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The Act

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews

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73

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Ratings

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7.6

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7.6	Your Score
7.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Ratings

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The Act

Now Playing: The Act

The Act

Series Details & Credits

HULU | Release Date: March 20, 2019

Summary: The anthology series on the article "Dee Dee Wanted Her Daughter To Be Sick, Gypsy Wanted Her Mom To Be Murdered" by Michelle Dean features stranger-than-fiction true crime stories.

Genre(s): Drama, Suspense

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Recent Episodes

tbd
S1:E6. A Whole New World
Air Date: April 17, 2019
tbd
S1:E4. Stay Inside
Air Date: April 3, 2019
tbd
S1:E2. Teeth
Air Date: March 20, 2019

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

73

Positive:

14

Mixed:

3

Negative:

0

Critic Reviews

83

Entertainment Weekly

Kerensa Cadenas

Apr 29, 2019

Season 1 Review: Terrifying performances from Patricia Arquette and Joe King pair mommy issues with musical cues that fellow Hulu shows should take a note from. It's one hell of a Mommie Dearest ride. [3/10 May 2019, p.90]

80

The Hollywood Reporter

Dan Fienberg

Mar 19, 2019

Season 1 Review: Even with some lags in pacing, each time I thought the story was running out of juice, it found a different gear and a different genre, all anchored by King and Arquette. Read full review

80

The Atlantic

Sophie Gilbert

Mar 21, 2019

Season 1 Review: Given that so much in Dee Dee and Gypsy’s relationship is unsaid, both actors powerfully communicate the subtext of their dynamic. The imagery The Act employs to build tension isn’t remotely subtle (red paint dripping down a wall, Dee Dee restraining her daughter with ribbons whose blue satin matches her Cinderella dress), but it works, thanks mostly to the sharpness of the performances. Read full review

75

The A.V. Club

Katie Rife

Mar 20, 2019

Season 1 Review: The gratification of The Act is in the telling. And the show, spread out over 10 leisurely hours that greatly expand on Lifetime’s condensed treatment of the story in the recent TV movie Love You To Death, only gets more compelling with every new reveal. Read full review

70

TV Guide Magazine Matt Roush

Mar 14, 2019

Season 1 Review: The riveting and increasingly twisted scenario plays like What Ever Happened to Baby Gypsy? [18-31 Mar 2019, p.13]

68

Paste Magazine

Amy Amatangelo

Mar 20, 2019

Season 1 Review: Arquette and King turn in tour de force performances as the mother/ daughter pair in a hellish co-dependent relationship. ... Still, the series takes eight episodes (two premiere today, with one each week to follow) to tell a story that would have been better as a shorter mini-series or a made-for-TV movie. Read full review

60

Collider Allison Keene

Mar 18, 2019

Season 1 Review: As engrossing as this story is, the Hulu series — which comes from Michelle Dean and Nick Antosca — starts to lag as it goes on. Read full review

SEE ALL 17 REVIEWS

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7.6

User Reviews

10

Thiago20

Jan 6, 2020

Incríveeel. As atuações são maravilhosas. Quem diria que a menina de A Baraca do Beijo poderia ir tão loongee. Joey King simplesmente fantástica.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

8

Trineo99

Jul 23, 2019

First of all, all of the acting in this film was pretty good. Joey King deserves a special shout out because she actually went online to watch videos of how Gypsy Rose acted so she could perfect her role and it shows. After watching this show I decided to watch the HBO documentary, “MommyFirst of all, all of the acting in this film was pretty good. Joey King deserves a special shout out because she actually went online to watch videos of how Gypsy Rose acted so she could perfect her role and it shows. After watching this show I decided to watch the HBO documentary, “Mommy Dead and Dearest” and I would say it was pretty spot on. From the way she spoke to, acted was almost just like the real-life person. Patricia Arquette also was amazing as Dee Dee. She could easily switch from that kind and caring mother only looking out for her child to insane overprotective mother really well. At certain points in the show, I actually symphonized with her but for the rest of them, I wanted to kill her. Everybody else who were minor characters also did their jobs and I loved seeing their twist at the end of the series after learning that Dee Dee was playing them all. I think the only casting I didn’t like was Calum Worthy, who played Nick Godejohn. He just didn’t come across as evil only awkward and weird which I understand is supposed to be Nick but again compared to the real-life Nick he was way weirder. One of my problems is definitely the pacing in this show. I understand that we have to set up the relationship so that by the time the murder scene comes around we actually know why but every episode just seemed too long. With barley, anything going on it just made no sense to have the episodes be that long. Also, this is mainly with the first couple of episodes, but keeping the story in chronological order is key for this case. If you already know the story then it doesn’t matter but if you’ve never heard of it than starting out with the murder doesn’t work. In the end, The Act is an interesting show that’s worth a watch but maybe not a second one.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

7

JLuis_001

Feb 18, 2022

The Act 2019 ★★★½
Watched Feb 16, 2022
Luis_989’s review published on Letterboxd: 75/100 Speaking clearly, I do believe that the real story on which this miniseries is based on has already been exploited too much, it's more than recommendable for the really good performances of its mainThe Act 2019 ★★★½
Watched Feb 16, 2022

Luis_989’s review published on Letterboxd:
75/100

Speaking clearly, I do believe that the real story on which this miniseries is based on has already been exploited too much, it's more than recommendable for the really good performances of its main actresses, Patricia Arquette and surprisingly Joey King.

Both achieve more than convincing renditions, though I also feel it abused a little of its length.
Of the 8 episodes they could've made about 5 or 6 more concrete, however, I recognize that even so the miniseries was more than operative and entertaining. It took me some time, but the praise was well deserved.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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Seasons & Episodes

73

Series Overview
Season 1

73
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: March 20, 2019
- tbd
  S1:E6. A Whole New World
  Air Date: April 17, 2019
- tbd
  S1:E4. Stay Inside
  Air Date: April 3, 2019
- tbd
  S1:E2. Teeth
  Air Date: March 20, 2019
- tbd
  S1:E1. La Maison du Bon Reve
  Air Date: March 20, 2019