Spinoffs Must Stop, and This New 57%-Rated TV Series Is Further Proof of That

All eight episodes of the comedy series Elle – a prequel to the Legally Blonde duology – have premiered on Amazon Prime Video. Reese Witherspoon served as the project's executive producer and personally selected the lead actress.

Elle stands as a prime example of how nostalgia and the desire to capitalize on an iconic brand can stifle originality. Here's why this prequel is further proof that it's time to stop making spinoffs.

What Is 'Elle' About?

The show is set in 1995, about five years before the events of the first movie. The young, beautiful Californian Elle Woods is celebrating her sixteenth birthday at a lavish Bel-Air mansion.

However, a cloud hangs over the birthday girl's future. Her father has become embroiled in a workplace scandal, forcing the family to move to rainy Seattle. Life in the new city is difficult – the local teens wear plaid shirts, are obsessed with grunge, and view Californians as inferior.

Elle embarks on a challenging journey from outcast to school leader, making both enemies and friends along the way.

The New Series' Derivative Nature Kills the Magic of the Original Movie

The main character's high school years are so similar to her college life that they seem like a dress rehearsal. The plot of Elle mirrors the movie's events almost verbatim: a naive blonde in pink finds herself in an unfamiliar, hostile environment where everyone dismisses her as an airhead.

Before long, however, her charm and kindness overcome the prejudice, and she solves a crime, and in the end, she chooses the brainy guy over the other suitor. The creators even recreated specific scenes: Elle shows up to a party in an inappropriate outfit, befriends a talkative woman, and turns enemies into friends.

One might forgive the series for being derivative if it didn't contradict the original film's logic. If Elle had already navigated the challenges of moving and fitting in during high school, why is she so bewildered at Harvard?

It turns out that her high school experience taught the brilliant Miss Woods nothing – five years later, she is ready to make the same mistakes again.

'Elle' Is a Pink Soap Bubble With No Substance

The cozy color palette and numerous 90s references evoke nostalgia, but that alone isn't enough for a truly immersive experience.

It was clear long before the series premiered that there was no need to expand the franchise. Nevertheless, this eight-part TV series will likely appeal to fans of high school comedies with cafeteria cliques.

Lead actress Lexi Minetree bears a physical resemblance to Reese Witherspoon in the early 2000s and has adopted Elle Woods's distinctive walk, gestures, and facial expressions.

However, Elle feels less like a prequel to the cult classic Legally Blonde and more like its lackluster mirror image. Thanks to the costume designers and the young cast, the show holds one's interest through the finale, though it is best suited for background viewing.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Elle'?

• Elle has 57% from critics and 76% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the series has a score of 6.9/10.

Where to Watch 'Elle'?

Elle is available to stream on Prime Video.