Must Watch reviews: All's Fair
Each week, the Must Watch podcast features reviews of new TV and streaming releases.
This week, Scott Bryan and Hayley Campbell join Emma Vardy to review ‘All’s Fair’ - a new legal drama on Disney+.
It stars Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, Sarah Paulson, and Glenn Close.
The series follows a legal firm by women, for women.
What do the Must Watch reviewers make of it?
What do the Must Watch reviewers think of 'All's Fair'?
What do the Must Watch reviewers think of 'All's Fair'?
Emma: "Is it a Must Watch?"
Hayley: "It is not a Must Watch for me".
Scott: "I was scared for a second."
Hayley: "But I have watched all three episodes that are available to watch just to check."
Scott: "Just to double check."
Hayley: "When Scott dropped this suggestion in the Must Watch WhatsApp group and said we should review it, I had already watched two episodes and was about to watch the third.
"Because I have this problem with Ryan Murphy shows.
"He makes nonsense that I have to watch even though I know it's objectively bad; it's like a medical compulsion.
"And the last time this happened was only a month ago with Monster: The Ed Gein Story."
Scott: "Which you recommended as a Must Watch."
Hayley: "Exactly. I told everyone they needed to watch it even though it had no redeeming qualities."
Scott: "Which is why I got worried with this review."
Hayley: "Yeah you didn't know which way it was gonna go.
"But with Ed Gein, I made such a case for it that Naga and Scott then reviewed it the following week and both of them hated it."
Hayley: "I have to say that Monster: The Ed Gein Story had so much more going for it than this one and if that had no redeeming qualities, then this one has minus qualities.
"It is egregious.
"It's so bad.
"Not even Sarah Paulson can deliver dialogue this bad and Sarah Paulson can do anything.
"It's not even so bad [that] it's camp and good.
"It's just mortifyingly bad and the fact that it's got all of these amazing actors in it — Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watt, Glenn Close, I don't mean Kim Kardashian because she's terrible — I think is kind of a recession indicator.
"And I said this about Leslie Manville in the Ed Gein show, who did a semi nude scene.
"All of these women are far too good to be anywhere near this stuff and I think it's possible we need to organise a rescue mission."
Scott: "So you're saying that just like the latest figures with the economy for Rachel Reeves, we should be seeing how well the economies are doing by which stars you don't expect to be in quite bad TV shows."
Hayley: "Yeah, like who turns up in a Ryan Murphy show. I think he must be pals with them all and just text them and go, “Do you wanna be in my new show” and they go, “Yeah go on, babes”.
"There is no reason for them to be in this show.
"I would love to speak to agents and go, “Do you actually think this is good?
"Do you think this is a good idea because it's really not."
Emma: "These things that get really bad reviews and get so panned they almost end up becoming a sort of caricature, do you think people know - when they're filming and they're showing up to work every day and they're getting their makeup on - “this is terrible” or are you in a bubble?"
Hayley: "It’s really hard to tell."
Scott: "That’s the thing I was thinking whilst I was watching this, did they know that the
dialogue is as bad as it is?
"Or that the delivery of it would be so bad?
"There's a sequence where Kim Kardashian goes quote, “I feel like I am in a dream, how is this even happening right now, am I that stupid?”.
"I was just at home thinking, “Yep. Same”.
Scott: "It was so strange but you know the premise could be good because it is camp in terms of the tone.
"It's about women representing women in legal cases.
"Legal dramas are such a big genre.
"So I was initially thinking, how bad could it be?
"I would say the acting is bad like GCSE drama bad but I actually think that's disrespectful for those who actually do GCSE
drama because of some of the delivery from the first two seconds, it's like they had 80 takes and went, “fine, that's the best one, let's just move on”.
"Kim Kardashian, does she know what lawyers wear?
"Or know what they do?
"It doesn't come across at any point that she knows the legal profession that she is apparently an expert of.
"There's this one moment where she sat in front of a fireplace wearing so much fur, I was worried that she was gonna either catch fire or collapse from dehydration.
"But every line that she is saying is incredibly flat.
"The plot makes no sense and also makes handbrake turns.
"The music feels like somebody just left the instrumental on an electric keyboard for 45 minutes.
"The interiors are so bad, who lights up so many candles in the middle of the day? The dialogue is so bad that even ChatGPT would go “yikes”.
Hayley: "Yeah and Ryan Murphy wrote it.
"The first episode he wrote and directed."
Scott: "Also there are scenes in which somebody dies, it's a really awful scene in the second episode and in the next scene they're all scoffing champagne and looking at jewelry."
Hayley: "Do you know what? I've forgotten who dies."
Scott: "I would say the only person who got the memo, followed it to the letter and did a great performance is Sarah Paulson.
It's completely and utterly addictive"
"But of course she's only in it for about five minutes across three episodes.
"There's no stakes, no sense of character involvement.
"No sense of character development."
"There are quite a few swear words that feel as if they've thrown it in together
just because they want to be viral, which I think the show bizarrely has done so because it's been one of the most successful debuts [on Hulu] in the last three years.
"So here's the thing.
"It's completely and utterly addictive.
"It's completely and utterly appalling.
"It's bad on every single front.
"I cannot work out whether this was intended or whether this was accidental.
"But bizarrely, I think like Hayley and I, trying to work that out will make you watch all three episodes.
"So I'm not recommending it, it is dire.
"But you'll probably watch it like we have."
The first two episodes of Down Cemetery Road are available to watch on Apple TV with a new episode on Wednesday 5th November.
This week the team reviewed 'Kingdom' and 'Trespasses'.
But before all that, why not contact Scott and Hayley with the shows you’ve been loving, loathing or both on mustwatch@bbc.co.uk.
As always, we like to include your reviews - on shows you love, loathe or lament.
Message @bbc5live on social media using the hashtag #bbcmustwatch or email mustwatch@bbc.co.uk.
Tim loved Boots on Netflix:
Just a quick note to say how much I enjoyed watching Scott's recommendation Boots on Netflix.
Brilliantly acted and so moving - I found myself really feeling for every single character.
Definitely not the easiest watch at times, but absolutely worth it.
I'm already looking forward to seeing what happens in Series 2.
Thank you for cutting through the endless wall of TV content and bringing us the best of what's out there each week.
You save me so much scrolling time!
Claire thought The Good Wife was a must watch
I have fallen down The Good Wife rabbit hole which I missed the first time round due to being busy with my now teenage twins.
A superb show which ran for 7 seasons until 2016 following a high end law firm in Chicago.
It's got a great storyline and characters including the sublime Christine Baranski as Diane Lockheart.
All series available on 5 on demand, it's definitely worth a watch.
The only thing dating it, as always...the flip phones.
Jude enjoyed the new Robin Hood series on Amazon Prime’s MGM+ channel
I just had to write in about the new Robin Hood series on Amazon Prime's MGM+ channel.
I went in expecting a few arrows, a bit of forest skulking, and maybe a cheeky outlaw grin.
I would have been happy with this as I love everything about the Robinhood story (it lends well to my socialist background) — but what I got was a surprisingly moving, well-acted, and beautifully written take on a much-loved legend.
The dialogue is sharp and layered, and the emotional weight of the story really caught me off guard.
The show doesn't shy away from the pain of war — especially the Saxons' loss of heritage and identity.
There's a powerful thread about grief and how the loss of parents shapes who we become.
It's not just "rob from the rich, give to the poor" — it's "rob from the rich, but first unpack your trauma."
The world-building is top-notch. Nottingham and Sherwood Forest feel alive — not just as backdrops, but as characters in their own right.
You can practically smell the moss and hear the twang of bowstrings.
And Sean Bean as the Sheriff?
He maybe the best casted sheriff since the late great Alan Rickman.
I'm genuinely excited to see where this version goes.
It's rare to find a retelling that respects the legend while giving it fresh emotional depth.
If this keeps up, it might just be the definitive Robin Hood for our times — and not a single green leotard in sight.
