Palm Royale Episode 1-3 review – Ricky Martin prancing around shirtless and in swimming trunks does not save this shallow tale

Pam Royale Story: Maxine Simmons Dellacorte (Kristen Wiig), a former pageant queen married to Douglas Simmons (Josh Lucas) a pilot and potential heir to the fortune of a distant aunt, Norma Dellacorte (Carol Burnett), is desperate to be a part of the Palm Royale, a club for the elite, and live the high-society life she’s always dreamt of, after moving to Palm Beach.

Initially blacklisted for gatecrashing, Maxine eventually manages to get herself a seat at the club, which will be cemented only if 3 other patrons support her membership. That’s not an easy task, but she does manage it nevertheless. What will Maxine’s attempts to become a high-flying queen bee cost her?

Palm Royale Review (Episode 1-3): A cast including Allison Janney, Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Carol Burnett, Josh Lucas, Ricky Martin and Kaia Gerber, among many others, is enough of an invitation for many audiences, including me. But Palm Royale, the last dramedy on Apple TV+, the first three episodes of which have dropped, fails to capitalize on this jackpot of a golden opportunity, presenting us with three hours of a 1960s fashion show against a Desperate Housewives kind of set-up.

Palm Royale is set at a time when women were still fighting for a lot of basic rights, while those in the upper echelons of society had the luxury of not having to work or even think of it in their wildest dreams, while flaunting beautiful nail and hair does and never repeating an outfit. These are women who will not accept someone like Maxine into their inner circle and yet, she manages to do just that somehow. Even Club employee and Norma's trusted aide, Robert (Ricky Martin), who is more often in swimming trunks and showing off his chiselled frame, is not much of a fan of Maxine. 

But then, although Maxine does not have the money power of the company she seeks, it is not entirely a distant dream for her. If and when her husband’s now comatose aunt Norma passes away, he stands to inherit her fortune. The first three episodes do not offer much as to the direction the tale will take, focusing instead on Maxine’s desperate attempts to climb this social ladder, even as the women snub her for being the alleged gold-digger who entrapped Douglas with fake pregnancy.

Palm Royale verdict: If you have an eye for fashion, chances are that the three hours of all things sartorial can be quite exciting. But if you were looking for some acting chops, rollicking comedy and more considering the cast onboard, well, you’ll be in for some disappointment. The hope is that the show redeems itself in the remaining episodes that will drop weekly once every Wednesday. If it doesn’t, well, what a waste!