It's been branded "a slap in the face to Gen Z" by The Independent, "so bland it should be illegal" by Radio Times, and 'objectionable' by IndieWire. Search the internet and you will find barely a kind word has been said about Prime Video's new Legally Blonde prequel series Elle.
The synopsis, designed to hype up the series, did poor Elle no favours either. "Elle follows Elle Woods in high school as we learn about the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman we came to know and love in the first Legally Blonde film," it reads.
Besides being just about as nondescript and tepid as the aforementioned reviews have made the eight-part series seem, it's also edging on inaccurate. The '00s flick is what transformed her into the Elle Woods the fandom became besotted with. The confronting experiences that made Reese Witherspoon's character gaze introspectively and come out the other end undeniably iconic is the journey that made her beloved.
Related: Elle includes a morbid twist you would never expect from a Legally Blonde prequel
The shallow synopsis compounded by the brutal reception of the show pre-release had our expectations so low that Elle could have stomped them flat with one of her watermelon pink wedges. When we settled into our seats at the pink-glazed premiere we were completely unprepared to be taken by Lexi Minetree's dazzling and earnest version of Elle.
It is exceptionally hard to portray a character as naïve, well-meaning and blonde without falling prey to the dumb blonde stereotype, but, like Witherspoon, Minetree is pure delight.
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Her Elle is charming and a light with a sugary-sweetness that is baked into the right of passage of youth. She has the spirit of Legally Blonde's Elle and is an identikit of a young Witherspoon, but still makes the character feel fresh, with hints of Ariana Grande's magnificent Glinda creeping through.
Minetree carries the legacy of Elle with appropriately girlish poise as the sweet 16-year-old navigates a move from the comfortable bubble-world of the lavish L.A. to rainy dreary Seattle. A place where her sweet, sweet fantasy world turns into a nightmare when she finds herself so out of step with her peers.
Despite her outcast status, Elle boulders through with, not confidence, but determination. She doesn't just want to succeed, she wants a community — and finding that does not come easily.
The series has been criticised for its low stakes and while the story does seem set up to tackle more simplistic themes that isn't always a negative. There is plenty to find compelling and relatable about the yearning need to belong, the isolation that comes with not and the heartbreak when every step you make towards achieving that goal goes wrong.
Elle's dream of conquering high-school quickly becomes whittled down to desperate need to just make a friend and this grounded premise is not only relatable, if anything it's utterly human.
Related: Legally Blonde series Elle's cast pay tribute to star James Van Der Beek, who died earlier this year
There is even a flicker of a forbidden romance brewing with Jacob Moskovitz's Miles, who looks like he could be the lovechild of Buffy and Angel. Like many things Elle is learning, this new connection with 'BAngel' is full of complexities that are bound to make her struggles in Seattle even more entrenched.
That's not to say the series is perfect. Fans of the original franchise will note that Elle has dialled down the comedy element and leaned more into the drama. When Elle does foray into humour the comedic beats don't always land, leaving viewers a few 'hahas' short of laughter but the show stops shy of cringe.
Elle's other sticking point is with representation. While the series is more intentionally racially diverse than the film, there is something jarring about the one of the few Black female characters, Kimberly (Chandler Kinney), falling into the 'angry black woman trope' by being the school bully.
We love diverse roles for Black women, including ones that are spiky and bolshy but when there aren't many Black females in the forefront it can feel reductive. That said, we've only seen two episodes and there is the sense that Kinney's Kimberly has a backstory that is bubbling to the surface. Fingers crossed we're not wrong.
Admittedly, Elle is a light watch but it's is the kind of bingeable series audiences relish. It's full of heart and will sweep you away if you let it.
Like in Legally Blonde, Elle stumbles and has many mishaps, but fans are watching her hone the fortitude and resilience she shows up with in the '00s movie and its warming.
Elle Woods is no fool, but she's famed for always seeing the good which is a risk for someone as good natured as she. Perhaps if viewers apply the same risky approach and take a chance on the Prime Video series they'll find themselves enchanted. You know Elle would.
Elle is available to stream now on Prime Video.
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
