Imagine a TV show so universally panned that it’s being called the worst of the year—even before the first episode finishes airing. That’s the harsh reality for Ryan Murphy’s latest legal drama, All’s Fair, which debuted on Hulu this week. With a star-studded cast including Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash-Betts, Teyana Taylor, Matthew Noszka, Sarah Paulson, and Glenn Close, the series had all the ingredients for success. But here’s where it gets controversial: despite its A-list lineup, critics are tearing it apart, leaving the creators likely wondering if the reviews themselves are truly fair. But is it really as bad as they say?
The show follows a group of female divorce lawyers who break away from their old firm to start their own all-women practice. On paper, it sounds like a compelling premise—a feminist-driven narrative set against the glitzy backdrop of California’s elite. Yet, critics argue that the execution falls flat. As of Tuesday, All’s Fair had a staggering zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a damning verdict that’s hard to ignore.
And this is the part most people miss: The Hollywood Reporter’s Angie Han didn’t hold back, calling the series “brain dead” and criticizing its inability to deliver the viral, watercooler moments it seems desperate to create. She wrote, “The characters are so thin, their storylines so flimsy, and their motives so underbaked that there’s no recognizable emotion underlying any of it.” Han also took aim at Kardashian’s performance, describing it as “stiff and affectless,” mirroring the show’s overall tone. Ouch.
Lucy Mangan of The Guardian went even further, declaring, “I did not know it was still possible to make television this bad.” She labeled the show “fascinatingly, incomprehensibly, existentially terrible,” a phrase that’s as harsh as it is memorable. Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph’s Ed Power called Murphy “the high priest of tacky, tasteless television,” accusing the show of being a “mind-bending horror.”
But here’s the real question: Is All’s Fair truly the disaster critics claim, or is it a victim of sky-high expectations? The Times’ Ben Dowell didn’t mince words, suggesting Kardashian’s involvement was a misstep, while USA Today’s Kelly Lawler dubbed it “the worst TV show of the year,” slamming its scripts and acting as cringe-worthy. Yet, is there a chance the show’s attempt at feminist storytelling is being overlooked amid the backlash?
Here’s where it gets even more divisive: Some might argue that the show’s flaws are exactly what make it worth discussing. Is it so bad it’s good? Or is it just plain bad? Critics seem to agree it’s the latter, but what do you think? Could All’s Fair be redeemed by its bold premise, or is it a cautionary tale of wasted potential? Let’s debate—because whether you love it or hate it, this show is sparking conversations that go far beyond its less-than-stellar reviews.
