Bates Motel is the A&E prequel series to the classic Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho. It premieres Monday, March 18^th, but will so many mixed reviews, should you bother tuning in?

Bates Motel looks into the mind of an angst-filled teenage Norman Bates to get to the root of what exactly causes him to go mad and do all the crazy things we witnessed in the Hitchcock film. Seems rather straightforward, right? However, the writers of Bates Motel have used some significant creative license while drawing up the complicated plot of the miniseries

For starters, there have been some mixed feelings about the concept of the show.

It is supposed to be a prequel to the original Psycho movie, so one would expect it to be set sometime in the fifties. The beginning scenes do have a very retro feel to them, but the viewer is suddenly jolted when he realizes teenage Norman Bates is using an iPhone. Okay, modern prequel, it takes some getting used to, but we can deal with it.

The acting is another area that has been talked about by a lot of reviewers.

Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga plays Norman's mother, Norma, and her portrayal of the character has been generally positive. Young Norman, Freddie Highmore, has also been praised for his development of the main character. But unfortunately, that is where the compliments end.

The supporting characters, specifically Norma's other son, Dylan (actor Max Thieriot) have been called flat and underplayed. The characters themselves have a lot of potential and as the storyline unfolds it will certainly be interesting to see if the actors are able to turn out their performances.

The final area of debate about Bates Motel has been the plot line in general.

The script has been likened to Lost, with side stories and plot twists that seem to come out of left field. That makes sense when you consider one of the executive producers for the show previously worked on the FOX hit (Carlton Cuse). Weird plot twists, side stories involving the townspeople? Sounds good for a Lost fan looking to check out Bates Motel, but for many others, the twists and turns are just plain confusing and headache inducing.

Still trying to decide if Bates Motel is the show for you? Turn in Monday night at 10pm on A&E and check out the first episode to decide for yourself.