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.

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.

The french version of 'Succesion', yes to all the negative reviews and yes to all to good ones. No one will like everything from this series, some will like or dislike the writing, others will like or dislike the fashion aspect of it. Yes there are some weak points and sometimes cliches present themselves, but thats okay.

The case for me is that this series shows me a great cast with great acting, interesting visuals, thorough thoughtful production design. But above all i see all the hard work and enthusiasm of the people working on this production. My hope is that Apple will give 'La Maison' the room to breathe and to elevate itself to the level of 'Succesion', especially concerning the psychology between the main characters. Also I ask the viewers and reviewers to consider looking at the aspects that are motivating for you to watch and don't let your biases and preconceived notions about how the show should be, stand in the way of your viewer experience.

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.

This is worth watching because of the stunning architecture, interiors and some interesting artwork that flashes by. The fashion is okay if you like black, black and more black. The characters are nasty and there is a lot of homosexual passion with both sexes, which is overplayed. There is also a lot of generational tension. All this reminds me of the old soap operas like Dallas. Fortunately, fast forward gets past the annoying stuff. The conflict of values between the generations is the most interesting storyline. It's an important struggle, conversation and ultimately has to do with our collective human survival. It is life or death especially for younger people who are inheriting a sick planet. And yes the issues of racism, gender politics, classism, sexism etc are all present too.