Watch or not: Should you stream courtroom drama Anatomy of a Scandal?

Anatomy of a Scandal is the latest thriller series arriving on Netflix this weekend. Promising to captivate your attention for a few hours with its twists and nuanced performances, it’s unfortunate that the show doesn’t ever amount to much more than that.

From David E. Kelley and Melissa James Gibson comes a courtroom drama based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Vaughan. A political sex scandal rocks the U.K. parliament when one of the ministers is accused of rape. The story centers on the fallout and trial, centering on the accused: James Whitehouse (Rupert Friend) and his wife, Sophie (Sienna Miller). While the source might ring true and is easily comparable to many similar political scandals, the story is not based on any one specific case.

It’s mostly about how Sophie is handling the reveal that her husband might not be the man she thought he was after she learns he had an affair that lasted five months with his parliamentary researcher Olivia Lytton (Naomi Scott). Of course, what starts as a case of infidelity snowballs into something much greater when Olivia accuses James of rape, and from there more ugly secrets from the past begin cropping up.

Even though the show falls short in many ways, it’s undeniably entertaining and will make an easy watch this weekend if you’re looking for something to keep you captivated for a few hours.

Anatomy of a Scandal strengths

For all its faults, Anatomy of a Scandal does an excellent job with its courtroom scenes. I was riveted during the trial, particularly the back-and-forth between Kate and Olivia and later between Kate and James. Josette Simon is also excellent as Angela Regan, James’ defense counsel, even if it is hard to watch her press Olivia until she breaks.

The performances are also great, with Sienna Miller and Michelle Dockery the clear standouts. Naomi Scott is also fantastic, but sadly she is given very little to do outside of her initial testimony. It’s actually really strange how the show ultimately sidelines her character, with Olivia essentially disappearing after her day in court, even though she is the primary victim.

Anatomy of a Scandal is more interested in Sophie and Kate. Still, I feel like the writers missed an opportunity to have all three women interact at one point or another outside of the courtroom.

Anatomy of a Scandal weaknesses

The editing, oh boy, the editing. Anatomy of a Scandal pulls out just about every editing trick in the book, from the fish-eye lens and Dutch camera angles to hallucinatory sequences of people falling through floors or seeing events happen in the past that they weren’t actually present during. The first episode ends with Friend being yanked backward as if tugged by an invisible string to demonstrate his shock at being accused of rape.

It’s incredibly jarring since, up until that point, the first episode was mostly grounded. After that, every episode includes some cheesy gimmick to spice up the storyline and create overwrought melodrama. The mish-mash of editing speaks to the show’s overall tonal problems and struggle to say something new about rape culture and misogyny.

Anatomy of a Scandal can’t decide if it wants to be an addictive, salacious soap opera or a grounded and material legal drama. It falls somewhere in the middle, and you’ll get occasional whiplash trying to keep pace with the editing tricks. I wish the series had just leaned more into the soapy angle because when it languishes in the middle of these two paradigms, it ends up becoming a little boring, sagging during the few episodes between beginning and end.

What will Anatomy of a Scandal remind you of?

David E. Kelley is known for creating shows about rich white people, see: The Undoing and Big Little Lies, plus several others. Those two are the most notable and easily comparable to Anatomy of a Scandal. However, this show isn’t as good as either of those series. Melissa James Gibson previously worked on House of Cards, and you can see some of that show’s DNA reflected here in terms of political scheming and scandal, though not as well-written.

Should you watch Anatomy of a Scandal?

If you skip this show, you won’t be missing much. It’s not memorable. But if you want something juicy and easy to binge this weekend, then Anatomy of a Scandal is perfectly suited for that. It’s quick and entertaining, even if it’s not particularly good. Shut your brain off for a few hours, sit back and relax.

Anatomy of a Scandal releases this Friday, April 15, on Netflix.