Swimming with Sharks

In many ways, Roku’s Swimming with Sharks satirizes the entertainment industry as effectively as the original, but times have changed. Although this series adheres to the premise, remains faithfully constructed, and comes with a solid ensemble cast, George Huang’s film was held together by Kevin Spacey. By taking these characters beyond the confines of Fountain Pictures early on, Kathleen Robertson humanizes them too much.

It’s entertaining. It could have been much more.

It is possible that the full season – which only lasts another four episodes – tilts that entire show out of balance, or that Robertson and company are unable to resolve Lou’s backstory without tripping over a series of harmful cliches about mental health. But in a world where every streaming show seems to be angling for a prestigious cache, there’s something to be said for the way “Swimming With Sharks” loses itself in pulp. One thing is clear: if it doesn’t work, it won’t be the fault of the show’s two stars.

We don’t love Swimming With Sharks, because of its trashy-for-trashiness’ sake nature and the fact that the story feels fairly predictable. But Shipka’s performance keeps the show from getting really campy.

Pre-pandemic, this might have been a juicy potboiler. Now, it’s just a slap away from being dated. ... Unlike the 1994 one, there’s not enough of the snide humor that made it so deliciously evil. Kruger gives it a Sharon Stone vibe, but she isn’t given enough lines that would make her seem smarter than others in the room.

It’s a cynical and often predictable look at the seamy side of the entertainment industry.

There’s here’s little new on offer here. ... But of all the things this show could say about power — how it works, how it shifts over time, how the attempt to obtain it transforms us — simply saying that it’s dangerous isn’t good enough.