Even though he says “a million others” are liking it, the veteran director weighs in on the dramedy’s negative reception, while also explaining why he thinks the show is misunderstood.
In the wake of what critics are calling one of the year’s worst television debuts, All’s Fair director Anthony Hemingway is stepping forward to defend the new Hulu legal dramedy, urging viewers and reviewers alike to keep an open mind about the show, which stars Kim Kardashian.
The Ryan Murphy-produced series, which follows Kardashian’s high-powered divorce attorney Allura Grant, premiered to a dismal critical reception, sinking to a shocking single-digit approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (a 5% rating with critics, but a not-too-shabby 65% “fresh” rating with audiences, in case you’re wondering). Reviewers have slammed the writing, the “tacky” wealth obsession, and Kardashian’s performance.
However, Hemingway, who directed four of the first season’s episodes, is pushing back against the consensus. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the veteran director argued that not every piece of entertainment is meant for every audience.
“You’re not going to please everybody,” Hemingway stated. “You may have certain criticisms, while there are a million others who love it. I think the show holds a mirror up to each person who watches it. It’s just about: Can you connect to it or relate to it, and see yourself? It may be out of your league, it may not be anything you can connect to, and I think that goes for anything that gets presented on screen.”
He stressed that the show — which also features an all-star cast including Naomi Watts, Glenn Close, and Niecy Nash-Betts — is, at its core, “entertainment” and a “comedy,” intended to tap into real human dynamics with a different, often fantastical, tone. He believes much of the backlash stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the show’s genre and intent.
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“Unfortunately, there are expectations for the show that are being defied or not met, because it’s not what they expected it to be,” he explained, noting that the combination of “legal” and “drama” struck a certain, perhaps overly serious, expectation that the series, designed for “wish fulfillment” and escape, wasn’t meant to meet.
Hemingway also invoked his experience on critically revered projects, sharing that even a show like The Wire was initially disliked and under-watched, stating that “two people watched it every week.” While quickly clarifying he wasn’t comparing the two, he used it as an example of how audiences’ perceptions of a series can change dramatically over time, noting that The Wire “got to a point where it found a moment.”
His final plea to audiences was straightforward: “Don’t come at it with such a critical or literal frame of mind. It strikes a different tone, and it will evolve over time; it will get more human.” For Hemingway and the creative team, the focus remains on delivering the escapism and “light” that creator Ryan Murphy intended.
‘All’s Fair’ is currently streaming on Hulu.
