La Maison

I would have loved to see a fun, soapy, behind-the-scenes tale of what 'really' goes on in a French couture house, but this is not it.

Every character is ripped from the cliché attic: the house's art director is foppish and authoritarian, oblivious to what's happening in the world of style outside his microcosm. His sister, a former model, obsessively records her weight daily in a series of hundreds of notebooks dating back to her glory days. The head of La Maison's rival fashion house is comically villainous.

Then there is the 'new girl', who designs raggedy clothes that literally look like rubbish - but is suddenly appointed the fashion house's new art director because of her amazing talent.

Awful. An absolute slog to watch.

The characters of this show are very dramatic. You will either love or hate the show. I doubt that there is something in the middle. The show is engaging but there is so much focus on sexual activity that the story seems to be lost at times. The show is obviously showing a very different side of life. There are many parts where the FF key is very useful. Some scenes are simply uninteresting and may be termed fillers as they add nothing to the story other than what one would say is pushing the envelope. There are many parts that are hard to follow because of this. In the end, those who like it will praise it and write a good review. Many who object to the content will stop after 2 episodes and not bother to write anything.

In my opinion, when someone rates a series or a movie, they should understand what they are actually rating. A TV show is many things, such as production, set design, cinematography, direction, and acting. This series has all of these, and at a very good level. I assume that the show's subject matter is not to everyone's liking, so I wonder, if you don't like the subject matter from the start, why would you come here and rate it a 2 or 3? Overall, the series definitely doesn't deserve a 2; nowadays, not even amateur videos we shoot with our phones deserve a 2. Overall, it is a well-made production that gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the fashion industry. The show delivers on that.

In the brilliant, and still greatest series ever, 'The Sopranos', Christopher says to Adriana, in response to her saying to him that they could leave the life and start over and he could be a male model: "As far as male modeling goes, I'd probably be a success, but I don't want to be around those fkn' people."

Now, Christopher was a junkie, woman beater, and a made Mafia guy, but no truer words were ever spoken regarding the fashion industry!

I made it up to the 'eco-warriors.' I am sick-to-death with these self-indulgent ankle-biters thinking they own the patent on self-righteousness!

I'll take the mob over these fashion effete poseurs!

La Maison tries to weave together an ambitious tapestry of modern-day hot topics-eco-warriors, convoluted family dynamics, improbable relationships-all set against the stunning backdrop of a Parisian fashion house. And while the setting is undeniably gorgeous, the series fails to rise above its glossy surface, leaving viewers feeling more confused than enthralled.

Unlike the brilliance of Call My Agent, which balanced wit, heart, and authenticity, La Maison feels like a haphazard mix of themes that never quite gel. The characters are either caricatures or shallow imitations, and the acting often borders on soap-opera levels of melodrama. The young woman at the center of the story, whose very existence is the result of an absurdly convoluted relationship, serves more as a plot device than a character we can empathize with.

Instead of pulling us into the glamour and drama of the Parisian fashion world, the show stays firmly in the realm of the unbelievable. It's hard to invest in a story that feels both superficial and unnecessarily complicated.

Apple, you've proven capable of great storytelling before, but La Maison doesn't meet the bar. If you want to earn our viewing time, you'll need to put in more effort-and maybe focus less on trying to cram every current social issue into one series.