Aaron Paul's Forgotten Hulu Drama Caused A Ton Of Controversy

Do you remember Jessica Goldberg's TV drama, "The Path," with Aaron Paul, Michelle Monaghan, and Hugh Dancy? Yeah, me neither. That's kind of the problem since I actually watched half of the Hulu series' first season back in 2016, but the only thing I can recall is that it was underwhelming, dull, and way too slow to hold my interest. It was meant to be the show that gave new life to Aaron Paul's career after he couldn't quite utilize the fame and praise "Breaking Bad" brought him over five years. Once Vince Gilligan's revolutionary masterpiece ended in 2013, Paul was offered a bunch of roles in various movies, but somehow none of those propelled him into the A-star category of actors who usually headlined features.

Maybe he just wasn't ready for it as much as his co-star and pal Bryan Cranston, who cashed in on his role of Walter White/Heisenberg handsomely and appeared in acclaimed films like "Godzilla," "Last Flag Flying," and "Trumbo," which landed him his first-ever Oscar nomination. Meanwhile, Paul was doing dramas ("Retribution") and comedies ("A Long Way Down") that were rather low-key, and even his attempt at a blockbuster with "Need For Speed" felt like a total misfire — brutally lambasted by critics despite a decent box office performance worldwide. After 10 features, however, he decided to revert back to television, and his lead role in "The Path" seemed like the ticket to excel once again on the small screen. The show wasn't very beloved, and it didn't help that the series courted some controversy. 

Goldberg's series followed Eddie Lane (Paul) and his family — his wife Sarah (Michelle Monaghan) and their two children Hawk (Kyle Allen) and Summer (Aimee Laurence) — as they were leading a life devoted to the Meyerist Movement. Meyerism, a fictional religion, combined multiple aspects of different philosophies, worldviews, and religions from Scientology to shamanism to Christian mysticism. That's really just a fancy way of putting it was one of those mad cults where emotional manipulation and extreme control over their members were pretty regular on a daily basis. The twist was that Paul's Lane had gone to a spiritual retreat in Peru, which essentially made him question his faith in Meyerism, and rethink what his flock actually stood for, and whether it was potentially dangerous to his family and society.

Early on, the show triggered an unexpected (and likely unintentional) controversy in viewers due to an episode that used the real-life Marysville School Shooting, which occurred in 2014, for developing the backstory of one of its characters named Sean Egan (played by Paul James). In the series, Sean shares that his twin sister and four of their friends were killed in a school shooting by a classmate who murdered them out of racial hatred. Apparently, despite this being a rather insignificant plot point in the narrative, the Marysville School District expressed their disapproval towards Hulu, claiming that this mention of a real tragedy was in bad taste in addition to being "exploitative" and "insensitive." The district's representatives said:

"Not only does the series inaccurately depict a real tragedy — the October 2014 shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School that left five dead, including the gunman, and wounded three others — but also unnecessarily reopens old wounds."

No TV show wants to be remembered for causing an unnecessary controversy. And "The Path" has actually been pretty well-received amongst critics and viewers while it was on air; therefore, it'd be a shame if the series' mere legacy were nothing but how wrongly and inappropriately it recited a real tragedy for providing a backstory to a supporting character. Ultimately, though, the series lasted three seasons before Hulu pulled the plug.