Series Review: Palm Royale – Season One [2024] – Kristen Wiig, Ricky Martin on Apple TV+

Palm Royale on AppleTV+ is good. In fact, it has the potential to be great. It just takes way too long to get there.

What happens when you get Kristen Wiig, Ricky Martin, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, and freaking Carol Burnett?! Apparently, a show with a great idea, but also one that challenges you not to fall asleep.

Things aren’t quite what they seem in this stylish comedy. While it starts great, things go to a stalemate very fast. With a total of 10 episodes, the show packs a lot, but also feels empty and unsatisfying.

Burnett is reduced to a blabbering crazy for most of the show. Dern is a side character that makes sense on paper, but useless for the plot. Martin is severely underused. Even though he’s supposed to be a main character, sort of a balancing act for Wiig’s Maxine, it doesn’t feel like it.

Yes, the script is all over the place and, at times, very unrealistic. Yet, somehow Kristen Wiig carries the series from start to finish. Wiig is pitch perfect as Maxine, a social climber with a lot of water under her bridge; she’s simultaneously relatable and ridiculous, and she looks absolutely fantastic in her wardrobe of floral 1960s shifts.

In addition, Janney challenges us to stick around. She’s a very much needed breath of fresh air for the otherwise messy seasons.

If the show gets renewed, they really need to take some lessons from Hacks. A leaner script that allows the talented A-List cast to shine. Otherwise, don’t bother.

Should You Watch It?

With a stellar cast, you get stellar expectations. However, those aren’t met until the last couple of episodes. It just takes too long to get there. If the show gets renewed, they need to resolve that cliffhanger and move the story faster.

Where Can I Watch It?

You can stream Palm Royale exclusively on Apple TV+.