Ryan Murphy signed a very lucrative contract with Netflix and we all have been waiting for his new show’s with the streaming platform and I had the opportunity to check out his new show ‘Hollywood’.

Plot: A group of aspiring actors and filmmakers in post-World War II Hollywood try to make it big – no matter the cost.

I shared cliff note thoughts of the show as I watched each episode giving my full review below.

Hollywood is on Netflix May 1st

EP1: Hooray for Hollywood

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Murphy has a style for his show openers, he likes to make them outlandish, over the top, and introduce you to the characters that he plans on showcasing throughout.



David Corenswet as Jack Castello moves the needle, he had layers in the first episode of which I did not expect.



I can’t forget about Dylan McDermott who was perfectly cast as scum bag Ernie.

EP2: Hooray for Hollywood: Part 2

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4 out of 5.

Jeremy Pope is the star of episode two, I love his outlandish personality within his character of Archie. This was perfect casting.

EP3: Outlaws

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Jim Parsons as a flamboyant Henry Wilson was the highlight of this episode. He just was the over the top crazy eccentric scum all you would envision a Hollywood executive would be in this era.



We got our introduction to Claire and Ace, played by Samara Weaving and Rob Reiner which I adored.



Raymond (Darren Criss) turns the corner in my eyes, I was very middle of the road on his character but he showed more aggression in this episode and I dug it.

EP4: (Screen) Tests

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is the Jeremy Pope show and we are just here to enjoy it. Archie is easily my favorite character in the show, likability is through the roof and Pope is just absolutely killing the role. I love the writing in which showcases his hardship and how he handles it.



Jake Picking has a scene within this episode that is so hard to watch (it’s a screen test) that is phenomenal acting.

EP5: Jump

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

This episode packed a whole lot of punch. We had a ton of moving pieces, this played out like a strategic chess matchup with everyone trying to chase the next move.

EP6: Meg

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4 out of 5.

They have been building up Avis (Patti LuPone) for a couple of episodes and her character arc finally pays off. Finally standing her ground and shoving it back in the face of the man was amazing.



Patti LuPone is emotional, she’s raw and she is ruthless. She has absolutely killed it in this series.



And my oh my, the ending of this episode. Heartbreaking.

EP7: A Hollywood Ending

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 5 out of 5.

Not every ending can be perfect but this one, this one was.

The Verdict:

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4 out of 5.

One thing that stood out the most about ‘Hollywood’ was the casting, Ryan Murphy always does a wonderful job of writing his characters and he did just that within this show. He killed the roles of everyone he cast from Jeremy Pope as outlandish Archie to Jake Picking as handsome Rock Hudson to Jim Paron’s as this wonderful villain Henry Wilson and the rest of the cast. Murphy and the company SLAYED it.

Jeremy Pope was the MVP of this show. I loved his portrayal of Archie, it was inspirational in how that no matter how many curve balls were thrown his way, he didn’t let it get him completely down. He was full of spunk, charm and was a breath of fresh air in this show.

The production design, the cinematography, the score, the costumes, the entire technical aspect of the show put you right in this 40’s era of Hollywood. As a 34-year old man, I could only imagine what it would have been like to live in this time frame but this helps enhance the idea of what it would have been like.

Ryan Murphy knows how to make wonderful episodic television and he did so again. If you are a fan of his work, a fan of this era, I highly recommend checking out this show.

Thank you Netflix for giving me the opportunity to review the show early.

Hollywood is on Netflix May 1st

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