Carla M.

I was surprised by the amount of bad reviews. After reading them, it's just people upset about expletives or seeing a small amount of diversity. It's fantasy, not a historical biography! Characters turn into birds, but seeing a black character is where they can't stretch the imagination??? The same people who say to stop bringing up race are the ones who bring it up and really have a problem. Accepting the fact that people of different colors exist isn't "woke bs". Also pretty much every adult show on streaming or premium networks use curse words. I don't see these complaints about The Reacher, The Boys, etc. These are quite ridiculous reasons to rate the show poorly. I will say the show is lacking but not for these trivial, hateful reasons. I watched 3 episodes so far. The narrator isn't good. It gives low budget Bridgerton, but at least with that, the audience understands the narration is from the gossip column and Whistledown has just the right amount of wit, not some random voice that's trying too hard to be irreverent. The music selection is bad. Not only b/c they play modern music (another thing Bridgerton does much better), but the renditions are cheesy & annoying, a lot of the singers sound whiny. The main character, Jane, isn't very likeable off the bat. I'm hoping she grows on me. She's depicted in a constant state frustration & discontentment, which makes for a one-dimensional protagonist. She has no personality outside of that so it's hard to take interest in her narrative early on. The writing is terrible and the acting is mediocre. I don't see the initial chemistry with her love interest, who isn't very handsome but aged and sickly looking. The leads of a romance need to have chemistry, charisma & be attractive to the audience. None of these exists sadly, but they really do try to play up the tension between them. I didn't read the books but just from watching, I feel there is potential based on other shows/ movies in this or similar genres. I just think the execution is poor. However there are a few interesting story lines nothing that will leave you on the edge of your seat. If you like period fantasy and are desperate, it may do but I don't say that with confidence.