The Duchess (2020) User Reviews

This Is Marmite, And I Loved It...

[lewilewis1997 · 8/10 · 12 September 2020]

Raunchy, irreverent, tasteless, feminist screw up Katherine Ryan leads the charge accompanied by an excellent star of the future, 'Olive' (Katy Byrne). Olive is the sensible, level headed daughter and conscience that reins in Katherine's excesses, most of the time. Katherine's also a great and fearsome mother, no doubt about it. No Spoilers - but let's get this straight, Katherine is not nice. She's self centred, a show off, pure evil if crossed, so her and Olive are Yin Yang. A great supporting cast ( Apart from Steen Raskopoulos, 'Evan', who I swear is carved out of wood and operated by a puppeteer) and some fantastic dialogue move things along nicely. There's plenty of conflict and awkward situations, some real left field thinking that takes you by surprise, and some very touching moments, but it's never schmaltzy or saccharin. I've just binged all 6 episodes and felt that it was 3 hours well spent and seemed to end on just the right note. Hopefully a second series has already been commissioned? I don't think I'm the intended demographic, being an almost old bloke, and I've had enough Katherine's to last me a lifetime, a hard lesson learned. But I ended up respecting the character, just not 'liking' her at all, if you know what I mean? Rory Keenan, 'Shep', her crazy conspiracy nut and long suffering ex, but doting dad, is a bonus.

Give it a go, you have nothing to lose.

Weird, but I like it

[tmitevskawebpresent · 8/10 · 12 September 2020]

Low raking comes from Americans who probably are not familiar with British sense of humor. It is a British comedy TV show, its particular but very nice. I like the lead character she is very feminist and funny.

If you understand British sense of humor great, otherwise you will not going to like it.

I think people are being overly critical

[jadehunt-10355 · 7/10 · 25 September 2020]

I personally really enjoyed this and finished the whole series in one setting. It might not be revolutionary or hilarious but I like it. It's humorous and aesthetically pleasing to watch. (The outfits and locations were gorgeous) I actually wish the series was a little longer as it was so easy to watch and would definitely tune in for a second series.

And a half

[Headturner1 · 6/10 · 17 March 2022]

Not a terrible show but not great. This is not British humour people! Watch Peep show or The Inbetweeners. I'm sorry but Katherine Ryan is not a good actress. It works through some of it but not all of it. I like Michelle De Swarte and the girl who played Olive. They did a 180 on her tho. She was all sweet then became this demanding, bossy brat. Like I'd be afraid she's hurt the baby , make it do her chores. Any ways it's a short series and doesn't take up a lot of time and is decently entertaining for the evening. That is all.

Pretty much Katherine's stand-up, just a shame she can't really act

[chunkylefunga · 6/10 · 21 September 2020]

If you like Katherine's stand-up or just her humour in general then you'll like this show.

Sadly Katherine is the weak part of her own show as whilst she has great comedic timing, her acting chops are a little rusty.

Love Love Love

[pjcoolidge-978-986884 · 10/10 · 14 September 2020]

I love British comedies and this is great!! Can't get enough.. It is weird.. but great!

Short and acceptable enough funny

[archanademonia · 6/10 · 10 October 2020]

I came for the sass (it was kinda overdone half of the time) and hoped for some giggles. Had a few laughs, and although I still haven't made up my mind if I like Katherine Ryan or not, as disturbing the story is, I watched the whole thing and didn't feel like I wasted my time. I'd watch another season.

Loved it!!!

[georgiannahorsley · 10/10 · 13 September 2020]

Honestly one of the best series I've watched in a while! Love her humour and her dramatised approach to modern parenting. Don't see what the bad reviews are all about

I regret finishing this season and I hope they cancel it.

[sstidham-4 · 6/10 · 2 October 2020]

While this can be pretty funny, it's highly unrealistic and the behavior of the lead character will make you stop laughing by the sixth episode. I'm not really sure where they're going with this or why we should be invested in a clearly unhealthy relationship with every pairing; including the mother and daughter. There's plenty of good UK series to watch, skip this one.

Irritating

[elliedario · 2/10 · 15 January 2022]

I like Katherine as comedian and I thought this would have been clever and funny. It isn't! The leading character is supposed to be a strong woman but she appears volatile, silly, totally unpredictable and hysterical at times. This is not a strong female character should look like.

Why All The Hate?

[carlcasso · 9/10 · 12 September 2020]

This is Ms Ryan's first attempt at TV and it's good. She can act. People are going on about the bad acting but where is it ? There is nothing wrong with the acting.

I watched it all and found it very funny. Katheryn (the lead) is I believe exactly what Ms Ryan would be if she decided not to filter her words.

I found her funny, sexy and very likable.

Ignore the bad reviews and give it a go.

I watched some rubbish lately which had been given 10 stars on IMBD so I've no idea why there is so much hate for this .

I really liked it. Well done Katheryn Ryan!

White feminism!

[ivanacuric · 24 September 2020]

Ryan's British humour is great! Weird just a bit but weird is good. I laughed my ass off couple of times and really enjoyed smart-ish and feminist empowered quotes and argues with her daughter. I like her fashion style. It's very fresh which means it's not boring at all, it's full of everything. I had to pause just to process all the things she was wearing. Love it! Shep's caracter is awesome and their relationship as well... Thumbs up for this girlish show!

It's good

[jjkearney-24351 · 7/10 · 21 September 2020]

I struggled a bit through the first episode but this show grows on you. I'm up to episode 5 and it's a good enjoyable show. I get why some mightn't like it but if you don't mind a bit of crude humour it's actually quite a warm story.

I loved it then kinda hated it....

[colormeunimpressed · 5/10 · 24 February 2021]

I have a love/hate relationship with this show. It started out strong and I didn't mind its crudeness. I found a lot of it really funny. Somewhere towards the end however, it started to take a turn for me. I know it's just a show and we shouldn't take it seriously, but the mother, Katherine, constantly enabling her daughter, Olive, started to bother me. Olive seems to think that she's in charge and Katherine allows that. Even though we're supposed to believe Katherine is grappling with the decision to have another baby, it feels like she's not doing it for herself but rather for her daughter because SHE wants a sibling. When talking about it, she always states she wants a baby for Olive, not herself. She never really says why she wants to have another child. It's just kind of weird. Much like when Olive decides if Katherine and her boyfriend, Evan, can share a room and mom just goes with it. Odd. Then there's the end where she takes the only likable and reasonable person in the show (Evan) and turns him into a villain because, and let's be honest here, he's the only person who tells Olive any ounce of truth. Granted, it may not have been his place, but let's face it, somebody had to do it. Her biological parents certainly weren't ever going to. Both are too immature and insecure to be up front with her. I did laugh quite a bit in the beginning though, and I really enjoyed her best friend, Bev, as well as the ex, Shep, and how ridiculous he is, but I'm not sure if I'd watch another season if the mother/daughter dynamic stays the same.

Funny but also weird

[pbnqcza · 6/10 · 20 September 2020]

It made me laugh but overall the whole thing feels like a bizarre one direction fan fiction. Some of it was just a little too corny. Predictable story but the characters are likeable.

Really started to get into it and it finished

[lauracamfield · 7/10 · 26 January 2021]

I was really starting to get into this series, getting to know the characters etc and then it was over. I really hope they bring it back as I feel that this could be something really funny, it has so many ways it's can go and six 30 minute episodes isn't enough to really get a feel for a series.

Hysterical. Katherine Ryan at her best.

[r_me_wife73 · 10/10 · 11 September 2020]

It's basically Katherine' s stand-up in a TV series. If your whining about the series go watch her stand-up specials and decide if you enjoy her then come back and watch. I'm laughing so hard I woke a snoring puppy! One part of this show I feel in my soul. I grew up with a single mom as an only child. We were very close when I was little. I barely had any relationship with my dad but not due to my mom. She tried but he was in his own world. I wish my mom was as good as Katherine and I wish I had Olive's accent. LOL!

At times witty

[rxjtgwxkd · 7/10 · 31 July 2022]

The first few episodes were very interesting, trying to figure everything out. But then it became very predictable.... I find the jokes funny, and liked seeing what I feel is an explanation (though hyperbolic) of what Katherine Ryan's life feels like. I wish there would be another season to focus on like the future rather than past / present. How Katherine Ryan or other writers / producers see her life going and then like it's a daydream (or whatever). Definitely like her comedy, and the sassiness of Olive. Not such a fan of the dad nor step mom....and of course we love Evan.

A new favourite

[yvessaintreview · 10/10 · 11 September 2020]

I'm not usually a binge-watcher but this was too enjoyable to switch off, I didn't so much as pause more than once. Easy-watching is often synonymous with "you can spend half the episode on your phone and it won't make a difference" but with Duchess you don't want to.

It's crude and self aware, with a surprising heart. Can't lie, it made me want to hang out with my mum.

I know I'll be watching this again, it's already become one of my comfort shows. Although we're given a satisfying ending, I don't want it to be finished yet. Crossing my fingers for a second season 🤞

Not brilliant, but better than what some are making out

[proctorluke · 7/10 · 7 October 2020]

It isn't exactly groundbreaking, but does have some genuine laughs in every episode, and the drama side of things improves much better from the 3rd episode onwards. Might have worked better as an eight episode run, one of the negatives is that the first episode is a bit too fast paced, and from that a bit contrived, where it seems to be trying to set up in one episode's worth what could have been done in three, but as I say that pacing improves as it wears on.

Positives

• Genuine jokes, and some on the money quick fire pop culture references, similar to Katherine Ryan's stand up
• Dynamic of general style taken from some other shows, but not overly used (elements of Motherhood, AbFab, Fleabag all in there, but not overdone)
• Shep, the father character, is brilliant, and very convincing as a washed out boy band from the early 00's, with a touch of Conor McGregor, as well as one of the Gallaghers thrown in as well.
• The main child actor playing Olive, is better than what some reviews are giving credit for here, and in fairness most of the supporting cast are strong too.
• Whilst very middle class in tone, it nonetheless shows a real and beleievable side of London, that adds to the overall creditability in terms of environment. This is how I imagine life in places like Muswell Hill or Highgate to be in day to day life, whenever being there on the periphery.
• it comes to a satisfying, if unconventional, conclusion. Whilst that makes me feel this works better as a stand alone series rather than future ones, part of the good bits of the dramedy was where the transitions in character's lives were meeting. A new series, moved on a couple of years therefore would be out of sync with that.

Negatives

• Ryan's character isn't the most likeable, again if it were eight episodes and especially the first half of the series stretched out a bit more, a lot of that could have been resolved, you root for her more by the last couple of episodes
• The actor playing Evan, the boyfriend, is pretty poor, and very wooden in this.
• Although funny in moments, Jen (the perfect mum character) is a bit too clichéd, and it gets close to grating at times.
• Can be overly woke at points, where it doesn't seem necessary. This could be intentional, and almost a parody of woke stuff whilst still being a bit woke at the same time; part of the plot seems to want to show Katherine to be woke but not necessarily for the right reasons, but I'm wary this could be giving undue credit if not the intention of the set up. It's a maybe negative, depending on which way you belive it to be intended.

Hope this review gives some balance; it's three hours well spent if you give it a chance.

Not Funny

[jgxenakis · 1/10 · 27 October 2020]

Gave up after two episodes.

Apparently the series has its fans. But Endless babbling of wisecracks does not produce good comedy. Thoroughly lacks cleverness or any sophistication. This standup comedian wrote a Series of standup cracks for those who respond to raunchy 'humor'. KH May be a good standup comic, but is not a good actor, Delivers almost every bit of dialogue in a staccato tempo as if they are punchlines of a routine.

Can't understand how her dentist boyfriend didn't go running away from her to begin with; how her girlfriend or even her daughter much likes her.

Another reviewer called this British humor. Ha! If only! Series takes place in London, and KH is the only one with an American accent. Because . . . KH is a Canadian comic, with a decidedly non-British style.

A very lovely series

[leabischof · 9/10 · 13 September 2020]

It starts a little exaggerated in the first episode, which is understandable since they had to introduce the characters quite quickly. Nevertheless, a very adorable, light-hearted story. I really hope they continue the series, Ryan does an amazing job in my opinion. Definitely 3 hours well spend.

Eurgh

[sandycochrane-97758 · 6/10 · 13 September 2020]

I don't care how it's done but replace Olive. Totally ruins the whole thing. Keep the dogs. AlwAys keep the dogs.

Horrible main character

[iva1101 · 1/10 · 27 March 2021]

Unbearable because of super annoying main character.

Easy and enjoyable

[cassan2184 · 7/10 · 14 September 2020]

Not a particularly gripping story or great actors but I've watched this over the weekend and enjoyed it. I might have been generous with the 7 rating because it isn't a classic you'll rewatch or recommend to everyone but it's fun and the characters are likeable.

I do think that I only watched it because there doesn't seem to be much new on Netflix UK at the moment. Maybe due to covid? Anyway, if you want something fun and light hearted to pass an evening then give this a try.