"Anatomy of a Scandal" is, nevertheless, far from anything approaching lightheartedness. It's a saga about justice as regards the matter of sex—a story burdened by its tonnage of flashbacks, but one that remains, throughout, unfailing in its power to captivate.

An old-fashioned courtroom miniseries with a somewhat more modern backdrop of sexual politics, "Anatomy of a Scandal" is a crisply told, nicely binge-able mystery that doesn't overstay its welcome. Adapted from a novel, the material certainly doesn't break any ground but proves watchable enough for its various twists, some admittedly more strained than others.

Despite the genuinely good cast, the easily bingeable formula, and enough breadcrumbs laid out to make it seem like it’s going somewhere interesting, the show ultimately just… exists.

The thing that’s frustrating about Anatomy of a Scandal is that it’s ostensibly about serious issues like sexual violence, entitlement, and grey areas of the law, but it’s actually just a stupidly breezy thriller.

With all its squabbles, over-the-top drama, and borderline cheesy filmmaking choices, “Anatomy of a Scandal” most resembles a soap opera you’d watch in order to have something on in the background. But the ultra-serious subject matter make it an impossible mindless watch. The final viewing experience is infuriating, frustrating, and ultimately unfulfilling.

["Anatomy of a Scandal"] takes big swings, few of which connect. Despite able performers and potent themes, the show is so addicted to chaos that it squanders its chance to say anything substantive.

The truth is that this one feels phoned in, like a contract that Kelley signed and then never really bothered to put in the work to flesh out these characters beyond the checklist of salacious plot twists from the source material. The true scandal is how lazy it all feels.