‘Bad Sisters’: A perfect Rotten Tomatoes score is a rarity that merits Emmy consideration
“Bad Sisters” doesn’t have a good Rotten Tomatoes score, it has a perfect one. The Apple TV+ drama series merits a jaw-dropping 100% on this site that aggregates reviews.
Created by Sharon Horgan, Dave Finkel, and Brett Baer, “Bad Sisters” follows the five Garvey sisters (led by Horgan’s eldest sister Eva) as they try to kill Claes Bang‘s John Paul, the abusive husband of Grace Garvey (Anne-Marie Duff). The action moves between two timelines. The first follows the sisters plotting John Paul’s murder while the second shows two insurance agents (Brian Gleeson‘s Thomas and Daryl McCormack‘s Matthew) trying to prove that the sisters were involved in John Paul’s death in a desperate attempt to save their business.
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The juxtaposing timelines make for a whip-smart drama full of pitch-black comedy and pitch-perfect performances. It’s obvious why the show has received that perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. Here are some snippets from reviews explaining precisely why the show is so good.
Caroline Framke (Variety) wrote: “If Sharon Horgan’s attached to a show, there’s a more than decent chance that it’ll be a spiky comedy tinged with the tragedy of everyday indignities.” She wrote: “That the show also finds not just moments, but reasons to make its characters and viewers laugh is a testament to how well its writing team can balance a tone that many others would’ve muddled. Even if it’ll be satisfying to learn exactly how JP kicks it, ‘Bad Sisters’ is less about the mystery than its cutting, empathetic take on all the relationships that tangled into such an overwhelming knot along the way.”
Robert Lloyd (LA Times) observed: “The conclusion is not unpredictable, and, really, all the more satisfying for being so. “Bad Sisters” is a dark sort of comedy, with dramatic passages, but it is a comedy after all. Its characters — barring the dead one — are reaching for the light, and the talented cast makes them easy to love.” He continued: “And apart from whatever pleasures the story brings — despite the murder plot and abusive relationship, it is meant to be pleasurable — the series is sensually luxurious, from the lilting voices to the unpredictable song selections (from Ralph Stanley to the Velvet Underground to Melanie) to the generally pretty setting.”
Abby Robinson (Radio Times) concluded that “Bad Sisters” is “the most fun you’ll have all year; the series seamlessly treads the fine line between amusement and unpacking the insidious nature of abuse that has no physical markers, but leaves one’s emotional health in tatters. And Horgan herself has spoken about how much time and care was taken to ensure that the coercive control Grace suffers is not trivialised or diluted in pursuit of laughs.”
And Lucy Mangan (The Guardian) noted: “This wicked revenge fantasy about five sisters who attempt to kill a monstrous husband is wonderfully cathartic, perfectly paced and hugely witty. Its brilliant cast don’t put a foot wrong.” She wrote: “Regardless, as an exercise in catharsis, ‘Bad Sisters’ is wonderful. It is also superbly constructed, perfectly paced and brilliantly performed, with Horgan on top form as both writer and actor, surrounded by a cast who don’t put a foot wrong. Wittily directed (by Rebecca Gatward, Josephine Bornebusch and Dearbhla Walsh) and gorgeously shot, this is a fine addition to the growing collection of stories told unapologetically for, by and about women on mainstream television. Sorority takes many forms.”
This critical score — a great achievement in and of itself regardless — means that “Bad Sisters” is more than deserving of some Emmys attention. And here’s a good omen for the Apple TV+ drama — other shows that have received the same Rotten Tomatoes score have often gone on to find a lot of success on the Emmys podium.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge‘s “Fleabag” earned 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and then bagged six Emmy awards including Best Comedy Series and Best Comedy Writing and Best Comedy Actress for Waller-Bridge. “Hacks” achieved the same score and then hauled home a half dozen Emmys, including two Best Comedy Actress awards for Jean Smart.
The 1979 series “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” starring Alec Guinness, was nominated for Best Limited Series in 1981, while “Freaks and Geeks” won an Emmy (Best Comedy Casting in 2000) in 2000, and “Jane the Virgin” was nominated twice overall (for Best Narrator in 2015 and 2016). Other shows to achieve 100% include Martin Freeman‘s “The Responder,” “The Bear,” which is also in the Emmys mix this year, and Netflix’s “Heartstopper.”
“Bad Sisters” also outscored some major shows that went on to take the Emmys by storm. “Better Call Saul” achieved 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and went on to land a whopping 46 Emmy nominations across its entire run so far (although it hasn’t won any — again, so far), while “Breaking Bad” scored 96% and won 16 Emmys, and “The Americans” won four Emmys. This shows that “Bad Sisters'” Rotten Tomatoes score shouldn’t be taken lightly — this score has positioned the show to be thought of as an elite drama that shouldn’t be missed, and that could make Emmy voters sit up and pay it the attention it deserves. It’s rare that a show with such a high rating gets completely overlooked, and it shouldn’t happen here.
“Bad Sisters” has already proven its awards credentials at BAFTA this year. The show was nominated five times for BAFTA TV Awards. Three of those nominations came at the BAFTA TV Craft Awards, where it won Best Titles & Graphic Identity while it was also nominated for Best Director Fiction for Walsh (she lost to William Stefan Smith for “Top Boy”) and Best Scripted Casting (it lost to “This is Going to Hurt”). It also has a further two nominations at BAFTA’s main TV awards ceremony, which is on May 14th. Those bids are for Best Supporting Actress for Duff and Best Drama Series. This shows that “Bad Sisters” has the potential to land the same nominations — if not more — at the Emmys.
Currently, however, the show has some ground to make up. “Bad Sisters” sits just outside our predicted eight nominees for Best Drama Series: “Andor,” “House of the Dragon,” “Yellowjackets,” “The Crown,” “Better Call Saul,” “The Last of Us,” “The White Lotus,” and, in pole position, “Succession.”
But here’s another good sign — “Bad Sisters” has a higher Rotten Tomatoes score than any of those shows. “Andor” has 96%, “House of the Dragon” has 93%, “Yellowjackets” has 98%, “The Crown” has 86%, “Better Call Saul” has 98%, “The Last of Us” has 96%, “The White Lotus” has 91% and even the great “Succession” has 95%. No other show in our predicted eight nominees has the same perfect score that “Bad Sisters” has achieved.
Surely, the Emmys can make a little room for perfection?
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