The Act

:

Season 1
  • Network: HULU
  • Series Premiere Date: Mar 20, 2019
User Score
7.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 28 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 28
  3. Negative: 3 out of 28
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User Reviews

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  1. UncleWillard
    Mar 27, 2019
    7
    I've been pleasantly surprised by this thus far. I watched the documentary, and was intrigued (but, hey, I love True Crime stuff). i don't usually go for the reenactments, but this has a great cast and fills in a lot of the gaps the documentary just couldn't. Patricia Arquette is really knocking it out of the park this past year. She was phenomenal in Escape at Dannemora, and she doesn'tI've been pleasantly surprised by this thus far. I watched the documentary, and was intrigued (but, hey, I love True Crime stuff). i don't usually go for the reenactments, but this has a great cast and fills in a lot of the gaps the documentary just couldn't. Patricia Arquette is really knocking it out of the park this past year. She was phenomenal in Escape at Dannemora, and she doesn't let up here. Chloe Savigny is always a pleasure (but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a bit of prurient interest on my part. Don't get me wrong, she's amazingly talented, but I have a thing for her so I can't be trusted). The real surprise is Joey King. She does a great job as Gypsy. I had only seen her in passing in YA fare, but she's certainly holding her own in this Hulu original.… Expand
  2. frankrog29
    May 2, 2019
    7
    The Act Season 1 is very well done. The acting, writing, direction, and cinematography are superb. The action of the show ranges from creepy to downright horrifying, with the actors' realistic portrayal of the characters making you even more uncomfortable. The show really drives home that reality is often far more terrifying than any slasher horror film. Patricia Arquette really makes youThe Act Season 1 is very well done. The acting, writing, direction, and cinematography are superb. The action of the show ranges from creepy to downright horrifying, with the actors' realistic portrayal of the characters making you even more uncomfortable. The show really drives home that reality is often far more terrifying than any slasher horror film. Patricia Arquette really makes you hate her character, and Joey King does a good job of conveying the complex nature of her character, for whom you feel sorry but with whom you become quite annoyed and frustrated. Ms. King is a very talented and promising newcomer. The only thing this show does not have going for it is that it's always going to live in the shadow of American Crime Story; as one of the best shows on TV (in my opinion), ACS is a very tough act to follow.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

69
#69 Best TV Season of 2019
21
#21 Most Shared TV Season of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. The Guardian
    Reviewed by: Adrian Horton
    Dec 3, 2019
    60
    Arquette gives a human center to Dee Dee’s manipulations – a frantic and unnecessary EpiPen injection for a non-existent sugar allergy becomes, for example, both an act and a desperate act of love. Gypsy’s teary-eyed disappointment and shame are visceral. But still, the show makes clear that while it’s based on actual events, some of it is dramatized, and that knowledge feels suspect.
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  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Kerensa Cadenas
    Apr 29, 2019
    83
    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]
  3. Vanity Fair
    Reviewed by: Sonia Saraiya
    Apr 3, 2019
    80
    For a certain kind of viewer, this show is riveting. It capitalizes on the dread of the disobedient daughter, attempting to grow under an umbrella of disapproval. But the strongest element of the show is not the act—not the performance of illness—but the violent relationship between the two leads, when they have dropped all their pretenses and affectations.
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