Wiig and Burnett bring ferocity and fun to ‘Palm Royale’
“Palm Royale” is set in 1969, in a fortress of big money — an exclusive, snobby resort in Palm Beach — amid the social changes sweeping America. Maxine (Kristen Wiig) is a scrappy, financially struggling newcomer to the Florida town who desperately wants to break into the club’s most select circle of rich ladies, including Evelyn (Alison Janney) and Dinah (Leslie Bibb). She will stop at nothing, including spending money she doesn’t have, to win acceptance by the Queen Bee — Evelyn — and the rest of her hive.
The 10-episode show, which premieres Wednesday on Apple TV+, made me think of “The Gilded Age” and “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans,” as it presents us with a wily, driven interloper coveting the excesses of high society. Maxine manages to discover enough of the ladies’ secrets to demand their tolerance as she forces herself on them, but she’s nonetheless hoping for their full embrace. She comes up with a little cash to get in the door — selling the jewelry of her husband’s wealthy aunt (yes, Carol Burnett), who is in a coma — but she’ll have to be especially clever to stay inside.
There is much to like about “Palm Royale,” not least of all Wiig, who is ultimately quite a winning underdog, and Janney, whose elitism has a soft layer deep within. The tone of the show, from Abe Sylvia (adapted from Juliet McDaniel’s novel “Mr. and Mrs. American Pie”) is breezy and tinged with campy soap opera, in the manner of “Desperate Housewives.” As the wealthy pool-side ladies gobble pills, sip cocktails, and wear Flintstone-esque jewelry, they compete with an impressive ruthlessness and ferocity.
The supporting actors work well, too, including Ricky Martin as a club employee who’s onto Maxine. Laura Dern (in a painful wig) amuses as a “Portlandia”-like hippie feminist with her own secrets. And Burnett is a kick, even when her character lies in bed, out of it — or, perhaps, not so out of it. Only Carol Burnett could make the face of a comatose lady into a comic asset.
Ultimately, it all starts to feel redundant, even pointless, as Maxine keeps trying to wear the ladies down in episode after episode. At times, there doesn’t seem to be enough story line to fuel 10 hourlong episodes. A little more drama — or even some heavier satire — might have given the show more weight and purpose. Still, it’s an enjoyable, if forgettable, romp.