REVIEW: ‘Palm Royale’ Episodes 1–3 Are A Tonal Mess

Kristen Wiig gives it her all in the tonally uneven Palm Royale Episodes 1–3 for Apple TV+. Based on the novel Mr. & Mrs. American Pie by Juliet McDaniel and created by Abe Sylvia, the series has all the makings of a hit. Everything about the show screams prestige, from a star-studded cast to the handsome sets and lavish costumes. But instead, this comedy-drama muddies the tone and, by doing so, loses its objective. With the first three episodes available now, there’s little impulse to continue watching.

Set in 1969, Palm Royale follows Maxine Simmons (Kristen Wiig), a former beauty contestant turned social climber. She aims to push her way into the upper echelons of Palm Beach high society. She barters, cheats, and schemes into an exclusive club already spilling with the haughty and fashionable. As she tries to weasel her way into a surface-level friend group that consists of Dinah (Leslie Bibb) and Evelyn (Allison Janney), she only manages to ostracize herself more. As Dinah tells her at one point, Maxine has a way of making every interaction uncomfortable.

Laura Dern stars as Linda, who is on a feminist crusade to liberate women of culturally supported misogyny but who has ties to the elite as well. Carol Burnett appears as Maxine’s bedridden mother-in-law whose clothes and belongings she pilfers through. These are powerhouse performers who, with the suitable material, consistently impress with their expressive ranges. But of all of them, only Wiig and Bibb manage to strike the right balance between comedy, farce, and drama.

Janney does her best with Evelyn, whose sense of superiority is undercut by personal drama. Few actresses can deliver a line with the same level of dry disdain as she can. But she also seemingly exists on a different show. This is similar to Dern, who is, oddly, wildly miscast. Bibb makes a meal of her character, who is as naive as she is cunning, aware of Maxine’s lies but manipulating her when it benefits her. But of all the actresses, it’s Wiig who handles the material the best. This is probably because it’s tailored to what amounts to be an amalgamation of Wiig’s greatest hits.

This type of airy, unaware socialite perfectly fits some of the actress’s greatest comedic talents. From the accent to the affected smiles and micro expressions to her gracefully graceless physicality, she embodies Maxine’s uneasy, unearned confidence to perfection. Despite being an adaptation, there’s a world where this character could appear on an SNL skit. It’s a shame that the writing can’t handle the other actresses, who share wonderfully acidic chemistry.

The series looks fabulous. Costume designer Alix Friedberg delivers period-accurate high-fashion that sings. If nothing else, the series is gorgeous to look at. Beyond the costumes, the set design, hair, and makeup are all beautiful. But it’s all smoke and mirrors. Yes, it looks good. And yes, the actresses are good to serviceable. But there’s nothing beyond the pretty dresses that engage. There’s so much style, so little substance, and it all results in tedium.

The series must pick a tone and stick to it while adding a greater level of camp and farce. Palm Royale Episodes 1–3 are all over the place. While it clearly is meant to be farcical in how it needles the elite, it never pushes the boundaries far enough. Get weird and go big. It’s all playing it too safe. Plenty of series can concoct genre cocktails that play fast and loose with form and genre. Palm Royale isn’t one of those shows. The writing cannot commit, sacrificing its better moments and gags with forced dramatization. The show doesn’t need to tether itself to any form of reality. Instead, the story should work with the absurdity it’s been handed.

Despite Wiig’s solid and comedic performances, Palm Royal Episodes 1–3 fail to maintain interest. There are plenty of individual elements that suggest a worthwhile final product. However, none of these elements come together to become something more than the small, individual highlights. It works more as an aspirational Pinterest fashion board than a cohesive, comedic story.

Palm Royale Episodes 1–3 are available now on Apple TV+.