All's Fair Director Believes The Kim Kardashian Drama Can Find Its The Wire Moment

Let's not mince words: "All's Fair," the new Ryan Murphy legal drama about an all-female law firm focusing on messy divorces, is getting horrible reviews. Murphy is no stranger to controversy — just look at the backlash over his "Monsters" anthology series — but this is some rough reception. So what does Anthony Hemingway, who directed episodes of "All's Fair" and is also working alongside Murphy for his upcoming series "American Love Story," feel about it all?

Speaking exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter, Hemingway was blunt. "You're not going to please everybody," he stated. "You may have certain criticisms, while there are a million others who love it." (Not based on the reviews and reactions, but okay.) Hemingway went on to say that he thinks the show "holds a mirror up to each person who watches it" and hopes that people can connect and relate to it; while that's certainly a noble goal on his part, I've watched the first three episodes of "All's Fair," and I wouldn't call anyone on it "relatable."

Hemingway then brought up a past experience that has a ... somewhat dubious connection to the subject at hand. "I also think sometimes things may take time. I did 'The Wire.' No one liked the show when it was out. They hated it," Hemingway said. He went on: 

"They didn't watch it. Two people watched it every week. But it got to a point where it found a moment. I'm not comparing the show to 'The Wire' — let's get that straight — but it's an example of how people can react to something in one moment and it becomes something totally different in another time. The show takes a minute to get into gear, but I do feel like it is absolutely striking something that is refreshing and creatively fulfilling."

Hemingway also said that because the show is being described as a "legal drama" — which, to be clear, is what it is supposed to be — set unfair expectations for the series. "There's a lot of wish fulfillment in this show that was by design, and it's coming at a time where people want an escape and to fantasize," Hemingway said, by way of explanation. "There are elements of this show that effectively do that, where it's not taking itself so seriously. It wouldn't be a comedy if it was trying to be that."

Sure, but also, "All's Fair" isn't ... all that funny? The script certainly makes recognizable attempts at jokes, but because the dialogue feels like it was written by aliens trying to replicate human speech, none of them land — even with unbelievably talented actresses like Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts, Teyana Taylor, and Niecy Nash-Betts delivering them. (I'll come back to you in a second, Kim Kardashian.) Something else Hemingway said in the interview, though, was really telling, which is that the show will change as it continues. (Does he mean it might ... get better?!)

"Also, [I would say to audiences]: Don't come at it with such a critical or literal frame of mind," Hemingway said. "It strikes a different tone, and it will evolve over time; it will get more human." ("Get more human," to me, is hilarious. Shouldn't it be human from the jump?!) Still, he tried, yet again, to explain the ethos here. "Something that was important to Ryan [Murphy] was fulfilling fantasies," Hemingway said. "[He wanted to] give some wish fulfillment and light to this world." Okay. Mission ... accomplished, I guess?

Let's talk about Kim Kardashian's role on "All's Fair," shall we? As I already discussed right here on /Film, Kardashian, a shapewear guru and reality television pioneer, is not an actress, and I'm tired of being gaslit in this way. Kardashian is breathtakingly bad on "All's Fair." Her character — high-powered divorce attorney Allura Grant, who ends up going through an unexpected divorce herself — is the clear protagonist of the show, but you don't feel anything about her emotional journey, because in Kardashian's less-than-capable hands, she's not having an emotional journey. I could go on, but let's check in: what did Anthony Hemingway have to say about his lackluster leading lady?

"I love Kim Kardashian, I'm just going to say that," Hemingway gushed before qualifying: "She wasn't as experienced of an actor as everyone else. She came in knowing that, but she came in so open and wanting to deliver a great job, and that's [the person] I met daily."

Hemingway had other nice things to say about Kardashian, including that she's a great mother to her four children, runs businesses, and yet still managed to learn her lines and show up and give it her all, but none of them really boiled down to "she has innate acting talent," because that would be a lie. I guess it's nice that she's not a terror on set! Anyway, "All's Fair" is streaming on Hulu now.