X
- Prime Video
- Oct 11, 2018
- Prime Video
- Oct 11, 2018
Summary Matthew Weiner's anthology series features stories of people who claim to be descendants of the Russian royal family, who were executed in 1918.
Created By: Matthew Weiner
- Prime Video
- Oct 11, 2018
- Prime Video
- Oct 11, 2018
Summary Matthew Weiner's anthology series features stories of people who claim to be descendants of the Russian royal family, who were executed in 1918.
Created By: Matthew Weiner
Where to Watch
Season Episodes
View All Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 25 Critic Reviews
56
28% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
60% Mixed
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
12% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 25 Critic Reviews
56
28% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
60% Mixed
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
12% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
[“The Violet Hour”] takes some unexpected and some predictable turns along the way, but it’s ultimately an enjoyable, charming story. ... “The Royal We” is less involving than “The Violet Hour.” Shelly’s story proves more compelling than Michael’s and the Romanoff theme is more pronounced and bizarre. ... [The third episode is] the second best of the first three episodes made available for review.
The first three suggest it can comfortably hold a wide range of stories and tones, albeit with flaws.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 33 User Ratings
6.1
52% Positive
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
24% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
24% Negative
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 33 User Ratings
6.1
52% Positive
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
24% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
24% Negative
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
I've watched 5 episodes so far. Each is a totally different story with different actors. The acting is great in all of them. The visuals are beautiful in all except episode 4, which is the dog of all the episodes, and absolute pile of crap. The stories are mixed. In fact, this is the MOST MIXED QUALITY show I have ever watched in my life. There are great ones and really really awful ones. But if you have Amazon Prime just watch the best ones. No harm no foul. So I'm giving this series a 10 based on its strongest episodes. Just skip the others.
Out of the first 5 episodes I've seen so far, episode 1 and episode 5 are the ones to watch. In fact, episode 5 should be required viewing for everyone in this sick day and age.
As far as I'm concerned, on the other hand, 2, 3 and 4 are junk.
You should definitely watch Episode 5, Bright and High Circle. You may or may not love Episode 1, The Violet Hour, as much as I did.
The first episode's story was great. It was about a somewhat wealthy bigoted old woman dealing with the fact that she has been assigned a Muslim maid, as she also deals with her son's girlfriend who wants nothing more than for the old woman to die so that her boyfriend will inherit the old woman's apartment. Episode 5 was the best. But I don't want to give away anything and spoil it. It's about a bunch of rich families and their piano teacher. That's all I'll say.
The second episode was about a man on jury duty who lusts after another juror. It was terrible. The third, about an actress acting in a mini-series about the Romanov family in Russia, was far beyond ridiculous. It reminded me of that old Michael Douglas movie called, The Game. The fourth is about an extremely selfish unlikeable 50-ish woman who seems to be upset that all the devious selfish things she's done in her life are not paying dividends, but that instead, she's miserable. Hard to care. Hard to watch. And to make matters worse for whatever reason, the visuals and camera work in the 4th episode are not particularly great. Just average.
Report
SEASON 1
My first review ever, I felt compelled to do so because of how much I disagreed with the low ratings given to this series. Not sure why the lukewarm reviews...perhaps because many of the characters are "unlikeable" and certain elements of these stories are not **** after watching all 7, this is easily the best thing out right on in terms of TV....Episode 1: 8/10, Episode 2: 9.5/10, Episode 3: 8.5/10, Episode 4: 6/10, Episode 5: 8/10, Episode 6: 2/10, and Episode 7: 10/10. The only terrible episode is episode 6, totally unwatchable boring love story with terrible acting. Other than that, these self contained episodes were awesome, great casting, writing, suprise endings, etc. Top notch work Matt W
Report
SEASON 1
[The Romanoffs] comes across as a work of simultaneously boundless artistic ambition and ego, a project capable of amazing and infuriating.
The Romanoffs asks a lot of viewers, with far-flung narratives that lack tonal consistency from episode to episode.
In show-business terms, The Romanoffs certainly conveys its pedigree. But like so many who have claimed that royal lineage, the result turns out to be pretty pedestrian.
Matthew Weiner's grand return to television for the first time since his Emmy award-winning Mad Men went off the air in 2015 is unfortunately nowhere near the caliber of that period drama.
The connections are faulty and the writing is weak; the Romanov/Romanoff conceit is like caviar on a ham sandwich. The three stories made available for review are slightly salacious, yes, but also narratively trite; it’s as if Mr. Weiner set out to create a hybrid of “Black Mirror” and “Hallmark Hall of Fame.”
Having watched all three episodes, I know to expect the unexpected. I enjoy being taken to a different place each week with completely different stories and even genres. It's great to see these actors being given the chance to perform such distinct roles in just one episode. Rather than picking things apart, I am kind of just kicking back and enjoying. I recommend checking it out and viewing it on its own terms.
Report
SEASON 1
The pacing for Ep. 1 of this show (The Violet Hour) seemed to be all over the place. As a stand alone piece (within an anthology) it did not work and the ending seemed glib and way too cute, given what had come before.
The wider intent of looking at contemporary global topics (e.g. immigration and cultural diversity) through the mangled DNA of the lost Romanov herd, also felt pretentious and way too forced. Only the presence of Marthe Keller kept me engaged through out. I suspect the problem might have been that no one could quite match her talents.
I'll persevere i think for 2-3 more outings more but I expected a punchier kick off.
Report
SEASON 1
