Netflix’s Hollywood Early Review

Revising history can be a tricky maneuver to pull off. More so, this divisive action allows absolutely no middle ground between success and failure in terms of how its audience receives it. With Netflix’s latest original limited series, Hollywood, prolific creators Ian Brennan and Ryan Murphy seek to accomplish just that – to envision what the golden age of Hollywood would look like if let’s just say, things had gone a bit…differently.

Hollywood tells multiple stories revolving around transplants seeking stardom through writing, acting directing, or even producing and cleverly balances them across 7 episodes that seek to expose the sadistic nature of how things got done in a crooked town known for selling a squeaky clean image to the rest of the nation. Many characters would often struggle with hiding who they truly were or what made them happy all with the goal of achieving fame. This would of course be under the assumption that no one discovers their skeletons which could severely fracture who they are within. This series tackles these taboos from the very beginning and slowly positions these narratives to become central conflicts of the entire series which is something unheard for that era but is so refreshing to see as an audience. While in the wrong hands, this strong subject matter could fall flat or even worse, resembling parody, however, with Brennan and Murphy’s direction it all comes across as a piece of art meant to spark an internal dialogue asking, “What if?”

“What if Rock Hudson never had to hide who he really was?” 

“What if Hollywood treated different nationalities with equal esteem as white actors?”

“What if female empowerment actually took hold within the studio structure?”

Apart from the fearless writing, the cast is a composition of new talent amid veteran powerhouses that mix perfectly with one another to keep the viewer invested through the entire series. From David Corenswet as Jack Costello, Jeremy Pope as Archie Coleman, and Jake Picking as Rock Hudson to Patti LuPone as Avis, Holland Taylor as Ellen Kincaid. and Dylan McDermott as Ernie, the amount of talent is wonderfully indicative of the care and love that went into telling such an entertaining and thoughtful approach to the early days of movie-making. Each actor’s story is given time and respect, unfolding patiently across the series, all of them working together to shoulder the larger narrative of rejected outcasts refusing to take the word “no” as an absolute. While acting heavyweights such as LuPone and McDermott are expected to give strong performances which they do, it is the younger unknown talents of Corenswet, Pope, and Picking that truly surprise, complimenting their supporting cast where the emotional investment in each character is effortlessly earned.

Simply put, Hollywood is a wonderful series that never shies away from hypocrisy and double-standards that the movie-making industry came to call tradition. It reimagines both real occurrences in a dream-like way that seeks to find peace and resolution of how those stories would play out if fear and judgment were no longer a major concern from the public. It’s a beautiful portrayal of what should’ve been and at times, appears to be speaking directly at the entertainment industry we know today. In the end, Hollywood is some of Ryan Murphy’s best work to date and often his personal touch is seen throughout many of its storylines.

Entertaining, thought-provoking, funny, and fulfilling, Hollywood is a must-watch.

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