The Romanoffs

Each episode of this anthology follows a family that claims an affiliation with the Romanoffs / Romanovs. The final episode was my favorite. The actors were fantastic (and it had a huge twist that I didn't see coming). Don't starts this series expecting each episode to tie together - they do relate in the loosest of terms... but not really. And that's part of what makes the series so good.

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.

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.

This series is a bit entertaining. The earliest episodes were good while the fourth was very lame and the fifth only a bit better. These stories could have been made without any links to the Russian imperial family as do not have any relevance at all. The acting is very good. I think the Romanovs reference was made as a selling point. Anyhow, this series is still interesting and hope the next episodes are of better quality.