Paul Kelly

Caveat: the series shows an uncritical sympathy for HH. Still, this is a slickly-made, absorbing account of 1950s–60s Americana. Granular analysis applied to any shoestring tale would be worth watching; even better to apply it to a company that became as much a part of 1960s life as Coca-Cola or Disney. All that said... 1960s it is... and as that decade rages to a close with Altamont and addiction, the notion of hedonism as an essential part of the American dream begins to curdle and even stink. In the end, Hef was right to rail against 1950s puritanism, but blind to the value of one of its essential social tools, the taboo. The very blindness opened the door for his 1980s nemesis, Ed Meese.The Meese crusade against him in the 1980s was, in turn, equally if not more misguided. All those small mis-steps robbed Hef of the chance to leave a lasting and defendable legacy. Cute gave way to tawdry, and the once shiny brand is now dated where it is not degraded. Hef was a social simpleton who fancied himself a philosopher. What remains is nothing, with a side-order of sad.

Another masterclass in understated acting by the great Simon Baker. Go see. Incidentally, where Ms Sentance says "atypical" (above), she means "typical".