Carême

“Carême” is the hottest thing to hit streaming services in a long time, and it’s sinfully fun even as it gets more and more preposterous. Seconds, please!

It’s hard to root for Carême at first, given how obnoxious he is. At times, you’d happily leave him to his fate at the hands of Napoleon’s most brutal lieutenants. But the drama moves along at such a spirited pace that it sucks you in, and after its opening pair of episodes, it is difficult to resist.

Another version of this series doesn't need to elevate its drama beyond its protagonist's proven history. Yet Carême's striking visual style, fast-paced tension, and entertainingly lusty escapades remain compulsively watchable even when the series' ambitions stray into predictable melodrama.

Thanks to Voisin’s charisma, “Carême” entertains consistently through its first three episodes, though it loses some points for its blatant rip-off of “The Good Fight’s” exploding-objects opening credits.

Though sex and scandal are commonplace on television these days, Carême reinvigorates them, making them relevant and entertaining, if not always fresh.

Carême is compelling enough to recommend, especially given the show’s lavish look and Voisin’s charismatic performance. But the storytelling needs to become a bit more robust after the first episode in order to keep viewers’ attention.

There are signs of a right old food-fight in script meetings as a result of which facts have been tossed aside or massaged into a fantastical soufflé. That Carême worked for Talleyrand (Jérémie Renier) is the drama’s core ingredient.