive parents, played by Carmen Ejogo and Mike Epps.
"The world is not ready yet," his mom says regarding the prospect of the now-19-year-old Cootie venturing outside, worrying that people will "fear you," a line that resonates beyond the specific and fantastic nature of the protagonist.
Inevitably, the increasingly stir-crazy Cootie is discovered, and having been shielded from other people his entire life, proves a bit overwhelmed by the reaction he triggers. He also harbors various odd obsessions, including a comic-book-artist-turned-vigilante known as The Hero (Walton Goggins) and chowing down on something called Bing-Bang Burgers, although given his size, it takes quite a lot of them to amount to more than a nibble.
All things considered, it's advisable not to dwell too much on questions about logistics, like how many shots of alcohol it would take to actually get him drunk, although Riley does tackle some other more obvious issues, including the unsettling prospect of Cootie becoming romantically involved with a woman (Olivia Washington).
What makes "I'm a Virgo" particularly strange and disorienting -- especially hailing, as it does, from the global sales engine known as Amazon -- are its narrative detours to rail against the evils of capitalism, which are smart and provocative but risk playing as if they dropped in from an entirely different series without a confused young giant at its core.
Of course, Riley hasn't been working in media other than television, and his apparent lack of fealty to its conventions or rules is part of what makes "I'm a Virgo" (the title itself is wry and silly) initially engaging. Like any out-there story, though, sustaining its concept on a serialized basis poses a formidable challenge, a balancing act between being different and overly indulging various creative whims.
Riley also drops enticing hints about a larger (pun intended) mythology that, like much of what's here, remains somewhat murky. Practically speaking, the visual effects frequently leave one pondering exactly how the scale works, other than the fact that Jerome must spend an inordinate amount of time awkwardly hunched over.
"I'm a Virgo" operates from an admirable place of trying to get its audience to identify with, or at least think about, the deeper origins of that discomfort, using the grand absurdity of its concept as a jumping-off point. If one of the goals in streaming is simply to get noticed, the series appears destined to inspire conversation beyond just the usual critical debates.
That works, up to a point. Given how bracingly original the show feels at the outset, it just doesn't quite work as hugely as it could.
"I'm a Virgo" premieres June 23 on Amazon's Prime Video.
