The premiere of Hulu’s much-anticipated legal drama All’s Fair starring Kim Kardashian has been met with a wave of negative reviews, but director and executive producer Anthony Hemingway is standing by the series.
Hemingway, who directed four episodes of the show, addressed the criticism in an interview on Wednesday, emphasizing that it’s impossible to “please everybody” and admitting that he personally enjoys the series.
“Sometimes things take time,” Hemingway said, reflecting on the process of developing an audience. “You develop a taste for them. I did The Wire. No one liked the show when it was out. They hated it. They didn’t watch it. Two people watched it every week. But it got to a point where it found a moment.”
While he was quick to clarify that he isn’t equating All’s Fair with the acclaimed HBO drama, Hemingway suggested the comparison demonstrates how public perception can change over time. “I’m not comparing the show to The Wire let’s get that straight,” he noted. “But it’s an example of how people can react to something in one moment, and it becomes something totally different in another time.”
Hemingway defended the show’s creative approach, calling it “refreshing and creatively fulfilling” despite what he described as a slow start. He also appeared to respond to critiques of Kardashian’s performance as divorce lawyer Allura Grant, saying, “You can’t also expect one person to define something and for that be the totality of what it is. I don’t agree with that.”
“The show holds a mirror up to each person who watches it. It’s just about: Can you connect to it or relate to it, and see yourself? It may be out of your league, it may not be anything you can connect to, and I think that goes for anything that gets presented on screen,” Hemingway added.
All’s Fair, which debuted on Hulu Tuesday, stars Kardashian alongside an A-list ensemble including Naomi Watts, Teyana Taylor, Sarah Paulson, and Glenn Close. Despite the star-studded cast, critical reception has been overwhelmingly negative. The series currently holds a shocking 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
USA Today’s Kelly Lawler called the series the “worst TV show of the year,” while other critics described it as “brain dead” and “tacky and tasteless.” Kardashian’s acting, in particular, drew criticism, with one reviewer noting her performance as “stiff and affectless without a single authentic note.”
As of now, Kardashian and her co-stars have not publicly responded to the backlash.