Emerald City isn't a slavish update to the Wizard of Oz as some viewers might've expected. This series is something different; it takes the essential magic of Oz as we know it and gives it a darker, less saccharine ethos.

[spoiler]This show is a timely observation about the culture conflicts we are living in today, while cleverly using the well-known and many lesser-known characters from L. Frank Baum's Oz series of stories. This Oz is the setting where most of the characters we knew and loved are very different and are less easy to figure out.[/spoiler]

Emerald City moves at a set pace as various places and people are introduced. This will prove to be hard for audiences who're more accustomed to a fast-pace or lots of action in a short time. Audiences expecting a CGI extravaganza will be left unfulfilled. There is just enough CGI to establish that this is a place very different from our world. The palette here is much more subdued, in keeping with the moody settings as the story moves along. This is an instance where "less is more."

[spoiler]This series brings many Oz characters together who never interacted in the original stories.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]If nothing else, Emerald City isn't the Wizard of Oz. This is a place where Dorothy has to be tougher, smarter and far less trusting of people around her. She has to make her own way without very much help from anyone. This Dorothy isn't necessarily motivated by just wanting to get home as she comes to know Oz.[/spoiler]