Prepare to be shocked: Ryan Murphy’s latest series, All’s Fair, starring Kim Kardashian, has been slammed with zero-star reviews and scathing criticism, leaving many to wonder if this could be one of the worst TV dramas ever made. But here’s where it gets controversial: Is this show a misguided attempt at feminist empowerment or a tacky celebration of the very greed and vanity it claims to critique? Let’s dive in.
The series, now streaming on Hulu and Disney+, follows a group of female divorce attorneys in Los Angeles who launch their own practice. Billed as a high-stakes drama about fierce, brilliant women navigating scandalous breakups and shifting loyalties, the show promises to flip the script on power dynamics. The synopsis teases, ‘In a world where money talks and love is a battleground, these women don’t just play the game—they change it.’ Sounds compelling, right? And this is the part most people miss: Despite a star-studded cast including Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash-Betts, Teyana Taylor, Sarah Paulson, and Glenn Close, the show has been universally panned.
The Times’ deputy TV editor, Ben Dowell, didn’t hold back in his zero-star review, calling it ‘existentially terrible’ and ‘a tacky monument to greed, vanity, and avarice.’ He even quipped that the script felt ‘written by a toddler who couldn’t write ‘bum’ on a wall.’ Ouch. Guardian critic Lucy Mangan echoed the sentiment, declaring, ‘I did not know it was still possible to make television this bad.’ She described it as ‘fascinatingly, incomprehensibly, existentially terrible.’
Kim Kardashian, who plays divorce attorney Allura Grant, has faced particularly harsh criticism. Telegraph’s Ed Power noted her ‘stilted acting’ and lack of screen presence, calling her performance ‘one disaster among many.’ Even Ben Dowell compared her acting to ‘Genghis Khan’s approach to a peaceful liberal democracy.’ Bold claim, but is it fair? While Kardashian’s involvement as both star and executive producer (alongside her mother, Kris Jenner) has raised eyebrows, some argue she’s just one piece of a larger, flawed puzzle.
Glamour editor Emily Maddick took a different angle, suggesting the show has been ‘Kardashian-ified,’ infected by the ‘aspirational’ lifestyle the family promotes. She wrote, ‘If this is what they’re aiming for, god help us all.’ But here’s the question: Is All’s Fair a victim of its own ambition, or does it simply miss the mark entirely?
As new episodes drop every Tuesday, the debate rages on. Is this show a fascinating disaster or just a disaster? And what does it say about the state of TV when a series with such potential falls so flat? What do you think? Is All’s Fair unfairly criticized, or does it deserve every bit of the backlash? Let’s discuss in the comments!
