Julia

So many things to like about this show... For openers, I grew up in Boston in the 1960's, and they did such a good job of recreating that city in that time that I was feeling nostalgic just watching the scenes with Julia walking down the street.

The casting is spot-on - I am so glad they went with Sarah Lancashire because I don't think an American actress could have replicated Julia Child's odd accent nearly as well. David Hyde Pierce is terrific in his usual understated way, and Bebe Neuwirth is always a joy to watch.

The show has a leisurely pace, but I don't mind that - it just provides more opportunity to enjoy the details. And they really got them right.

I gave this delightful series a straight 8. I remember watching Julia Child when I was a little girl and thought she was funny. The woman always seemed out of sorts but ended up with the most wonderful dishes...This series gives us a looks at this complex woman's life and it is a joy. I liked the interaction between her and her husband even though sometimes it was strained he must have really loved her. The cast playing her circle of friends are great. Sarah Lancashire is a fine actress and I feel she portrays Julia perfectly. She has her look and voice and mannerisms down pat. I think I will like this one.

I did not think I would like this series; for one, Meryl Streep owned the character in "Julie & Julia", along with Stanley Tucci as Paul, but half way into the first episode, I was totally absorbed into the story and the characters. Just superbly cast, well acted, the sets and the locations bring back a lot of memories.

I lived in Cambridge MA for a year or so back in the 80's, and Julia Child was a frequent sighting around Harvard Square - I would see her frequently in the bookstores and coffee shops. She was a presence, even without muttering a word.

Sarah Lancashire and David Hyde-Pierce are superb. They are Julia and Paul Child. Boston of that era was a bastion of equality, but still a product of it's time. I am glad to see that the writing is not telling a "woke" story, but an honest characterization of that time. There are times the show is as gritty as it WAS back then. Having LIVED through those times, this is about as honest portrayal as I could imagine.

Kudos HBO for bringing this story to the screen.

I don't get the hate.

I was engrossed from the first second.

And if, if she doesn't have the perfect American accent, it's 100 times better than Dominic West's accent in The Wire, so who cares! I find the slight Yorkshire inflection works well with her idiosyncrasies anyway.

Can't wait for the rest.

Well, the show dropped a few hours ago and I've already seen the first two episodes, and I must say - it's great! Sure I may be a smidge biased as I have fond childhood memories of my own mother watching on our rather modest 13" black and white set - and sure, the nostalga plays into my love of this, but it's much more than that - Masterfully acted by Sarah Lancashire and dealing quite deftly with both the biolographical aspects of a real life heroine as well as the challenges of being a female (and celebrity) in the early 1960s - this is just a real treat - bon Appétit my friends ;)