What Rotten Tomatoes Reviews Are Saying About Mrs. Davis

On paper, the premise of "Mrs. Davis" might seem a little too out there to achieve critical consensus. Betty Gilpin of "GLOW" fame stars as a nun named Simone. She is a rare detractor of Mrs. Davis, an all-knowing AI algorithm that's taken the world by storm. So, when Mrs. Davis wagers that if the Holy Grail can be found and destroyed, it'll destroy itself — Simone can't help but take the bait. If that seems pretty cut and dry, don't fret; there are also magicians, a cat-loving scientist named Dr. Schrödinger, and myriad other oddities.

If critics agree on anything, it's that "Mrs. Davis" defies easy description. As Jenna Scherer put it for The AV Club, "Bizarre, shaggy, funny, and surprisingly profound, 'Mrs. Davis' isn't a show so much to be described as experienced."

Seasoned showrunner Damon Lindelof ("Lost," "The Leftovers," "Watchmen") and co-creator Tara Hernandez ("The Big Bang Theory," "Young Sheldon") swung for the fences, and in most critics' estimation, they succeeded. As of this writing, "Mrs. Davis" has a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Of the 25 "Mrs. Davis" reviews currently posted on Rotten Tomatoes, an impressive 23 of them are positive, with critics roundly praising the series' inventiveness and boundless energy. Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Angie Han called "Mrs. Davis" "bracingly, deliriously original." In a similar vein, Collider's Carly Lane added, "Mrs. Davis, refreshingly, isn't operating on the same level as any other show out there. In fact, it's playing in a league all its own."

Even positive reviews weren't without their small quibbles, and most critics agreed that the maximalist mode of storytelling and breathless pace can edge towards exhaustion. "Such lunacy sometimes outstrips its ability to tell a totally cohesive story," wrote Alison Herman for Variety.

Overall, however, that chaotic, YOLO energy works in the show's favor. "It may not have the smooth competence of many streaming binges," wrote James Poniewozik for the New York Times. "But sometimes you gotta choose chaos." Alan Sepinwall also endorsed the show's throwing-everything-at-the-wall spirit. "[It's] as if no one involved quite knows exactly what they are making, or at least how to make what they want," he wrote in his review for Rolling Stone. "But it's fascinating, charming, frequently hilarious, and at times surprisingly moving to watch them try."

Some critics found few silver linings in "Mrs. Davis'" kitchen-sink approach. This is the type of series, after all, that will either delight or repel, depending on one's capacity for nonstop banter and tongue-in-cheek philosophizing. For The Daily Beast's Nick Schager, one too many cowboys, templars, nuns, scammers, and etcetera weighs on the quality of the show.

"'Mrs. Davis' is a case of 'too much' being a good thing—until it isn't," he wrote, adding, "Going this overboard ultimately has the effect of minimizing the impact of any single facet of its story."

Writing for ScreenAnarchy, Peter Martin was perhaps even more critical of the show, calling it "smugly irreverent" and "looney." But he, like many others, couldn't deny Betty Gilpin's talent. "Betty Gilpin keeps her head above the churning water, by turns appealingly sassy, mournfully adrift, and achingly romantic."