Critic Reviews

Westside is an uneven, jumbled, occasionally alluring Frankenstein of a show, a mishmash of The Hills-style reality TV drama, a Behind the Music-style making-of documentary, and a classic narrative musical.

There are a lot of [songs], as many as four or five per episode, and they've mostly become so smoothed out and overproduced that even when they're fitfully catchy, and some absolutely are, no individual song can cut through the sameness of the show's soundtrack, much less the outside pop landscape. ... From James' substance abuse to Caitlin's miscarriages to Erica's mommy issues, Westside sands down anything distinctive and dangerous.