The Romanoffs

First, let's get the basics out of the way. Regarding the production values of this series (disclaimer, folks; I've only seen episode one, "The Violet Hour"), everything is at a very high level, so your senses won't be disappointed. It is a feast for the eyes, particularly as Paris and the amazing apartment in which most of the story is set shine beautifully. The storyline is compelling, if a little unrealistic at times (the ease with which an apparently devout young Muslim woman finds herself having a one-night stand comes to mind...not to say it's impossible, just that it's a bit of a stretch). However, as with most films, too much reality would get in the way of being able to tell the story properly in the first place. Remember, this is a TV movie, not a documentary. We are supposed to be carried away; in that sense, I think this episode accomplishes its job admirably. The acting is first rate, making the characters believable and interesting (all the cast are wonderful, especially Marthe Keller as Anushka and Inès Melab as Hajar). Despite what a few lemon-sucking nay-sayers write here, you won't be disappointed with The Romanoffs. It's definitely worth seeing.

This show has been worthwhile... each episode has a unique plot, and the series is joined by a thread -- exploring the lives of people who are ancestors of the Romanoffs. The production design and song choice are quite effective in each episode.

Episode 1 was quite strong, especially the work of Marthe Keller.

Episode 2 was good, but the writing did not seem as dynamic. That said, the cast was fitting.

Episode 5 threw me for a loop... the actors' delivery fell flat, and the storyline felt deflated.

Episode 7 was crisply written, with palpable chemistry from the excellent cast. The plot delivers genuine tension and suspense.

Finally, I found Episode 8 to be riveting, well-written, and the cast was outstanding.

I'm no big fan of the Amazon productions to date, Netflix for me.

But this is good. Is it the foreign language and subtitles that is driving the bad reviews? This is intelligent, witty, sophisticated entertainment for reasonably intelligent people.

Have no idea where it's going but the performances are strong, the tension is real, the story is captivating and the history is rich. All with stunning Paris as the backdrop. I'm hooked.

Interesting anthology but it's so loosely based on the Romanovs as to make no difference to the plot. Not sure why they positioned the series this way, but it's really more of a distraction than anything.