‘Anatomy of a Scandal’ Is a David E. Kelley Soap Without Wit or Bite: TV Review

Two-time Emmy winner Jeff Daniels has been tapped as the lead of A Man in Full, a six-episode limited series based on Tom Wolfe’s 1998 novel, from David E. Kelley and Regina King. Kelley serves as writer, executive producer and showrunner, with King directing three episodes and exec producing as part of her first-look deal with Netflix via her Royal Ties production company.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJeff Daniels is set to play the lead role in the upcoming Netflix drama series “A Man in Full,” Variety has learned.The series is based on the Tom Wolfe novel of the same name. Variety exclusively reported the show had received a straight-to-series order at the streamer in November 2021. The show hails from David E. Kelley with Regina King onboard to direct and executive produce.In the series, Atlanta real estate mogul Charlie Croker (Daniels) faces sudden bankruptcy.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticEarly in Paramount Plus’ new limited series “The Offer,” movie mogul Robert Evans is delivering a soliloquy about the moment he discovered his destiny. “It was magic,” he declares. “Real magic.

Michelle Pfeiffer discusses taking a break from Hollywood, her husband David E. Kelley and more in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

“Anatomy of a Scandal,” the David E. Kelley series starring Sienna Miller, Rupert Friend and Michelle Dockery, has unseated “Bridgerton” Season 2 for most-viewed English language show of the week globally on Netflix. “Anatomy of a Scandal” racked up 75.56 million hours viewed, making it No.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticThe world of home-shopping networks is one that seems ripe for comedy; the scenes in “Hacks,” for instance, in which Deborah Vance goes on television to hawk garments and jewelry are some of that show’s most cleverly observed. The challenge, as with all things in fiction, is getting the details right.That’s the first place that “I Love That for You,” Showtime’s new comedy set at a fictional TV channel, falls short. Starring and co-created by “Saturday Night Live” standout Vanessa Bayer, “I Love That for You” weaponizes its central presence’s askew vision of life as a series of petty humiliations, most easily borne by making oneself the butt of the joke.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticThere’s a moment late in the run of Apple TV+s’ new limited series “Shining Girls” in which one character puts forward an urgent question, and gets a mind-bending answer. “Is he going to kill me?” one woman asks. “He already has,” the other responds.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticThe first problem for Starz’s new series “Gaslit” may be in its title.Sure, to “gaslight,” as a verb, has its origins in the 1944 film (and its earlier stage source material), all about a woman whose husband, insistent on his falsehoods, leads her to question her sanity. But its contemporary usage, as a slang term with a meaning that has drifted closer to simply “lying,” might not be how a woman in the 1970s would understand a case of marital dishonesty.Which is not to say that Martha Mitchell, the character Julia Roberts plays here, doesn’t have a keen understanding of just what she’s up against.

Anatomy of a Scandal, the brand-new drama about class, gender and more, has proved a big hit with Netflix fans since it was released to the platform on Good Friday (15 April).

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic“I needed to hear the roar of the crowd one more time — and I heard it.”That’s how Magic Johnson describes his 1991 appearance on Arsenio Hall’s talk show in the new documentary “They Call Me Magic.” It was a key moment in Johnson’s public life, coming just after the basketball star’s announcement that he had contracted HIV. And it’s slightly telling that what Johnson recalls is not any particular thing he said but the applause of the audience for whom he was putting on a show.Johnson, throughout both his athletic and business careers, is as close to an entertainer as an athlete gets.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticThere’s an expression that Bill Hader lets play across his face at the end of the first episode of “Barry’s” new season. Pointing a gun at one of the show’s major characters, Barry orders them to comply with a plan he’s just coming up with on the fly; a grin flickers around his mouth, then takes root, as his eyes glimmer with self-belief far too serene to be disrupted by the knowledge that what he’s doing is madness.HBO has requested that reviewers withhold key plot details of the next installment of “Barry,” TV’s darkest comedy or its funniest drama.

“Anatomy of a Scandal,” which dropped Friday, he and fellow creator Melissa James Gibson have put together a dark and twisty limited series involving political figures, criminal accusations, and the unique traditions of the justice system on the other side of the pond.Starring Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery, Rupert Friend and Naomi Scott, the series follows the lives of Sophie (Miller) and James (Friend) after he, a British politician and member of the upper class, is accused by a former coworker with whom he had an extramarital affair, Olivia (Scott), of sexual assault. Dockery plays Kate Woodcroft, a QC (Queen’s counsel) barrister prosecuting James. Just like “Big Little Lies,” Kelley’s latest series (which is based on the novel from Sarah Vaughan) is complex and full of plot twists.

What happens when a dark scandal of the political elite comes to light? That's the premise of Anatomy of a Scandal , a new political thriller series available on Netflix from today, Friday, April 15.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticThe set of the new Broadway production of “American Buffalo” at Circle in the Square is choked with the unwanted artifacts of recent history. The show’s two acts take place in a junk shop glutted with relics, one whose barest gestures toward organization are just begging to be undone; the place is already sliding into disorder, so why not finish the job?It’s fitting in more ways than this production may anticipate.

Netflix anthology series, written by TV veteran David E. Kelley and Melissa James Gibson and premiering April 15, is a standard “Did he or didn’t he?” tale involving British politician James Whitehouse (Rupert Friend), a high-level minister who’s accused by one of his staffers, Olivia Lytton (Naomi Scott), of raping her in a workplace elevator a week after breaking off their torrid five-month affair.

Dana Calvo (Good Girls Revolt) has been tapped as showrunner and executive producer on ABC’s Avalon, a drama series based on Michael Connelly’s short story, from David E. Kelley (Big Sky, Big Little Lies), A+E Studios and 20th Television. It’s slated to be part of ABC’s 2022-2023 programming slate.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterDana Calvo will serve as showrunner and executive producer on the upcoming ABC mystery drama “Avalon.”The show hails from co-creators David E. Kelley and Michael Connelly, with the show based on a short story that Connelly wrote. It was ordered straight-to-series at ABC in February.The series takes place in the main city of Avalon on Catalina Island, where LA Sheriff Department Detective Nicole “Nic” Searcy heads up a small office.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticIn the early 2000s, “The Brothers Garcia” was a hit on Nickelodeon; that show depicted a loving Latino family in San Antonio, and was anchored by the dynamic between squabbling brothers.In keeping with the current vogue for reviving recognizable IP on a roughly two-decade cycle, six of that show’s principal cast members are back for a sequel series on HBO Max. “The Brothers Garcia” is created (as was its Nick ancestor) by Jeff Valdez, and depicts an extended family enjoying an extended-stay vacation on a Mexican beach.Notionally, “The Garcias” is pitched at a broad audience: Its humor is broad, its plotlines are heartfelt.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticIn the second episode of “The Kardashians,” Hulu’s new reality show featuring the widely-documented Calabasas, Calif. family, there is a moment of reflection.

Don’t ever expect Michelle Pfeiffer to team up with her husband David E. Kelley!