Ryan Murphy's latest creation, Netflix's Hollywood, is a miniseries set in post-World War II Hollywood. Aspiring actors, screenwriters, directors, and anyone who's anyone is fighting for their place in the spotlight. Many characters are forced to make huge sacrifices if they want to live their dreams.
The series is based loosely on real events, and some characters are historical figures, like Hattie McDaniels, Anna May Wong, Vivienne Leigh, and Rock Hudson. However, what some fans have been praising (and others slamming) are the liberties the series takes when it comes to historical accuracy. The show has also received mixed reviews from critics, but still amassed a number of Emmy nominations.
7 Hooray For Hollywood (7.6)
The first episode introduces viewers to the main characters, starting with Jack Castello, an aspiring actor. He lines up outside of Ace Studios every day, hoping to be randomly selected as an extra. Meanwhile, his pregnant wife expects him to bring in enough money to live on, so he finds work at Ernie's gas station.
Viewers also meet Archie Coleman, a screenwriter trying to get his foot in the door. He's friends with debut director Raymond Ainsley, who will help him produce his picture about Peg Entwistle's suicide.
6 Hooray For Hollywood: Part 2 (7.7)
Enter Avis Amberg: the wife of Ace Studios head, Ace Amberg. Jack takes her to "Dreamland", and she agrees to get him an audition. Meanwhile, Raymond Ainsley is trying to get his picture made when Archie asks for his help. Archie has written a screenplay about Peg Entwistle, a white actress who leapt from the Hollywoodland sign after failing to make it big in the industry.
Roy Fitzgerald becomes Rock Hudson under Henry Wilson's dictatorial hand. Raymond visits Anna May Wong, whose dreams have been shattered by the industry after her Oscar snubs.
5 Outlaws (7.9)
In the third episode, Archie and Rock begin a tentative relationship, though Archie isn't ready to commit to it, especially given the environment they live in and the precarious point in his career. Jack begins to learn more about the industry and takes acting classes with Ellen.
Ernie, along with Jack and Archie, is hired for George Cukor's party, which may cause some concerns for Jack. Henry prepares Rock for the party and the industry, arranging meetings with important people at the party.
4 A Hollywood Ending (8.0)
A Hollywood ending indeed; though everyone gets a happy ending and almost everyone wins their Oscar, the episode gets one thing wrong. Optimism is great, but not when it overshadows the struggles these real people faced in their real lives.
Perhaps this is why audiences don't consider this their favorite episode of the miniseries collectively. The other let-down of the episode is that Dick Samuels dies without warning, and after such a significant and painful arc. On the flipside, Camille is flattered when Hattie McDaniels gives her advice about the Oscars ceremony.
3 (Screen) Tests (8.0)
As the title suggests, this episode is all about screen tests. Ellen and Dick pitch Meg to an enraged Ace Amberg while the screen tests are already underway. Rock's nerves get in the way of performing well. Meanwhile, Camille and Raymond are inspired to help Archie alter the script's ending. Originally, Archie planned to have Meg jump just as Peg Entwistle did, but they think the story should be more optimistic, as Hollywood is.
Instead of Meg jumping from the sign, they realize it should be a more hopeful story, one where she decides not to jump. Viewers learn that Ace has been having a long-term affair just as he's hospitalized, leaving Avis in charge of Ace Studios.
2 Jump (8.1)
With Ace still out of the picture (literally), Avis is left to decide who gets cast in Meg. Ellen and Dick insist that it should be Camille and Jack, but Avis wants Claire to star. Henry is also putting pressure on Avis to cast Rock in the other starring role. Dick and Ellen eventually manage to sway Avis as they watch over the audition tapes (Rock's many takes are all awful).
Ellen takes a shot with Dick, but he's not interested in her romantically. Audiences soon learn that he is gay, which is why he's been alone for so long. Meanwhile, pre-production begins on Meg, but Dick has some changes he'd like Archie and Raymond to make.
1 Meg (8.3)
The highest-rated episode of Hollywood is its sixth. Archie and Raymond's dream picture, Meg, is finally getting made, but not everybody is happy about it. In the racist environment of 1940s Hollywood, some theatres refuse to screen it, while others even protest its production. People aren't happy about Camille Washington, a black woman, starring in a film written by a black man.
It's up to Archie, Avis, Ellen, and Dick to keep the picture afloat. Meanwhile, Archie and Jack decide to offer Ernie a second chance at the acting career he's always wanted. Claire and Jack are officially a couple, but not everything is going well; someone burns the film reels containing the footage for Meg. Fortunately, it's not the only copy.
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