Prime Video’s new series, known for Gilmore Girls and, more recently, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Perhaps their most relevant experience to Étoile, though, is the little-watched but critically acclaimed series Bunheads, which also focuses on ballet.

In its eight-episode first season, Étoile follows two of the world’s most renowned ballet companies, one in New York City and one in Paris, as they swap their top stars for a year. While the show has a large ensemble cast, the three biggest players are Jack (Luke Kirby), the leader of the New York company; Geneviève (Charlotte Gainsbourg), his counterpart in Paris; and Cheyenne (Lou de Laâge), one of ’s most beloved dancers.

Étoile Provides An Authentic, Raw Look At Ballet

The Show Does An Excellent Job Exploring The Realities Of Making Good Art

One of Étoile’s strongest points is its authenticity; it takes a glamorous art form and reminds us that it’s also a sport, and an intense one at that. Even the opening credits take great pains to get that point across – as the show’s title flashes across the screen, we see a dancer standing en pointe, one foot covered with a beautiful pointe shoe, while the other is bandaged and bruised, reflecting the harsh reality that a ballet audience never sees.

With tons of characters, the show wisely includes people at all different levels in the companies, from Susu (LaMay Zhang), a young ballerina Cheyenne takes a liking to; Mishi (Taïs Vinolo), a star on the rise; and Gabin (Ivan du Pontavice), a singular talent whose ion often overwhelms him. Étoile doesn’t stop with those onstage, though, devoting just as much attention to Jack and Geneviève’s creative teams, including Jack’s Artistic Director Nicholas (David Haig) and eccentric choreographer Tobias Bell (Gideon Glick).

Throughout the season, Jack and Geneviève make painful allowances to help their respective companies survive, reckoning with the need to make art profitable without that coming at the expense of the work itself.

Étoile also doesn’t shy away from the brutal difficulties of trying to make art in a world that seems to value it less and less. Throughout the season, Jack and Geneviève make painful allowances to help their respective companies survive, reckoning with the need to make art profitable without that coming at the expense of the work itself. Étoile also fully embraces its dual locations – while the French characters speak some English, particularly when talking with Americans, they often favor French in their scenes with each other, which adds to the realism.

Étoile Has The Palladinos Doing What They Do Best

It’s Chock-full Of Snappy Dialogue, Smart Humor & Dynamic Relationships Between Women

If you’re a fan of the Palladinos’ other work, as I am, it’s pretty likely you’ll enjoy Étoile. Not only are there appearances from Gilmore Girls and Maisel alums, Étoile has plenty of hallmarks of the Palladinos’ past shows. They've become known for unapologetically brash, funny women who take up a lot of space, and Étoile is no exception. Cheyenne, in particular, is an absolute firecracker and a ton of fun to watch, but there’s a lot of pain and ion in the character as well. That level of nuance takes her to another level and makes her a real standout of the series.

The Palladinos are also great at writing complicated, realistic relationships between women, particularly mothers and daughters, and there’s lots of that in Étoile. The dialogue really sings with plenty of wit and some fun pop culture references reminiscent of Gilmore Girls.

While Étoile Has Many Strengths, It Struggles To Service All Of Its Characters

Some Of The References To Current Issues Feel A Bit Tone-Deaf As Well

While Étoile’s numerous characters help make the show feel very lived-in, it's also overstuffed, and I struggled to keep track of everyone in the first few episodes. As the season goes on, the show fails to do justice to all of its characters, and some inevitably wind up feeling less dynamic than others. Additionally, some characters refuse to get out of their own way and are difficult to root for as a result. And, while Étoile offers plenty of romance, I had a hard time investing in some of the relationships, simply because the characters didn't have many scenes together.

Étoile also takes a heavy-handed approach to current issues, with good intentions but clumsy references that don’t always land. Some of the dialogue is dated, and there’s a contempt for Gen Z and its use of social media that’s jarringly out of touch, though the show improves on that front as the season goes on.

Étoile Is Anchored By Its Love For A Valuable Art Form

Even When The Show Stumbles, Ballet Remains The Focus, Which Should Be Celebrated

Étoile makes clear that everyone who is a part of the show, including its creative team, loves and respects ballet, and that singular drive gives it a unique focus. Even when the characters are frustrating, their intentions are pure – they’re there to serve this art form, regardless of the personal cost.

Many of the dance sequences are absolutely gorgeous and shot in a way that makes you feel a part of the theater's audience. Directors resist the urge to close in on the actors’ faces, and the background dancers remain in frame throughout, a vital part of the story. The dancing isn't rushed through in service of the plot; the show recognizes that those moments reveal just as much, if not more, about the characters as their words do.

I went into Étoile without much interest in or knowledge of ballet and walked away with a lot more respect for the craft. If that was Étoile's goal, it more than succeeded.