"All's Fair"? Not quite, says one divorce lawyer
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Hulu's new show "All's Fair" is anything but fair to divorce attorneys, according to one family law expert.
The big picture: Ryan Murphy's latest legal series aims to spotlight strides women are making in the real world — but one female divorce lawyer says portraying them as catty and vengeful reinforces tired tropes.
Reality check: "I don't see family attorneys being in the business of revenge," Kimia Klein, partner at Fox Rothschild in Los Angeles, tells Axios.
- "We're really looking to do what's fair according to the law."
State of play: "All's Fair" is a new legal drama starring Kim Kardashian, Glenn Close, Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash-Betts, Sarah Paulson and Teyana Taylor.
- Produced by Murphy and Kardashian (who is studying to become an attorney herself), the series follows a team of women divorce attorneys who leave a male-dominated firm to open their own practice.
Zoom in: The show's antagonist, Carrington Lane (played by Paulson), is a petty caricature who's been at odds with Allura Grant (played by Kardashian) for a decade because she was not invited to join the new venture.
- When Grant's football star husband asks for a divorce in the first episode, Lane represents him, setting the stage for a vindictive back and forth between the two parties.
- Perhaps to drive home the point, the third episode is titled "I Want Revenge."
Driving the news: Critics have been brutal so far, citing a bad script filled with corny one-liners along with Kardashian's acting that the Hollywood Reporter described as "stiff and affectless without a single authentic note."
What they're saying: "It's not a realistic expectation for [clients] to be able to say, 'I want a family law attorney that's comparable to one I've seen on a show,' especially given with how the actual family law process works," Klein says.
- "We try to be as equitable as possible in getting a just result for our client versus a vengeful, cut-throat, nasty, relationship between attorneys, which is unrealistic. You want to create a harmonious, amicable relationship with the other side."
Anthony Hemingway, who directed four episodes, told the Hollywood Reporter he considers the series to be a comedy.
- In this case, depictions of professionals can be absurd, because viewers are in on the joke.
Yes, but: The show is being marketed as a drama, so audiences have certain "expectations," Hemingway admits.
- Multiple requests to interview any one of the series' directors or producers were not granted by Hulu.
