Rotten Tomatoes scores can say a lot. This can indicate whether a film is a cinematic masterpiece, whether a series is popular with audiences, and whether a title is simply not worth watching. When it comes to Hulu’s latest star-studded series Everything is fair, created by Ryan Murphythe Rotten Tomatoes scores are pretty telling, and it’s definitely a blow. So far, the series has earned a rare 5% score among critics, while still earning a 66% from fans. And yet, despite the poor reception from critics, the series has been the #1 TV show on Hulu since its release on November 4, 2025.
What is “All is Fair” about?
Everything is fair began 10 years ago when a trio of women, including divorce lawyers Allura Grant (Kim Kardashian) and Liberty Ronson (Naomi Watts), as well as their researcher, Emerald Greene (Niecy Nash-Betts), decide to open their own all-female business. Tired of being underestimated and disrespected by their male colleagues, they decide to strike out on their own with the encouragement of their mentor, Dina Standish (Glenn Close). In doing so, they clash and start a feud with fellow lawyer Carrington Lane (Sarah Paulson), who is bitter not to have been invited.
Fast forward a few years, the law firm, named Grant, Ronson & Greene, is thriving financially, despite the founders’ troubling personal lives. Liberty struggles to commit to her adorable boyfriend, Dr. Reggie (OT Fagbenlé), because she sees men behaving badly at work every day, and Emerald is stressed about having to raise her teenage triplets alone. Allura, however, has it worst of all, when she discovers her footballer husband (Matthew Noszka) not only wants a divorce, but she cheats on her with her receptionist, Milan (Teyana Taylor). In each episode, the team continues to prove their place in the industry, while relying on each other.
Critical reception of “Everything’s Fair” has been almost entirely negative
Looking at the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s clear that critics, 20 to date, almost unanimously disapprove of the series (all but one, in fact). Critics of the show include how the show is poorly structured, written and performedwhich would make it “unwatchable” and “one of the worst shows of the year”. As for the writing, critics have declared it as an unoriginal series, which despite being a legal drama, lacks action, tension, or a courtroom scene, for that matter. One reviewer called the writing “stiff and ineffective, without a single authentic note.”
As for the show’s acting, even though the cast includes Academy Award and Emmy-winning actresses, it seems not even Watts, Nash or Close could save the series. “The prolific showrunner has developed a new ability to drain talented actors of every drop of charisma they once possessed,” one critic wrote, referring to Murphy’s hit shows in the past like Pinch/Tuck, Joy And Laidjust to name a few. Specifically, the acting jabs largely target Kardashian, who began her acting career on another Murphy series, American Horror Story: Delicatein 2023. “Kardashian’s performance is monotonous and emotionally neglectful,” one reviewer wrote. “His speech is stilted, bland and lacking in authenticity “it would give the character a sense of humanity,” wrote Collider» Taylor Gates in his review.
That said, Everything is fair always resonated with fans, scoring a surprising 66%. In fact, the audience’s 1,000-plus reviewers had mixed reactions to the series, with many defending the series as “camp,” “fun,” and “entertaining.” Of course, the positive reviews are closely tied to the negative reviews, but it seems that audiences aren’t declaring the series a failure like the critics are.
“Everything’s Fair” didn’t live up to its extremely high expectations
Although there is certainly a chance Everything is fair was always going to be so poorly received by critics, the expectations for the series only increased its flaws. First, the series presented itself as a lawyer-centered feminist drama that would provide a unique and necessary perspective in a male-dominated field. But instead, the series has been criticized for glorifying greed, vanity and absurdity. After all, even though the show definitely wanted to be campy, seeing their lawyers in full glamor wearing high fashion in the courtroom is not only unrealistic, but also makes these women seem shallow and materialistic — which isn’t exactly the feminist message they wanted to convey. As a result, the series comes off as hypocritical, rather than focused on female empowerment.
Speaking of high expectations, this series’ cast list alone, along with Murphy in the creator’s seat, have certainly raised expectations. After all, the expected result of pairing experienced, award-winning actors with an Emmy-winning creator is television gold, right? Unfortunately, given how bland and unimaginative the show is, critics were shocked to see Oscar and Emmy winners like Close and Nash almost doomed to failure. After all, seeing a Hollywood legend like Close star in an uninspired and bland show is not only disappointing to her fans, it’s a downright disservice.
Despite criticism, ‘All’s Fair’ is still a streaming success
Despite the rare 5% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Everything is fair reigned supreme on Hulu. Since its premiere on November 4, 2025, the series was the #1 TV show on the platformbeating Fortnite x The Simpsons And High potential. That said, the season is only just beginning, with only three episodes left. Everything is fair having been released so far. Subsequent episodes will air every Tuesday until the two-episode finale with Episodes 8 and 9 on December 9, 2025. Until then, it looks like Everything is fair will continue to dominate the streaming charts, deserving or not.
- Release date
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November 4, 2025
- Network
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Hulu
