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Pilot Review For 'Feud: Bette And Joan'; Heres What You Need To Know

By Gavin Rittenhouse | Update Date: Mar 07, 2017 07:49 AM EST

Yet another of Ryan Murphy's list of TV series projects is "Feud: Bette and Joan." Similar to "American Horror Story" and "American Crime Story," "Feud" is an anthology series that focuses on famous real-life rivals.

For its first take, "Feud: Bette and Joan" revolves around the backstage tension between Old Hollywood actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The story is set during the production of the movie "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?".

The said TV series aired its pilot episode Sunday, Mar. 5 and it stars some of the biggest and respected actors in Hollywood. Joan Crawford and Bette Davis are played by Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon, respectively. The show also stars Judy Davis, Stanley Tucci, and Jackie Hoffman The pilot episode of "Feud: Bette and Joan" gained generally positive reviews. It got a score of 7.6/10 at IGN and 88% in Rotten Tomatoes.

Jean Bentley of IGN stated on her review that Murphy should be applauded for his effort to give screen-time to older female actors, who the world hasn't heard of for a long time. He has given roles to actresses such as Kathy Bates, Jamie Lee Curtis, Angela Bassett, soon, Anette Bening, to name a few.

Benjamin Lee of The Guardian thought of "Feud: Bette and Joan" as "a breezily entertaining Hollywood exposé" though he added that eight episodes are not enough to go to depths on some important moments. He also added that "Feud: Bette and Joan" is not as camp as "American Horror Story" and, even if it isn't as exciting as "American Crime Story," some scenes are meme-worthy, especially to the biggest fans.

However, Matt Zoller Seitz of Vulture is not amused. "The writing is mainly to blame," he said. "'Feud (Bette and Joan)' is a critique of Hollywood misogyny that fixates on its female stars' pettiness and cruelty toward each other, as well as their obsessions with their hair, makeup, skin, and weight."

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