Hollywood

— I had high hopes for this since I find alternate history tales are usually fascinating. I wasn’t disappointed by the cast, including actors like Patti LuPone, Dylan McDermott, Joe Mantello, Jim Parsons, and Holland Taylor, and the production value was excellent. The idea’s not bad: a rewrite of 1940’s Hollywood, making it an era with more inclusion, dressing it up with gay, black, Jewish, Asian, and gender issues to make you think you're watching something a cut above the typical tawdry Hollywood tale. Well you are and you aren’t. The problem is that it just wanders all over the place in search of a kumbaya moment, seemingly lacking focus and also focused just a little too much on the gay angle. I’ll admit I watched all seven episodes, so it succeeds as entertainment but was still a little disappointing when it comes to substance. [Netflix streaming.]

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[2020. 347 min., 7 episodes. Created by Ian Brennan and Ryan Murphy. Starring David Corenswet, Darren Criss, Laura Harrier, Joe Mantello, Dylan McDermott, Jake Picking, Jeremy Pope, Holland Taylor, Jim Parsons, and Patti LuPone.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hollywood-2020