This true crime drama really shows that fact is stranger than fiction. You may have noticed in crime series lately characters having something called Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, if you google it the story this series is based on is top of the search list. A shocking 2015 crime, it enacts what happens when daughter Gypsy (Joey King) attempts to escape the toxic relationship she has with her overprotective mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Gypsy’s quest for independence opens a Pandora’s box of secrets, which ultimately leads to murder. Patricia Arquette won the Primetime Emmy for her performance as Dee Dee Blanchard.
What the critics are saying
- “It looks like true crime is the big winner for Hulu”
- “stunning performances”
- “Patricia Arquette And Joey King Are Perfectly Cast”
- “The Act is gripping, well-told and doesn't overstay its welcome, so I'd invite it into my home at any time.”
- “One of the most effectively harrowing campfire stories ever told”
- “Masterful performances from leads Patricia Arquette and Joey King”
- CinemaBlend
- “The Act Might Be Hulu’s Most Important Hit Yet”
- “Arquette’s performance proves to be a quiet triumph”
- “Gripping”
- “Riveting”
- “Thoughtful”
- “This is a twisted story, and The Act dwells on every turn of the screw.”
- “heightened drama”
- Vanity Fair
- “With The Act turning heads all over the true crime world, here’s hoping that Hulu has more intriguing stories to tell.”
- Screen Rant
- “The Act’s Co-Creators Are Making Real Art From True Crime”
- “extremely compelling”
- “Their performances are disciplined and exceptional.” [Arquette and King]
- “[A] powerhouse performance [Patricia Arquette]”
- “King is...a revelation”
- “will give you the chills”
- Vulture
- “The Act is so good!”
- “Terrifying”
- “Engrossing”
- “leaves you gasping”
- Refinery29
- “Wildly popular”
- “Super binge worthy”
- “Riveting new Hulu series”
- “A must see”
- In Touch
- “Arquette and King are riveting”
- “Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, who directs three out of eight episodes...provides a kind of visual austerity that counteracts the Disneyfied color [sic] palette and the cloying childishness of Dee Dee and Gypsy’s world.”
- The Atlantic
- “Hulu’s The Act is hard to watch. That’s the point.”
- Vox
- “Satisfying”
- “She’s [Joey King] the weirdest, most fascinating, and best part of the series”
- Indiewire
- “With a strong cast and an addicting, troubling story, it’s hard to stop watching.”
- The Breeze
- “The Act turns the Blanchard case into an eight-hour psychological horror show.”
- “chilly direction…ominous score”
- “Arquette is transfixing.”
- “fascinating”
- “powerful”
- “The Act does well by making you itch with discomfort throughout its run.”
- The Daily Beast
- “Fascinating”
- “captures the unsettling con game”
- CNN
- “Arquette and King are balanced by a very talented ensemble”
- “there’s value even for people like me who knew the disturbing tale.”
- “The Act rarely feels sensational—focused more on character than controversy”
- “‘The Act’ takes us into the Blanchard home in ways that documentaries and true crime podcasts couldn’t.”
- RogerEbert.com
- “spectacular performances”
- “Arquette is...a revelation and...King is taking a leap from promising young performer to star.”
- “[King’s] performance of daunting physicality and external detail that requires that you get past the carefully crafted helium voice and juvenile mannerisms.”
- “Director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre's treatment of that real world and of the Blanchards' home…was one of my favorite things about the series.”
- “has done a good job of keeping me guessing”
- “her [Arquette’s] performance in Hulu's The Act is every bit as good and every bit as worthy of awards consideration as what she delivered in Escape at Dannemora.”
- The Hollywood Reporter
- “staggeringly disturbing”
- “Arquette and King give searing, committed performances”
- “interesting and surprising”
- The Guardian
- “Worthy embodies a troubled small-town loser exceptionally well”
- “uncanny performance” [Joey’s performance]
- Collider
- “viewers can't seem to get enough of it”
- Bustle
